Chapter 7

Theme:

Man-made Tourist Resources of the Republic

of Moldova

7.1 Historic erections 7.2 Religious erections

7.3 Cultural, sports, and economic erections7.4 Monuments, statues, commemorative

plaques

7.1 Historic erections

Key Words:Wine cellars, monasteries, ancient settlements

Learning Objectives:O1. Historic erections of the Republic of Moldova

O1. Historic erections of the Republic of Moldova

Chisinau is the capital of the Republic of Moldova, a very modern green and cozy town in the center of our country. The excursion includes visiting the

historical center of Chisinau, administrative and cultural edifices on the main boulevard Stefan cel Mare, the main square of the General National

Meeting, Central park, churches and museums of the city, Central Market, market of souvenirs, W.W.II memorial.

Cricova and Milestii Mici wine cellars are recognize to be the biggest underground wine cellars in Europe. The wine factory and wine collection are located in limestone tunnels and form an underground wine city with

motor streets named after the popular wine brands - Cabernet, Shardonait, Feteasca, Sauvignon etc. Cricova tour of the underground tunnels are performed in an electric train with a short wine tasting at the end of it.

Capriana Monastery : one of the oldest monasteries in Moldova located in the heart of natural reservation Codru with fantastic views from the upper platforms of the monastery. Some of the greatest names connected to the

monastery is the king Stefan cel Mare si Sfint - the greatest king of all Moldova had in its history, a chronicle writer Eftimie and one of the first

poems of Moldova Chiprian. One of the legends of the monastery says that Stefan cel Mare was hunting deer in this forest and hit a poor thing

somewhere on the spot where the monastery is now located. The views that opened to the king's eye and may be the sadness for the ancient life killed brought him the thought of building of a monastery. Deer in Moldovan is

"Caprioara".

Cojusna wine cellar is a smaller cellar in the close proximity of Chisinau town and Capriana monastery. It is located in the village Cojusna in Straseni

district. The tour comprise the history of the winery, the tour of its wine collection and of 2 nice tasting rooms underground. They have very friendly and hospitable English speaking guides and can organize excursions for one

person only.

Vadul lui Voda is a public beach on the river Nistru at about 20 minutes from Chisinau. It has a sandy beach on the river and a pretty good

infrastructure for Moldova with many restaurants, fast-foods, cafes and night clubs on the beach, local market and loads of cabins and small hotels from very basic and budget to luxury ones. It's a favorite resort for dwellers of

Chisinau in summer time and many send their kids to summer camps located in the area.

Vadul lui Voda is a public beach on the river Nistru at about 20 minutes from Chisinau. It has a sandy beach on the river and a pretty good

infrastructure for Moldova with many restaurants, fast-foods, cafes and night clubs on the beach, local market and loads of cabins and small hotels from very basic and budget to luxury ones. It's a favorite resort for dwellers of

Chisinau in summer time and many send their kids to summer camps located in the area.

Ivancea village is located on the road to Orheiul Vechi settlement, 5 km from the main road Chisinau-Orhei and 11 km from Orheiul Vechi

settlement. It is located in the heart of Codru forest reservation surrounded by 7 lakes, beautiful valleys and green fields. The village is populated by

Ukrainians that were settled here from the Middle Ages. A dialect of Ukrainian is still spoken by the inhabitants of this village. The village is

hosting the XIXth century noble house and a big park with unique conifer trees (in process of reconstruction since 2007, but private tours can be

arranged). Here in Ivancea the local Ukrainian woman Katherine runs a small guesthouse at her farm and will host individuals or small groups in her

house, cooking Moldovan / Ukrainian meals for you and introduce you to the life in a Moldovan village.

During your stay at Katherine's you can explore the village, beautiful old cemetery and the local Russian orthodox church, go hiking in the forest and beautiful fields, go fishing / swimming / sun bathing in local lakes, explore the tourist sites of Orheiul Vechi settlement, Orhei town, Curchi monastery

in the vicinity.

