101. Moldova

This post features: Chișinău, Căpriana, Tipova, Orheiul Vechi,Saharna, Soroca, Ghindesti, Tiraspol, Bender (Bendery), Comrat and Belsama

October 2022

Back to Moldova for the 10th anniversary tour and to catch up with Natalia. Natalia has kindly agreed to show me around again and take me back to all the places I’d completely forgotten about…

This time I flew with Turkish Airlines from Manchester to Istanbul. I then got return flights to Chișinău with Air Moldova. The flight time, from Istanbul, is 1hr20. Air Moldova were fine both ways. They fly from London Stansted now, which is worth knowing, with a flight time of 3hrs20. Their fleet is a combination of Airbus A319, A320 and A321 – the same as easyJet and Wizz Air but with far fewer aircraft, obviously.

This very brief timeline gives an idea of the politics in the region. In the 14th-15th centuries the Moldovan Principality extended from the Carpathians to the Dniester. During the 16th century to the early 19th century the territory was disputed and fought over by the Ottoman and Russian empires. The Bucharest Treaty of 1812 granted Russia control of eastern Moldova – the area between the River Prut and the Dniester and known as Bessarabia. The Ottoman Empire gained control of western Moldova but by 1878 recognised the independence of a Romanian state including western Moldova.

In 1918, following the Bolshevik revolution, Bessarabia declared independence and its parliament called for union with Romania. The Treaty of Paris, 1920, recognised the union of Bessarabia with Romania. The Bolsheviks didn’t and in 1924 they established the Moldovan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, east of the Dniester river within Ukraine. In 1940, Russia annexed Bessarabia and combined it with most of the Moldovan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic to form the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic.

In 1991, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Moldova declared independence. The Trans-Dniester region (Transnistria) wanted to remain part of Russia and so declared independence from Moldova, which the Moldovan government refused to recognise. There followed 20 years of skirmishes and squabbling between Moldova and Transnistria until 2011, when attempts were made to establish friendlier relations. Transnistria remains nominally independent but it isn’t recognised by the UN and EU. Nor is it recognised by Russia – leaving it in limbo. Judging by my visit this year, relations between Moldova and Transnistria seem cordial enough, with cross border trading and tourism boosting Transnistria’s economy. In 2014, Moldova signed an association agreement with the EU, which didn’t go down well with Russia. Although it’ll be a long time before Moldova can actually join the EU, it is already benefiting from investment in infrastructure projects, restorations and so on. Source: BBC website

A useful website to look at if you’re thinking of going to Moldova or just want to know a bit more is: https://www.travel.md/

The Chișinău (pronounced “kishinow” – in Soviet times it was known as Kishinev) I visited this October is light years ahead of the city I came to in 2012. It was a joy to revisit…

Chișinău:

Around The Cathedral of the Nativity

The Cathedral of the Nativity is a neoclassical Orthodox church built between 1826 and 1836. Under Soviet rule, the cathedral was used as an exhibition hall and the outer bell tower was demolished. The bell tower was rebuilt in 1997, six years after Moldova’s independence, and the cathedral reopened and consecrated a second time.

The Cathedral is surrounded by the charming Cathedral Park

The Cathedral of the Nativity is a neoclassical Orthodox church built between 1826 and 1836.

The Triumphal Arch in Chișinău was built to honour Russia’s victory over the Ottomans in the war of 1806-1812.

Stefan cel Mare (Stephen the Great) was ruler of Moldova between 1457 and 1504.

