The history of the garden dates back to 1901 when the mayor at the time, Nicu Albu, decided to build a park after a natural disaster that marked the history of the city, on land donated by the boyar Ionică Anastasiu.
On the night of May 30-31, 1897, following heavy rains that lasted throughout that month, the mountain began to collapse from the top, slowly sliding downhill, covering all the people's homes beneath it. The terrified inhabitants fled, escaping with only their lives, while the landslide also covered most of the town hall's vacant lot, reaching almost to the street. When we saw this disaster the next morning, a pitiful sight met our eyes: the collapsed mountain formed huge cracks, ravines, and deep chasms, and an enormous mass of earth mixed with rocks and uprooted trees," recounts Dimitrie Hogea, former mayor of the city (1914-1918) in his work "From the Past of the City of Piatra-Neamţ."
In 1901, when Nicu Albu became mayor, he decided to reforest the mountain and build a park in order to stem the fury of the waters. For three years, hundreds of people worked to reforest the mountain, bringing 57,000 fir and pine trees from Sinaia, from the Royal Greenhouses. The effort was considerable, both for the planting itself and for the care of the seedlings, because during periods of drought, the locals carried water in buckets up the mountain to water them. The park was then built with promenade areas, a pavilion, and a buffet casino, and the official inauguration took place with great pomp on August 15, 1904, with the park being named Cozla Park. At that time, Nicu Albu made the memorable statement, "It was difficult, but we conquered nature." The wooden buildings were located on the site where the "Colibele Haiducilor" restaurant now stands, the first ones burning down completely two decades after the inauguration. At the base of the park, there was a zoo, which operated until 2021, when it was closed following a local public debate.
Today, the Nicu Albu Public Garden is a space dedicated to relaxation and creative activities, with specific areas: an amphitheater (for summer shows, film screenings, cultural events), cabin-style modules for creative workshops and learning during the summer and temporary fairs during the winter, playgrounds for children, a functional area with public toilets, and a terrace area (urban greenhouse with a flower shop and café), equipped with an indoor toilet, an area for security and protection, chess and backgammon tables.