Orheiul Vechi is an ancient settlement situated on the left bank of the Raut river near the villages of Trebujeni and Butuceni in Orhei district (about 50

km northeast of Chisinau). In the Middle Ages, two medieval towns were set up here. The first one Sehr-al-cedid (New Town) occupied almost the whole

territory of the settlement (268 ha) belongs to the Golden Horde (XIVth century); the second one is the ancient Moldovan town of Orhei, which was established here in the XVth - XVIth centuries. Other vestiges discovered on

the territory of the settlement : a mosque, two mausoleum, a caravan-seraglio and three bath houses. An orthodox cave monastery dated from XII century is still working nowadays and the English speaking monk will tell you some of its history. Down in Butuceni village is a small peasant house preserved from the XXth century and transformed into a museum. A walk

along the narrow street of Butuceni village will let you to discover the hidden pearls of Moldovan rural architecture and design.

Saharna monastery complex is situated in one of the most picturesque gorges on the western bank of the Dniestr river 8 km away from Rezina

town. One of the high cliffs bears a footprint that is believed to belong to St. Mary. An old legend says that a local monk has seen the shinning figure of St. Mary on top of the rock and when he reached that spot he discovered the footprint left by the saint. A truly divine panoramic view of the numerous rocky hills and the forests around the small 16-km river, which runs down 30 cascades and waterfalls, is opened up to the traveler from the cliff-tops. Saharna waterfalls are considered to be the Moldovan Niagara Falls and are

most impressive in Winter, Spring and Autumn after the rains.

The monastic structure of Tipova is situated near the village of Tipova and is hewn in a rock of about 100 m height. Built in the XVIth - XVIIth centuries,

the cave monastery is a complex architectural ensemble consisting of numerous premises made in three levels. Tipova is famous for charming

nature and the largest cave monasteries in Moldova and In Eastern Europe. One of the legends of the monastery tells that the king of Moldova Stefan cel

Mare got married to one of his wife Maria Voichita in this monastery and the last was burred in the monastery after her death. Tipova attracts visitors by its nature, panoramic view of the Dniestr river and many of its waterfalls.

Way of transportation : bus connections from Chisinau are very inconvenient as they leave to Tipova in the afternoon and there is none to

take you back to Chisinau in the evening. Consider renting a car or go on an organized tour to Tipova from Chisinau.

Tiraspol town is the capital of Pridnestrovie (also known as Transdniestr or Transnistria or PMR) and the second largest town after Chisinau. PMR is

self-proclaimed republic on the eastern bank of river Dniestr (Nistru) that is not recognized by the world community, but has been independent of

Moldova for more than 15 years. PMR is known by foreign travelers as the museum in the open-air of Communism and Soviet Union, with many Soviet

relics on the main streets of its industrial towns and also for being a state that does not exist. Tiraspol is a cozy green town, very clean and friendly

with monuments of Lenin on the main street, streets named after communist leaders or events. The town is situated on the river Dniestr and has 2 very

big and looked-after public beaches with nice parks and walking alleys along the river. Cognacs factory KVINT is a well-known establishment in the

country and abroad producing fine cognacs and spirits. Tours can be organized if booked in advance. Tiraspol has a lively night life with its

newly opened modern restaurants, night clubs and discos.

Bender is the second largest town in Transdniestr, but being situated on the western bank of river Dniestr closer to Moldova. It's an old town, being even older than Chisinau and had a big historical significance in the middle age. The town is well known among our Swedish guests because of their king

Carol who in the XVIII century stayed for 4 years here as a guests of Ottomans after being defeated in Poltava battle by Peter the Great. Golden

Lion that is the symbol of Carol is still present on the flag of the town.There is a Medieval fortress in the center of the town build by Ottomans (by some

historical documents) or Stefan cel Mare (by other historical documents) that served as a military base for Ottomans during the Russian-Turkish wars they

led in the XVIII-XIX century. Part of it serves as a base for the Transdniestrian army nowadays and part is opened for public for the tours

(an advance booking is required to attend the tour). During the Civil War in 1991-1992 Bender town and its citizens has suffered the most. The War

Memorial in the center and the Administration building with bullet holes in it keeps the memory of those bloody days. Local market is a huge

indoor/outdoor market selling everything here : food, clothes, household, flee market.