Along the Stefan cel Mare Boulevard

Looking down the Boulevard Stefan cel Mare – the stage on the right erected for Chișinău Day celebrations on the 14th and 15th of October

The Boulevard Stefan cel Mare was partially closed to traffic for Chișinău Day celebrations on the 14th and 15th of October

The Presidential Palace (in reality offices of the president) with protesters camped on the pavement – they were protesting about rising food and energy prices

Herța House with the Parliament building in the background

The Maria Bieșu Theatre of Opera and Ballet

Looking towards the City Hall, which dates from 1901 – it’s an intriguing building but in need of restoration

City Hall dates from 1901 – it’s an intriguing building but in need of restoration

The Organ Hall and home to the National Chamber Orchestra

The National Theatre built in 1954 and renamed in 1994 after Mihai Eminescu – the Moldovan poet, author and journalist

Other Churches:

The Orthodox Church of the Transfiguration – built between 1898 and 1902

The Ciuflea Monastery – built in 1858, it marked the then outer limit of Chișinău. It was commissioned by a wealthy merchant named Anastase Ciuflea in honor of his deceased brother Theodore. The monastery represents one of the best examples of Russian Baroque architecture in Chișinău…

St. Pantelemon Church is built in a Greek style and dates from 1891

Around Chișinău

Steps at the Valea Morilor Park leading down to the man-made Komsomolsky Lake. The lake was drained in 2006, cleaned up, the park restored and re-opened in 2011

The park was created by Leonard Brezhnev, who was First Secretary of the Moldovan Communist Party in the 1950s

The Eternity War Memorial to the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45. The centre piece of the memorial is this pyramid of five 25-meter tall stone rifles.

Unofficially known as the “Train of Pain”, this monument is dedicated to the memory of the tens of thousands of Moldovans deported to Siberia and Kazakhstan between 1940-53…

Chișinău railway station – the monument is the “train of pain” – from where around 35,000 Moldovans were forcibly exiled to gulags by Stalin

Trains are no longer running to Moscow or St Petersburg…

I remember this shopping centre from my visit here in 2012…

The National Hotel, the former Intourist Hotel, opened in 1974. It was empty and derelict when I came here in 2012. The slogan means “no war” and the blue and yellow paint represent the flag of Ukraine – an anti-invasion sentiment. The grey paint covered up a pro-Russian slogan and it has yet to be repainted in blue

The Cosmos Hotel with a statue of the communist activist Grigory Ivanovich Kotovski (1881-1925). The hotel opened in 1983 and was still open when I came here in 2012 but is now empty & disused…

The Flowers Hotel – I stayed here in 2012

The fancy Radisson, where I stayed this time

The fancy lobby retains some of the original stained glass

The view from my bedroom may not seem very exciting but it was a great place to watch the crows flying home to roost as dusk approached – I took a nice video of this spectacle but have no idea how to upload it on to this blog…

Sweet floral display created by the owners of the Bonjour Café

Nice café in the Cathedral Park – there’s a Bonjour Café in Stefan cel Mare Park, too

There are lots of smart, new trolley buses in the city now but I took a picture of this vintage one for old time’s sake…

Monument to the Heroes of the Komsomol, erected in 1959 and funded by the members of the communist youth division (the Komsomol)

Căpriana

The monastery complex was closed in 1962 and turned into a sanitorium for children. Reconstruction of the monastery began in 1989 and completed in 2008. It is considered to be the cradle of Moldavian written language, music and architecture.

The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary

Tipova

The Horodiste Cave Monastery in Tipova extends over three levels and has three churches: Holy Cross, St. Nicholas and the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin. It is the biggest Orthodox cave monastery in Moldova and in Eastern Europe. During the Soviet period the monastery was closed and destroyed. In 1975 the ruins of the Tipova monastery were protected by the State and in 1994 religious services resumed.

