The Victor Ion Popa Park (Parcul Victor Ion Popa) is a small historic park in central Bârlad, laid out beside the former Administrative Palace and later developed as the landscaped setting of the Victor Ion Popa Theater. Its present character dates largely from the 1950s, when the park was redesigned with fountains, sculpture and a series of busts dedicated to Romanian writers.
The park originated in the late 19th century as the Prefecture Park, created alongside the Administrative and Justice Palace of Tutova County. It was later known as Alexandru Vlahuță Park, before taking its present name after the professional theater was named after Victor Ion Popa in 1956.
The change was accompanied by a broader redesign of the grounds. Sculptor Marcel Guguianu was involved in the landscaping and created decorative elements for the park, including fountains known as Soare. Two rotundas were arranged with busts of major Romanian writers, among them Mihai Eminescu, George Coșbuc, Alexandru Vlahuță, Barbu Ștefănescu Delavrancea, Ion Creangă, Ion Luca Caragiale, Garabet Ibrăileanu, George Topîrceanu and Ioan Slavici. A bust of Victor Ion Popa was added in 1973, with further sculptures introduced later.
The park is crossed by curved paths between planted areas, fountains and the sculptural monuments, with the theater and former Administrative Palace forming its architectural backdrop.
