Petrache Poenaru remains one of the most important intellectuals and innovators of the 19th century in Romania. His name is associated with numerous achievements in education, science, and culture, and in Bucharest several buildings and metro stations today bear his imprint, commemorating his contributions. The former Semănătoarea metro station was renamed Petrache Poenaru in 2009, as part of a campaign to adapt station names to contemporary urban and cultural realities.

Education and studies

Petrache Poenaru was born on January 10, 1799, in Benești commune, Vâlcea county, into an old boyar family. He began his studies at a school in Craiova, then continued at the National College of St. Sava in Bucharest. His desire for self-improvement drove him to study abroad as well—in Austria, France, and Great Britain—where he gained hands-on experience in factories and agricultural farms. According to historian George Potra, Poenaru was the first Romanian to travel by train, at the inauguration of the Liverpool–Manchester line in 1830, where he witnessed the advanced technology of the age.

In his youth, he was a student of Gheorghe Lazăr, founder of higher education in Wallachia, later becoming a teacher and colleague of his mentor. He also served as personal secretary to Tudor Vladimirescu, taking an active role in the revolutionary movement of 1821. During this time, Poenaru launched the first newspaper for Vladimirescu’s army, promoting revolutionary ideas through propaganda.

Inventor of the fountain pen

One of Petrache Poenaru’s best-known achievements is the invention of the fountain pen, which he described as the “portable pen without end, which feeds itself with ink.” At the age of 28, Poenaru obtained a patent for the invention in France on May 25, 1827—the very first Romanian patent in history. His invention was later patented in Vienna as well and laid the foundation for the further development of the modern fountain pen. Writer Al. I. Odobescu noted in the magazine Univers ingineresc that this achievement was an example of innovation and international recognition for a Romanian of that era.

Beyond the fountain pen, Poenaru was involved in numerous technical and educational projects, such as translating and introducing the first courses in Geometry and Algebra in Romanian, as well as founding engineering-focused classes.

Contributions to education and culture

Upon returning to the country in 1832, Petrache Poenaru was appointed director of the Eforia Școalelor Naționale (Board of National Schools), the equivalent of today’s Minister of Education. In this role, he founded primary schools for poor children and established school libraries, the largest of which was at St. Sava College, with approximately 10,000 volumes. He encouraged teachers to write textbooks and published dictionaries, maps, and manuals translated from French.

Poenaru also initiated the first drawing and painting exhibition in Bucharest and contributed to the founding of the School of Agriculture and the model farm in Pantelimon. This initiative, supported by ban Mihail Ghica, was crucial for the development of Romanian agriculture, despite resistance from conservative boyars. On January 12, 1835, the Agricultural Society elected its leadership, which backed the creation of the school, where modern agricultural equipment was tested, including a threshing machine built in Bucharest.

Political involvement and modernization of the state

In addition to his educational activity, Poenaru took part in the 1848 Revolution and was a member of the commission for the emancipation of Roma slaves. He was a Freemason and a close associate of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza, being involved in projects for modernizing Romania’s infrastructure and economy. Among his achievements were the establishment of the School of Roads and Bridges—today’s Technical University of Bucharest—organizing the first systematic meteorological observations, and introducing the metric system.

He also contributed to the development of public utilities, such as the first bridge over the Olt River, and supported the mechanization of agriculture by purchasing modern equipment, including a dredging vessel for the Dâmbovița River. Culturally, he was involved in founding the first propaganda newspaper and in creating the tricolor flag, which replaced the white-blue banner of the pandurs, becoming the national symbol of modern Romania.

Legacy and contemporary tributes

In Bucharest, several places and institutions bear his name, including the Petrache Poenaru metro station and the “Petrache Poenaru” School in Sector 5. In Vâlcea county, the Technological High School in Bălcești honors his contributions, while the Otetelișanu Manor hosts artistic projects and creative residencies under the Otetelișanu Domain Foundation. Last year, the mayor of Bălcești proposed establishing a Museum of Writing Tools, in memory of the inventor of the first fountain pen.

Petrache Poenaru also authored the first draft law introducing the metric system and founded public village schools, which by the 1848 Revolution numbered more than 2,200 in Wallachia. His work had lasting effects on Romanian education, culture, and technical infrastructure, and his contributions are still celebrated today as a symbol of innovation, education, and modernization.

In conclusion, Petrache Poenaru remains a model of erudition, ingenuity, and civic engagement. The tributes paid to him through the naming of schools, buildings, and metro stations are not merely symbolic, but reflect the real impact of his activity on the development of modern Romania.