Come and discover Moldova

There are surely a lot of beautiful places in the world that traditionally attract great numbers of vacationists and holiday-makers. Some of these places are really and truly gorgeously picturesque and unique with respect to their valuable historical, architectural and cultural monuments, excellent geographical and climatic conditions.

Though the Republic of Moldova has not yet attained the worldwide fame of a great vacation land, it has enough historical sights, ruins, archeological excavations, churches, verdant valleys and marvelous landscapes to attract tourists. On our way across Moldova we will stop at many places, of course, and each has something special which deserves to be appreciated.

For over seventy years in the twentieth century Moldova was part of the country whose official name was the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Being part of the Soviet Union Moldova was one of the most famous tourist attractions. Tens of thousands of holiday-makers visited Moldova annually. Such tours as “Moldovan Codry”, “Dniester-Danube-Black Sea”, “Transnistria”, etc., were very popular with guests and acquainted them with the rich cultural and historic wealth of this country, its unique architectural monuments, picturesque landscapes, and old Moldovan customs.

Today Moldova opens the doors wider for visitors and makes it quite clear that it is a land of warm generosity and welcoming hospitality. Moldova is a land of charming diversity. Its plains, its forests, its climate - everything combines to make mildness a paramount characteristic of Moldova. There are no extremes of cold and heat; there are no deserts or completely wild areas.

Moldova’s most important river, the Dniester, was described in Herodotus’ History (the ancient Greek Herodotus is often referred to as “the father of all historians”). The Dniester River flows through the whole territory of the republic and it experienced much during its long history. Its banks were colonized by the Greeks and later by the Romans.
The settlement of Vadu-lui-Voda, situated on the right bank of the Dniester River, usually serves for city dwellers as a splendid place for pitching camp and having a wonderful time at weekends. This is a place where you can breathe a fresh smell from the forests that surround and defend it like soldiers. This small part of the Moldovan land is beautiful and picturesque in all the seasons of the year. It is white in winter and it is green in summer. It is full of white blossom in spring and it is yellow and red in fall.
There are many local legends connected with this Moldovan settlement and its origin. One of the legends tells us the following story: One day a Moldovan military leader crossed the Dniester with his army and set up camp on its right bank. All of them became positively enchanted by the charming and picturesque view of the place they had chosen to have some rest after a fierce battle. As a result the Moldovan leader ordered to establish a settlement on the right bank of the Dniester River that has been existing since then.

If you ever visited the town of Soroca, you will never be able to erase the image of its fortress from your memory. Soroca is not only well-endowed with nature’s gifts of rolling green hills offset by the ever-flowing Dniester River; it is also a rich source of historical and ethnographic sights. Soroca offers many opportunities of discovery for curious travelers and residents alike, but we believe that it is the fortress, the most striking aspect of the town, which will remain in your memory forever.
In 1469, Tartar cavalry crossed the Dniester to what is now Soroca. After a decisive battle at Lipnic, Stephen III decided to reinforce the eastern frontiers of the Moldovan State by building an earth and wooden outpost in this locality. The fortress was built rapidly in stone in three years. Even now, an amateur’s attentive eye will be able to notice the haste by the manner in which the bottom and upper parts of the outside walls were laid. Nonetheless, it is highly unique in its architectural features. The fortress construction design combines the feature elements of Gothic and Renaissance, especially in the profile sections and framing.

Bender fortress and relict woods, acacia trees in blossom and quiet dusty streets. This is the town of Bender on the right bank of the Dniester River. A town with a notable destiny and a rich history. If you are a literature amateur, you will have fun to learn that Ostap Bender, the famous adventurer from The Gold Calf by I. Ilf and Ye. Petrov was robbed right here. There are also grounds to suppose that The Dead Souls by N.V. Gogol appeared due to this Moldovan town. According to the statement by S. Mashinsky, a Moscow literary critic, there was a certain dodger who roamed around the town and purchased dead souls from landowners. A. S. Pushkin, the greatest Russian poet, strolled through Bender too; it was he who later shared the story with Gogol and inspired him to create the masterpiece.

According to historians, the town was first mentioned in 1408 as a trade center on the Dniester bank. Alexander the Good, who was then the ruler of Moldova, gave a charter to Lvov merchants permitting them to practise commerce in the towns on the Dniester. In this historical document the settlement was mentioned under the name of Teghyanyakyacha, which probably gave rise to another name of the town - Tighina.
The heyday of the Turkish Empire in the late 14th - early 15th centuries also left a certain impact on the Tighina of the time. An advantageous strategic position on the riverbank was of great interest for the Porte. Therefore, in 1538, after a number of severe fights, the Turks captured the settlement. At that time they started constructing the famous fortress that together with the place received the status of region and was called Bender. It is said that Suleiman the Magnificent had a delicate and romantic nature; he erected the fortress, which is a major sightseeing of Bender now, to commemorate his beloved woman, the beautiful and unruly Roxolana, who had been born in the Ukrainian lands close to Bender. The origin of the town name is debatable; nevertheless, the favored explanation is that it was borrowed from Persian and means harbor, wharf and port town.

The quiet and cozy town of Bender surprisingly pacificates one’s heart and affects one’s world perception. Coming here from the noisy capital one feels that problems are not global any more and many resolution options come to one’s head. In Bender there is a peculiar life style inspiring to mediation and creation.

We would recommend those who are much interested in speleology to visit and explore a cave called “Cinderella” that is situated in the northern part of the Moldovan land, near the village of Criva. This cave is one of the biggest labyrinth caves in Europe. The total length of its labyrinths is over 20 kilometers while an average height reaches about 10-11 meters. Just imagine a hall 60-80 meters long and 35-40 meters wide. Enough space for walking, isn’t it? There are over 20 lakes (about 4-6 meters deep) with clean cold water in the cave “Cinderella”. Furthermore, while exploring this unique cave you will have a great opportunity to see stalactites of fantastic forms with your own eyes.

Those who wish to know some historical facts about Moldova and understand why our country is what it is can make a short trip to Old Orhei, where more than 500 years ago a big city with centralized water supply and sewerage systems existed. The archaeological evidence obtained from numerous excavations suggests that this old city was a leading center of trade exchange and a major handicraft center of the Moldovan State for a number of centuries. You are welcome to view the world as Old Orhei had throughout the five centuries of its existence.

Another tourist attraction worth paying attention to is the Tsipova rock monastery, the biggest one in Europe. The Tsipova complex is absolutely unique regarding its size and the number of rock premises, which are connected by many inner dark passages. Unfortunately, Moldovan archaeologists and historians have not yet succeeded in determining the exact period of time when the Tsipova rock monastery was founded. Nevertheless, it is a well-established fact that the monastery was desolate up to the year 1756 when it resumed its activities in the region.
In the late 1790s the building of the monastery underwent some changes. Initially, a narrow path over a deep precipice led to a number of small cells (the light to the cells came from a small window made in the rock) defending the inhabitants of the monastery from unexpected raids. When a direct threat of invasions passed, all cells were enlarged while roads to the monastery were rebuilt.

As a post-scriptum note it can be added that the people of Moldova are very hospitable, friendly, cheerful, easy to make friends with, warm-hearted and always happy to welcome guests.
Discover Moldova, come to see its marvels and enjoy yourself.
Welcome to Moldova!

Vlada Popushoi