Hârlău

Harlau was one of the residences of Moldavia’s princes. Its court is documented in 1384 as the home of Margareta Musata, mother of Petru I and Roman I. Stephen the Great rebuilt the residence in 1486 and added the Church of Saint George in 1492. On 12 July 1499 he signed a peace treaty here with the Poles of King John Albert. The court was a place of government as well as residence, where princely charters and agreements were issued.

Its importance declined when Alexandru Lapusneanu shifted Moldavia’s capital to Iasi. Yet a fire at the Iasi court in 1624 brought Radu Mihnea back to Harlau. He enlarged the residence, introducing improvements influenced by Italian architecture, and died here in January 1626. The court remained intact when Scarlat Ghica visited in 1727, preserving a substantial reminder of the town’s earlier political importance.