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What to see in Chisinau
Considerata una delle città più verdi d’Europa, Chisinau offre bellezze architettoniche e monumenti di raro pregio artistico eretti principalmente durante l’epoca zarista con il contributo di virtuosi maestri italiani ed in seguito anche nel periodo sovietico.
Town center
A visit to the city of Chisinau has as its essential starting point the majestic statue of Stefan cel Mare located at the entrance to the park of the same name. This place represents the heart of the city center as well as the main usual meeting point for the inhabitants of Chisinau.
Until 1991 the statue of Lenin occupied the base on which today rests the statue of Prince and Saint Stefan cel Mare also known as the hero of the liberation struggle from the Ottoman invader.
The park of the same name which extends behind the monument is undoubtedly the most beautiful and best preserved in the city. Inside there is a beautiful fountain (closed during the winter) and several statues of Romanian and Russian writers and poets.
Leaving the park along the alley of statues we cross Bulevard Stefan cel Mare and arrive at the Opera and Ballet Theater of Soviet memory.
The square in front was recently rebuilt and equipped with two illuminated dancing fountains which offer a very suggestive image during the evening. From this place we can admire the imposing Presidential Palace also known as the "glass palace" by the inhabitants of the capital.
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Il terreno paludoso su cui poggia fu rinforzato con 3000 pali per sostenere il gran peso della struttura
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Si trova di fronte l’ingresso principale dell’omonimo parco sulla Piazza delle Grandi Adunate Nazionali
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Durante l’epoca sovietica fu convertita in sala per la degustazione del vino
chisinau_cattedrale_della_nativita_di_cristo
Il terreno paludoso su cui poggia fu rinforzato con 3000 pali per sostenere il gran peso della struttura
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Returning to Bulevard Stefan cel Mare and passing the statue of the same name we overlook the Square of the Great National Gatherings (Piata Marii Adunari Nationale) where until the beginning of the 1990s military parades and speeches by the communist leaders of the USSR were held
On this enormous square stands the gigantic Moldavian Government Palace (formerly the seat of the communist party of the Moldovan SSR) and on the opposite side the Triumphal Arch built in 1840 by the architect I. Zauschevici in commemoration of the victory of the tsarist troops against the Turkish invader.
Behind the Arch stands the classical Russian style structure of the Orthodox Cathedral of the Birth of Our Lord, composed of a central body and a tower with a separate bell tower; originally the work of the architect Abraam Melnicov who designed it and finished it in 1836. The entire work was destroyed several times in various armed conflicts, therefore the currently existing structure is the result of the reconstruction completed on 25 August 1996 for will of former Moldovan president Mircea Snegur.
The cathedral is surrounded by another flowery park where, on weekends and during the main state and religious anniversaries, a colorful local craft market is set up.
On the side of the park parallel to Strada Banulescu-Bodoni there is the main open-air flower market, open 24 hours a day, where the stalls follow each other for a length of over 200 metres.
Crossing the park diagonally again we take Bulevard Stefan cel Mare which from here extends eastwards for another 3 kilometres.
The first building worthy of mention is undoubtedly the Town Hall (Primaria Chisinaului) built in 1902 by the architects M. Elladi and A. Bernardazzi.
The building was built in Venetian Gothic style and features a clock tower in the spire.
Opposite the town hall is the circular Central Post Office building. Continuing the walk along the Bulevard we find the Organ Hall (Sala cu Orga), built in the 1920s and miraculously escaped the bombings of the Second World War.
A classic/romantic style building, the Hall boasts an organ made up of 3000 tubas with exceptional resonance.
Next to the Hall, in a tiny but lovely park, stands the "Vernisaj", the most beautiful art and crafts market in the whole city; this is certainly the best place to buy your souvenirs and mementos of the city.
On the other side of the “Vernisaj” stand the imposing columns of the “Mihai Eminescu National Theatre”.
Continuing on the Bulevard up to the modern “Moldtelecom” building we can turn left onto the Armenian Road or a little further down onto the Bulgarian Road and access the multicolored Central Farmers' Market, the former kolkhoze market of the city.
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In epoca sovietica era la sede moldava del partito comunista
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E' aperto tutti giorni fino alle ore 17:00
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Recentemente restaurato grazie a fondi europei
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In epoca sovietica era la sede moldava del partito comunista
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further down the Bulgarian Road and access the multicolored Central Farmer's Market, the former kolkhoze market of the city.
Leaving the Market and returning to the Bulevard after another 100 meters we reach the UNIC warehouses which were built in the Soviet era and still represent the largest commercial space in all of Moldova. Having crossed the large intersection formed by the meeting between the Bulevard and the Izmail Road using a convenient underpass, animated by an infinite number of small kiosks and street vendors, there are still a few meters left at the end of the very long Corso. Already from this point we can see the tall column of the Monument to the Wrestlers and Liberators which is located right at the intersection of Bulevard Stefan cel Mare and C. Negruzzi on Independence Square (formerly Freedom Square). This monument was erected in 1969 as a tribute to the Red Army which liberated Moldova from Nazi-fascist occupation in 1944.
On the side of the square are the National and Chisinau hotels. The latter, built in 1960, deserves special mention for its architectural structure and the “Crama” restaurant decorated like a traditional Moldavian wine cellar. From here begins Bulevard Negruzzi which we follow completely up to the roundabout for about 500 metres; The offices of the main airlines and travel agencies are located on this elegant street.
Once we reach the roundabout we can admire, on the left, the equestrian monument erected in memory of Grigore Kotovski; Soviet military leader and Moldovan communist activist twice rebelled against tsarist rule. Behind the monument is the Hotel Cosmos. After passing the roundabout we enter Bulevard Yuri Gagarin which leads us to the railway station built in 1948 and recently renovated.
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