This path from the village church leads to the stairs down to the cave monastery

Looking across the Dniester at Transnistria

The museum in the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin

Orheiul Vechi

Orheiul Vechi is a historical and archaeological complex and one of only two sites in Moldova to be considered for UNESCO World Heritage status. Archeological excavations here have discovered remains from the Paleolithic, Eneolithic, and Iron Age eras…

Looking down over Old Orhei and Trebujeni

The village of Butuceni – adjacent to the church and cave monastery at Orheiul Vechi…

Looking over the Răut River – a tributary of the Dniester…

The Orthodox church was finished in 2005

Saharna

The monastery of Saharna is one of the oldest monastic establishments in Moldova and is composed of two monasteries: the cave monastery of the Annunciation and the monastery of the Holy Trinity. The latter monastery was founded in 1776, but less is known about the cave monastery, whose date of foundation is uncertain. Between 1818 and 1821, the Church of the Holy Trinity was built and became the main temple of the monastery. In 1857, the cave monastery was restored. In the 1960s, a psychiatric hospital was opened by the Soviet authorities on the premises of the former monastery. The monastery was reopened in 1991.

The monastery cemetery with the graves of the nuns and monks who lived and worked here…

Work started on this new church in 2009. It’s nearing completion inside leaving the exterior to be decorated…

You don’t see many Soviet-era vehicles in Moldova anymore – so it was a surprise to see this old UAZ 469

The car on the left has a Transnistrian number plate, while the car on the right has a Moldovan plate…

Soroca

The Candle of Gratitude Monument pays homage to those who worked to preserve the culture and tradition of Moldova. It was completed in 2004…

Looking across the Dniester at Tsekynivka, Ukraine

Candle of Gratitude Monument cat unimpressed that I climbed the 657 steps up to the top. It’s actually an easy ascent as the steps are evenly spaced and in good condition…

The medieval fortress of Soroca was part of a Moldovan defensive system of four fortresses on the Dniester, two on the Danube and three in the north of the country. The Soroca fortress was built at a river crossing, on older fortifications…

Between 1543–1546, during the reign of Petru Rares, the fortress was re-built in stone, and in the shape seen today – a perfect circle, the diameter of which is 37.5 m and with 5 bastions situated at equal distances. It is undergoing restoration – the castle didn’t have any roofing when I came here in 2012…

The “no sunflower seeds” sign has long since gone…

Ghindesti

The impressive Rockscor Brewery – there’s an emerging craft beer scene in Moldova.

It is classified as a micro-brewery but it’s pretty big. There’s a very good restaurant here, too, plus a shop to buy the beers

£1=21 lei at time of posting (€1=19 lei) – the pilsner and the American Pale were both very good. To prove that silly names rarely work, the waitress didn’t know what I meant by either “Pilz&Love” or “Apallon”. She was clearly not a hipster. But she was friendly and efficient…

I’m guessing that the hop field is more for show at the moment…

Transnistria

Tiraspol

Tiraspol, the capital of Transnistria, lies along the Dniester River and on the route of the now defunct Odessa-Chişinău railway. It was founded by Russia in 1795 alongside a fortress built in 1792 (hence the 230 year anniversary). From 1924 to 1940, it was the capital of the then Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, established by the Soviets on Ukrainian territory east of the Dniester. Occupied by German forces in 1941, Tiraspol was retaken by the Soviets in 1944. The city still has a large Russian population, uses the rouble as its currency and Russian is the official language.

The parliament building with a statue of Lenin

War Memorial commemorating those that died during the Great Patriotic War, the Afghan war and the war between Moldova and Transnistria

A monument to Alexander Suvarov, regarded as one of Russia’s greatest generals (1729-1800)…

Tiraspol is celebrating its 230th anniversary and today (October 14th) is also Tiraspol Day – not that there was much evidence of that, apart from some bunting – certainly none of the festivities seen in Chișinău

Tiraspol Cathedral of the Nativity was built between 1998-2000

A memorial to Yuri Gagarin – he didn’t have any connection to Tiraspol specifically – he was a national hero, though…

Natalia and I sat outside the very nice, friendly Nashe Café in the glorious sunshine. The coffee was very good, too. Café culture has reached Tiraspol and it’s no longer the slightly unnerving place it felt like in 2012. Keen to promote tourism these days, I even got an English-language leaflet on the “best 10 places to visit in Transnistria” at the border crossing (officially the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic)

Bender (Bendery)

The same Sheriff supermarket where I exchanged some lei into roubles as I did 10 years ago

A statue of Potemkin in front of a war memorial and cemetery

The 15th century Tighina Fortress has undergone extensive restoration and landscaping since I was here in 2012

This Ottoman fortress was built in the 16th century before falling to Russia permanently in the early 19th century.

