Abstract: | “Stejarul” Biological, Geological and Geographical Research Station in Pângãraþi (Neamþ County, Romania) was founded 50 years ago, as a result of an initiative and the effort of “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iaºi.
The official “birth certificate” of this institution was the Decision no. 227/01.11.1956 of the Ministry of Education.
The reason for which this Station was created was, on one hand, to cover the needs for field practice of the students of the Faculty of Biology and Geography and, on other hand, the necessity to study the changes of the landscape due to the intended hydrotechnical developments in the middle and lower sector of Bistriþa River valley (Eastern Carpathians, Romania).
This last objective determined the option for the placing of the new institution in several buildings (surrounded by an amazing natural mountain landscape), which initially lodged the Pângãraþi Monastery, founded in 1560 by Moldavian voivode Alexandru Lãpuºneanu and stated later as a historical monument. After the foundation of the Station, a lot of reparations and arrangements were made in order to restore the buildings and to prepare all the rooms for the new, specific uses. As a result there were created spaces adequate for laboratory activities, for the scientific library, for a specialized museum, for students’ accomodation, mechanical workroom a.o. Later a field base was created near the huge Bicaz dam reservoir, on the shore of Potoci bay. |