Gagauzia (also known as Gagauz-Yeri) is an autonomous republic within the republic of Moldova. It's mainly inhabited by Gagauzi people who are

descendants of Turkic Oghuz tribe and speak their own language very similar to Turkish one. Russian is the second largely spoken language in Gagauzia. The capital of Gagauzia is Comrat town which is a very odd provincial town with no much tourist attractions in it. Walk on the main street of prospect Lenina pass the regional baskani (assembly), Gagauz

Culture House with a statue of Lenin in front of it and Gagauz University (Komrat Devlet Üniversitesi). Get a minibus to Besalma village with its

Museum of Gagauz people their origin, history and traditions and culture.

Conclusion: There are many beautiful places to be visited while travelling to the Republic of Moldova, including churches, monasteries, forests, and so on.

7.2 Religious erections

Key Words: The Renaissance period, the Middle Ages, pilgrimage, pseudo-tourist period

Learning Objectives:O1. Religious erections of Moldova

O1. Religious erections of Moldova

"A church is a church, you have seen one, you have seen them all," said a weary tourist after an exhausting sightseeing tour at which half a dozen of ancient and not so ancient churches had been visited. We should not condemn this particular tourist for his cultural indifference and lack of interest in the historical and cultural heritage of a nation that he was totally alien to. But as there are "tourists and tourists", there are still a lot of people who are eager to see an ancient church either for purely aesthetic reasons or motivated by the desire to look deep into the past in order to be spiritually inspired by the cultural achievement of the past ages.

In this issue we will talk about Moldovan churches and monasteries which represent the most valuable spiritual treasure of the republic and remind of the country's rich historical background.

Located in one of the most picturesque places of the Codry, the oldest Moldovan monastery - Capriana - dates back to the early 1420s. The Capriana Monastery was initially built of wood. It was much later, in 1545, that the Church of St. Gheorghe was erected in stone on the territory of the monastery. Times change, and architectural and aesthetic tastes change with them, and since the Church continued to be used for worship - and had not become just a relic of the past to be revered in its original form - some modifications were introduced to suit the new tastes. In the Soviet times the Capriana Monastery was closed for visitors and only in the year 1989 it resumed its activity.

Situated about 110 km north of the Moldovan capital, the Holy Trinity Monastery of Saharna is considered to be one of the biggest centers for religious pilgrimages in Moldova. According to one of the local legends, one day a monk saw the shining figure of St. Maria on top of one of the highest

rocks. When the monk reached the rock he discovered a footstep left by St. Maria on the ground. The event was considered to be enough evidence for the holy purity of the place. Near that place a wooden church was built and the Holy Trinity Monastery was founded in 1777. Later the wooden church was replaced by a brick one built in an old Moldovan style and richly adorned with frescoes. Unfortunately the frescoes are in a very poor state of preservation. Art historians are of the opinion that the frescoes were executed by local artists who evidently had some knowledge of the religious art.

In 1678, in the Moldovan Codry Mihail Hincu, the Moldovan ruler erected a convent for his daughter who decided to leave the ordinary world and live a religious life in a community. She became a nun under the name of Parascheva. In the late 17th century the wooden church of St. Parascheva and its cells were frequently invaded by the Tartars. That is why, in such turbulent years the convent and its surroundings were desolate. Today the beauty of the convent and of the place itself where it sits attract a lot of people who come to enjoy the sight.

The Hirjeuca Monastery is situated about 70 km north-west of the Moldovan capital city. The first religious community emerged there in 1740. Later, a number of wooden churches with small dark cells were constructed. In the middle of the 19th century the monastery was surrounded by a wonderful park with lakes, fountains and alleys. In the Soviet times it was closed for visitors, and a sanatorium functioned on its territory. In 1993, the religious services resumed in the Hirjeuca Monastery and it once again acquired its proper status.

