The former sister of Russia in the USSR, Moldova embarked on an independent economic and political voyage in 1991. Since then, a lot of water has flowed from the Dniester to the Black Sea, and the republic has increasingly begun to flicker in the lists of popular tourist destinations among travelers who do not like to fly far. The main Moldovan attractions are ancient monasteries and wine-making farms, but non-drinking atheists can also find interesting entertainment during their trip. Guides from local museums are happy to answer the question of what to see in Moldova. They are ready to tell the guests fascinating stories about gypsy traditions, excavated ancient artifacts and even about the exiled Pushkin. What in these stories is true and what is fiction, you will have to decide for yourself. All you need to do is buy a plane ticket to Moldova.
TOP-15 sights of Moldova
Arch of Victory
In 1829, the bloody Russian-Turkish war ended, and the inhabitants of Moldova decided to perpetuate the victory over the Ottoman invaders in a special way. The architect Zaishkevich was commissioned to develop a project for the Arc de Triomphe, capable of accommodating a large bell. It was cast from captured Turkish guns. The bell's weight was 6.5 tons.
So in Chisinau in 1841 a national historical monument appeared, from the inspection of which many excursions around the capital begin. The arch is located on the same axis with the Cathedral and serves as a kind of symbolic gateway to the temple.
Stephen the Great Park
An excellent place to relax with children in the shade of green alleys is the Chisinau park, which was laid out in 1818 at the initiative of the wife of the governor Bakhmetyev. Later, the green area was surrounded by a cast-iron fence, cast at the Odessa mechanical plant. In the center of the park there is a bust of Pushkin, money for the production of which was collected by residents of Chisinau. The author of the sculpture is the famous master A. M. Opekushin.
In 1928, a monument to Stefan the Great appeared at the entrance, whose name the park bears today. Trees on the Friendship Alley were planted by famous guests of Chisinau. The center of the park is decorated with a large fountain, to which all the alleys converge.
Among the modern innovations, visitors to the park especially like electrical outlets for recharging electronic devices and free wi-fi.
Botanical Garden of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova
An interesting garden in the southeastern part of Chisinau was created on the basis of the Academy of Sciences to study the flora of the republic, acclimatize new varieties of plants and plant greenery in villages and cities of Moldova. It is based on more than 10 thousand species, forms and varieties of plants:
- The beauty of the compositional landscape is emphasized by the avenue of horse chestnut and blue firs.
- 16 rose garden sites offer 650 types of roses.
- The Form Garden features fruit trees and plants, whose crowns are decorated in a special way.
- Vines and other climbing plants are grown in the lianarium - more than 80 varieties in total.
- The rock garden is a classic of landscape art. Stone laconicism is complemented by avenues of trees, the birthplace of which is the Kuril Islands and Japan.
In the Botanical Garden of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, you can look at magnolias and tulip trees, bird cherry and Chinese maples, sakura and a huge collection of conifers.
To get there: trolleybuses NN 4 and 18, buses NN3, 23 and 122.
Ticket price: 1.5 euros.
Bendery fortress
It seems that the entire military history of Transnistria is concentrated in the old walls of the Bendery fortress. It was founded in 1538 by the Turks, who by that time had seized the Moldavian principality. The fortress was besieged by the troops of the Moldavian army more than once, but only the Russian army managed to capture it in 1770.
The walls of the fortress rise by 5 meters, and their thickness in some places exceeds 6 meters. The building is interesting for fans of history. Within the walls of the Bendery Fortress, there are two museums and two shooting ranges, one of which is a crossbow one.
To get there: by buses or fixed-route taxis to Bender.
Valya Morilor
The name of this metropolitan park is translated from Moldavian as "valley of mills". In the center of the park there is a lake, along the perimeter of which there is a circular hiking trail. Half of the territory is covered with green spaces. The trees in Valea Morilor are very beautiful - acacias and maples, lindens and mountain ash, Japanese sophora and horse chestnuts.
The Summer Theater and an amusement park, a children's playground and a beach, a boat station and a daytime cinema are open to visitors.