Baron von Munchausen is still here, though…

Gagauzia

Gagauzia is an autonomous region in Moldova; the population is ethnically and linguistically Turkic, but religiously Christian Orthodox. The UN has put the Gagauz language on its “at risk” register as it seems likely to disappear in favour of Turkish. Although Gagauzia is pro-Russia, the region gained concessions from Chișinău and voted to remain part of Moldova. Interestingly, in a 2014 referendum, 98.5% of the voters supported Moldova’s integration with the EU. In recent years, Türkiye has been funding projects in Gagauzia such as new hospitals, schools, and cultural learning centers. In 2020, a Turkish consulate was opened in Comrat…

These statues represent workers harvesting vines

Comrat

These signs show the three official languages here: Gagauz, Russian and Romanian (Moldovan)…

War memorial commemorating the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45

Besalma

The History and Ethnographic Museum opened in Belsama in 1966. It was created by Dumitru Caraciobanu who started searching and collecting valuable objects from the attics of local houses and from flea markets. The museum is now managed by the state and remains the only one in the world dedicated specifically to the culture of the Gagauz people…

Chișinău Airport

October 2012

I visited Moldova in October 2012 on a 6-day tour put together by Regent Holidays. I stayed in the Best Western Flowers Hotel, in the centre of Chișinău. I flew with Austrian Airlines, via Vienna. Arrival was straightforward and I got a taxi to the hotel, which then left the rest of the afternoon to go walkabout…

On Day 2 we had a tour of Chișinău and a visit to the Cricova winery with its extensive underground cellars – followed by a tasting of some of their wines. The wines were pretty good – clean, balanced and well-made. We also went to the Moldovan Wine Festival – an outdoors event staged at the Moldexpo exhibition centre. This festival includes local produce as well as wines – so I had the opportunity to try local delicacies as well more local wine.

On Day 3 we visited Tipova to see one of the oldest cave monasteries in the country and then on to the Orheiul Vechi to see a 13^th century cave monastery and a museum with exhibits depicting the traditional ways of life in 19^th century Moldova.

On Day 4 we went to Soroca to visit the medieval fortress; the Candle of Gratitude monument and the Romany district that features in Tony Hawkes’ book “Playing the Moldovans at Tennis” (which I read when I got back to the UK). We stopped for lunch at a Russian Old Believers restaurant in Pokrovka (Pocrovca) – we couldn’t visit the church as they don’t allow visitors. The restaurant closed during the pandemic and hasn’t re-opened, so we couldn’t visit it in 2022…

On Day 5 – and one of the highlights for me – we visited Gagauzia – which is just a wonderful name. Gagauzia is an autonomous region of Moldova. We visited the capital Comrat and explored the markets there and then went to the village of Besalma to visit the interesting Cioban National Gagauzian History and Ethnography Museum.

Day 6 – and sadly my last – we went to Transnistria a self-proclaimed independent republic that has its own currency – a fascinating day as guide books lead you to believe you are stepping back into a 1950’s era Soviet land but Tiraspol is in fact a modern, friendly city – but they do speak Russian and use the Cyrillic alphabet.

I went to Moldova knowing next to nothing about it and came away very fond of the place. But all good things come to an end and I was deposited my hotel in Odessa. I was distraught, having happily fallen in love with Natalia, my guide in Moldova. Now I was on my own. So, the obvious thing to do was to get food poisoning – but that’s another story and one you can read about in my Ukraine post…

Photographs from my 2012 visit