It was in the 18th century that the Uspensky Church was built in the southern part of the present-day Moldova. In the 19th century it was damaged by a fire and a lot of restoration work was done to preserve its original exterior. The Uspensky Church produces a majestic impression upon the viewer. When you walk inside, you cannot help being impressed by the lavishness and at the same time graceful beauty of the interior decorations. It has its own unique mood, which it gives to anyone who cares to catch it. Once you have caught it after going around it and exploring it inside you begin to realize that a hundred years of Moldova is beside you as you gaze at the church. Its interior walls are richly adorned with frescoes and mosaics. The architectural ornamentation has once been called "music frozen in stone", "stone chronicles", and "books with stone pages".

All the churches and monasteries mentioned above are a true architectural marvel, and one has to see them all with one's own eyes.

Conclusion: All the churches and monasteries mentioned above are a true architectural marvel, and one has to see them all with one's own eyes.

7.3 Cultural, sports and economic erections

Key Words: Cultural erections, sports erections, economic erections

Learning Objectives:O1. Cultural, sports and economic erections

O1. Cultural, sports and economic erections of the RMThe capital of Republic of Moldova, Chisinau is a city with a long and tormented history. Throughout its almost 6 centuries of existence, Chisinau was under siege, flooded, burnt down and bombarded to an extent that there are almost no traces of medieval Chisinau. Nonetheless, the history of Moldova and its rich culture is still visible along Chisinau’s boulevards: there are plenty of museums, churches, memorials, administrative and cultural institutions to visit.Chisinau Sights – Historic LandmarksMany important edifices in Chisinau are concentrated along the Stefan cel Mare Boulevard or around the city’s main square. Museums include: The National Museum of Fine Arts of Moldova, The National Museum of History of Moldova, The Museum of Romanian Literature ‘Mihail Kogalniceanu’, The Museum of Archeology and Ethnography and the Museum of Ethnography and Nature.Besides the many museums, Chisinau is home to two memorial houses: the memorial estate of Russian poet A. Pushkin and the memorial estate of A.S. Sciusev (the head architect who designed the city’s reconstruction plan in the mid ‘40s). The 1903 Memorial was built as a reminder of the 1903 Jewish pogrom. There was a well-represented Jewish community between 19th and early 20th century in Chisinau, whose history is still visible in places like Yeshiva (Jewish school), the Synagogue or the Jewish Cemetery.Chisinau Sights – Cultural AttractionsOne of the most popular among Chisinau sights, the Triumphal Arch, also known as the Sacred Gate or the Arch of Glory, was built in 1940 in a Corinthian style. An important aspect in Chisinau’s architecture is represented by its churches, built in Orthodox or Byzantine style: Mazarakierskaya Church (oldest church in Chisinau), Saint Pantelimon

Church and the Christmas Cathedral. A pleasant way to mix culture with leisure is to stroll down the Classics Alley in the Stefan cel Mare Park: apart from being a popular rendezvous place, the alley is framed by the statues of famous Romanian and Moldavian writers. Like other cities, Bucharest and Kiev, Chisinau is a capital of performance arts: Chisinau’s sights include no more than nine theatres, some Russian, some Romanian, with specifics varying from puppet to comedy.Chisinau Sights – Parks and GardensEven if most of Chisinau’s buildings were designed according to Stalinist principles of utility (gigantic and functional, with no esthetic value), the city’s aspect is very much improved due to the numerous parks. Right in the center lays Stefan cel Mare Park, named after the Moldavian king from the 15th century. The list of parks continues with Alunelul Park, Ryshkani, Gidigich, Valea Trandafirlor and La Izvor. The Valea Morilor Park is mostly appreciated for its lake: people come here in summer to enjoy water sports or just take sun baths along the shores.