Rose Valley Park
The most beautiful Chisinau park is perfect for Sunday rest, morning jogging or family picnic. On the shores of the lake in the park, there are rental points for water equipment. You can rent a catamaran or boat. Shady alleys are perfectly adapted for walking, and the most active visitors can use rented bicycles and hoverboards to explore the remote corners of the Rose Valley.
National Museum of the History of Moldova
You can see the monument to the she-wolf who nurtured Romulus and Remus not only in Rome, but also in the capital of Moldova. It is installed in front of the entrance to the National Museum of History, where about 300 thousand exhibits tell about the ancient, medieval and modern periods in the development of the republic.
In the collection you will find archaeological artifacts and photographic documents, coins and household items.
National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History
The oldest Moldovan museum is housed in an interesting 1905 mansion built in a pseudo-Moorish style. The exposition was first opened back in 1889. The museum is engaged in the study of nature, national customs, local culture and life.
The museum's collections are very rich and varied. At the exhibition stands you will find antique carpets and elements of national costume, paleontological finds and archaeological artifacts.
Special items of the collection are the skeleton of a mastodon and treasures of ancient treasures.
Ticket price: 0, 5 euros.
Codru
The oldest scientific reserve in the country, "Codru" was founded in 1971. The purpose of organizing the reserve is to preserve rare animals and plants. In the strictly protected area of the park, any human activity is prohibited, except for scientific research.
Visitors to the Codru Nature Reserve can get the most complete picture of the flora and fauna of the forests of Central and Eastern Europe. In “Codru” you can see martens and forest cats, wild horses and more than 150 species of birds.
The Museum of Nature has been opened on the territory of the park.
Padurea Domneasca
The reserve with a difficult to pronounce name is a unique complex of monuments - geological, paleontological and landscape. Europe's oldest floodplain forests, home to red deer, wild cats, marsh turtles, swans and herons, became home to several pairs of bison in 2005.
Caves of primitive man have been found on the territory of the reserve, the local colony of wading birds is considered unique, and some trees are more than 250 years old.
Capriana monastery
The Capriana monastery was first mentioned in 1420 in ancient chronicles. The monastery is considered the oldest in Moldova. The complex includes several structures, among which the churches of St. George of the 19th century and the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin, built in the 16th century and restored 300 years after the earthquake, are worthy of special attention.
Beautiful views open from the observation deck of the monastery, and an old oak tree grows near the monastery, in the shade of which Stefan the Great rested more than once.
To get there: by bus. from the bus station of the capital.
Hammers
The Orthodox monastery of Kurka was founded in 1868, when the monastic hermitage was transformed into a monastery. Iordakiy Kurki from Moroznya was the founder of the skete.
The monastery courtyard consists of upper and lower terraces, it is surrounded by a stone wall with towers at the corners.
The central church of the Nativity of the Virgin was built at the end of the 19th century. The church was badly battered in Soviet times, when the monastery served as a hospital for the mentally ill. The restoration of the monastery continues to this day, but this does not become a hindrance to pilgrims and tourists.
Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ
The Chisinau Cathedral was built in the first half of the 19th century by order of the Governor-General of Novorossia and Bessarabia, Mikhail Vorontsov. The cathedral and the four-level bell tower are located on the same line with the Metropolitanate building in the central square.
The architectural style of the cathedral is Russian classicism. The interior was decorated with frescoes. During the Second World War, the building was badly damaged by bombing, and only in 1997 the complete restoration of the temple was completed.
Hincu monastery
The Hincu Convent was founded at the source of the Kogylnik River in 1678. The monastery was empty for a long time due to the regular raids of the Tatars, and only at the end of the 18th century, novices appeared here, and the monastery became permanently operating. During the Soviet era, it suffered the fate of thousands of religious sites, but today in Hincu you will find the most beautiful Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary with frescoes and a rich gilded iconostasis.
Cricova Galleries
The caves in the town of Cricova appeared as a result of the extraction of shell rock. And then they came up with the idea of storing wine in the worked-out adits. Today, the underground galleries of Cricova are a whole city in which there are streets named after the most popular wines. During the excursion, you can look at the storehouse of the best wines of Moldova and taste famous varieties.
Ticket price: from 7 euros.