Conclusion: Visiting Moldova has a lot of charm and advantages such as seeing many beautiful places and sightseeings that you are surely going to enjoy. You have to see all the monasteries, churces, all economic, sports and cultural edifices to understand the traditions and history of Moldova

7.4 Monuments, statues, commemorative plaques

Key Words: Monuments, statues, commemorative plaques

Learning Objectives:O1. Monuments and statuesO2. Commemorative plaques

O1. Monuments and statues

Historic monuments represent the vastest category of monuments on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. In its widest sense, the notion of "historic monument" may be attributed to almost each of the monuments situated on the territory of a corresponding country. Hence, archeological monuments, fortified architecture, religious architecture, civil architecture or vestiges of painting and monumental sculpture may be considered as "monuments of historic value" or "monuments with historic traits". Since all these types of monuments are divided into separate categories, the following types of the monuments were included in the category of historic monuments:

1. Edifices, which represent historic value, including houses, memorial houses, memorial estates and historic quarters

2. Memorial or commemorative plaques or signs 3. Steles 4. Obelisks 5. Funerary edifices and commemorative signs from the graves of

prominent personalities

One of the richest categories proved to be the one dedicated to commemorative plaques. Although in the Republic of Moldova there are no any plaques dating from the antique epochs, the patrimony accumulated along the Middle Ages (XVIII, XIX and XXth centuries) is the most impressing one from the numerical perspective. The category "Edifices with historic value, memorial houses, dwellings, memorial estate and historic

quarters" comprises a part of houses, preserved until today on the territory of the Republic of Moldova, which date back to the XIX-XXth centuries. Vestiges of the oldest edifices either were included into the category of "Archeological monuments" or "Fortified Architecture". The categories "Steles" and "Obelisks" are quite close in terms of their destination. Therefore, the separation was carried out in conformity with rigors of architectural typology of each monument in part. The category "Funerary edifices" has many points in common with various areas of monumental sculpture. In this case, categorization was carried out according to the following criteria: in the event that a work of art, executed on the grave of a prominent personality, may be considered a work of art of the greatest patrimonial artistic value, the corresponding object was included into the category of "Monumental sculpture" (statue, relief, bust, etc.) In other cases, and in particular in the case that a special attention was drawn to the value of the work or life of the deceased man, the object was included into the category "Funerary Edifices".

In terms of the subject-matter, "historic monuments" of the Republic of Moldova are linked to historic events of the country, to the prominent personalities of political, scientific and cultural life, to the commemoration of anniversaries of certain localities, results of technological progress, materialized in objects of material culture, frequently having symbolic connotations.

O2. Commemorative plaques

The tradition of unveiling of memorial plaques takes its roots in the hoary past. During the Middle Ages the greatest part of dwellings, founded by the rulers or Boyars, included memorial plaques with inscriptions graved into stone. Antique memorial plaques have been preserved on the territory of the Republic of Moldova, except for the ones located in the villages Corotnoe and Cioburcin, only in the form of certain insignificant fragments of gravestones with lapidary inscriptions. Even more vestiges are dating from the Middle Ages. The oldest lapidary inscriptions, documentarily attested, seem to be the medieval and antique inscriptions in the White Fortress (currently, this territory belongs to Ukraine), as well as medieval vestiges in Orhei Vechi (either inscriptions in Arabic language from Sahr-al-Djeadid, or inscriptions from the medieval Orhei and texts graved into stone in Bosie cell, Capriana Monastery, Ismail and Chilia (Ukraine) and Soroca Fortress.

Not always such inscriptions had the form of certain stone plaques incorporated in edifice walls. Thus, inscriptions with "autographs" of founders of Soroca Fortress and votive texts in the Bosie cell or other rupestral cells are graved directly into the stone or walls thickness. There are cases, when role of a memorial plaque (especially in churches) was attributed to diptychs, which were not usually graved into rock, but painted on dwelling walls or were spelled, just like icons, on timber plaques (case of a diptych in the Capriana Monastery). Exterior lapidary writing, spelled in Greek language on the Assumption of the Virgin Church in Causeni (1763), includes very important data related to the stages of construction and composition of painters' team. Fourteen years later (1777) a votive inscription in Slavic language is graved into marble in the Rudi Monastery. It is located in the porch of the Saint Trinity Church under the aforementioned monastery. Memorial inscriptions on the grave of the Bishop Gavriil Banulescu-Bodoni in Capriana Monastery, as well as the ones on the funerary plaque of the grave of Archimandrite Chiril in the same monastery (after 1821), represent an incontestable historic value.

A memorial plaque, graved into stone and dedicated to Toma Cosma - founder of the church (1822) - has been preserved at St. Nicholas Church under the Dobrusa Monastery and a text graved into marble and dedicated to the founder of the church - Hristofor C. Iskrov (1887) was found in the St. Nicholas Church under Tiganesti Monastery. Generally speaking, it should be noted that in the second half of the XVIIIth and XIXth centuries there have been found a lot of founders' inscriptions in the monasteries and churches of Basarabia. Even older are the votive inscriptions of Vasile Lupu at Saint Dumitru Church in Orhei and Saint Nicholas Church in Chilia. They are dating from the first half of the XVIIth century.

In the XXth century, and in particular, in the second half of the XXth century, the number of commemorative plaques has increased in the exponential manner. The period following the World War II is characterized by the onset of inauguration of memorial plaques dedicated to the Heroes of Russian Revolution, Civil War, as well as to the Militants of Illegal Movements in the Interwar Basarabia, Heroes Fallen during the World War II, events inspired from the history of Russian-Turkish Wars, Bulgarian revolutionaries and fighters for the independence of Bulgaria from the Ottoman yoke. Historic events of the neighboring Romania were left out because of political and ideological reasons. Hence, in Chisinau, in the 50's there has been unveiled a memorial plaque on the edifice, where in 1901-

1902 the printing-house of the illegal Leninist newspaper "Iskra" was located, whereas on the facade of the administrative bloc, located on Stefan cel Mare Boulevard, a memorial plaque dedicated to Bulgarian Volunteers was unveiled in 1977 (sculptor M. Spinei). In the 50-60's of the XXth century very few memorial plaques were dedicated to men of culture, scientists, artists, architects, mayors, politicians, etc. Only architects Alexei Sciusev and Robert Curt, classics of Russian literature - Alexander Puskin, Leo Tolstoy and Maxim Gorky, native writers - Grigore Adam, Alexei Mateevici, Moldovan writers fallen in the World War II - A. Robot, T. Nencev and S. Mospan, poet Liviu Deleanu, composers - Stefan Neaga, Alexei Starcea and Eugen Coca, athlete Ivan Zaikin, sculptor - Alexandru Plamadeala, Doctor Toma Ciorba and first Chairman of the Academy of Science of the Republic of Moldova - Iachim S. Grosul, were honored by unveiling of memorial plaques, installed either on their houses or premises of institutions, where they used to work in Chisinau.

The period that followed 1985 and lasted until the last decade of the XXth century was characterized by a radical change in the assessment of events and personalities in the history of the Republic of Moldova. The number of memorial plaques dedicated to national writers, artists, painters, poets, politicians, scientists, etc. has considerably increased. It is for the first time, when several memorial plaques were unveiled in the honor of mayors of Chisinau during the Tsarist and Interwar periods (plaques dedicated to Carol Schmidt and Gherman Pantea). Some writers, whose works were prohibited during the Soviet regime, were brought back to the circuit of national values. They were also honored by the inauguration of memorial plaques in the houses they used to live in (this is the case of the prose writer, who used to live in the Interwar period, Constantin Stere).

Conclusion: Ultimately, it should be stated that the assessment of value of a personality in history and confirmation of this value by the inauguration of plaques or memorial signs is the most politicized and tributary area for the options and tastes of the ruling classes on various levels. Unfortunately, not always the public opinion or opinion of men of science and art is taken into consideration by the decision factors. Due to this reason, many of the personalities, worthy of commemoration, are still on the waiting list.

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