 Facts at a Glance
Full country name: Republic of Moldova
Area: 33,700 sq km (13,143 sq mi)
Population: 4,457,206
Capital city: Chisinau (pop. over 700,000)
People: Moldavian-Romanian 64.5%, Ukrainian 13.8%, Russian 13%, Gagauz 3.5%, Jewish 1.5%, Bulgarian 2%
Language: Moldovan (virtually the same as Romanian),Russian, Gagauz (a Turkish dialect)
Religion: Eastern Orthodox 98.5%, Jewish 1.5%
Government: Republic
President: Petru Lucinschi
Prime Minister: Ion Sturdza
 Environment
With the exception of Armenia, Moldova is the smallest of the former Soviet Republics but one of the most populated. At about twice the size of Hawaii it's a small area of land, roughly triangular in shape, cut from the larger cloths of Romania and Ukraine. Romania lies to the west of Moldova and Ukraine closes around it on its northern, southern and eastern borders, effectively creating a landlocked republic although at its southern-most point it's only 100km (62mi) from the Black Sea. The two most significant geographical features are the Prut and the Dniestr rivers, which not only form natural borders between Romania and Ukraine respectively but also provide one of Moldova's most precious resources, rich and fertile soil. The landscape is mostly flat steppe, or gentle rolling hills, with a few forested areas to provide visual relief.
It is possible to still see wild boars, badgers, foxes, wolves, and various kinds of deer in the steppe but Moldova is too small and too populated to support much in the way of wildlife. Large tracts of wilderness have been swallowed up by sprawling vineyards and cultivated fields that, in the summer months, turn into bright carpets of sunflowers. It's a Kodak moment just waiting to happen, particularly with the fruit orchards and whitewashed villages in the background, but this pretty-as-a-postcard Moldova hides a less attractive reality. During three decades of Soviet industrial expansion the environment was the biggest loser and Moldova is now reaping what it sowed. The indiscriminate use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides has led to dangerously high levels of soil toxicity, while over-clearing, deforestation, and failure to protect the natural fauna has led to a drastic reduction in biodiversity. Since the early 1990s Moldova has participated in a number of initiatives to protect the environment and rectify some of its worst excesses.
Moldova is often classified as having a temperate climate similar to that of Western Europe. The warm season lasts for well over three quarters of the year and the sun shines on average once every second day. Despite this, it's still not quite the Bahamas. The average temperature hovers around a rather chilly 10°C (50°F) and in the winter months regularly slips a few notches below zero.
 History
Originally Moldova was part of the greater region of Moldavia but has spent much of its history being the skinny kid pushed around by the bigger boys. It lies directly between the rock of Russia and the hard place of Romania and has always been the focal point for border disputes and expansionist policies. Prior to its tenuous unification it had been overrun, split up, reunited, conquered, annexed, renamed, and taken back again more times than you can shake a stick at. It's been a long and bloody journey from the principality of Moldavia to the republic of Moldova and it seems fitting that the flag includes a band of red signifying the blood spilled in defending the country.
Moldovans are descended from the Dacians who were conquered by the Romans in 100 AD. This was followed by a millennium of instability and change, as the region was invaded by neighbouring countries and made a focal point for the diaspora of Magyars, Slavs, and Bulgarians spreading across Eastern Europe. It was also a port of call for Byzantine, Italian and Greek merchants. By the beginning of the Middle Ages, when the flow of people had died down to a trickle and an organised state had begun to emerge, Moldavia (as part of Romania) was already a potpourri of different races and cultures.
During the mid 14th century, under the leadership of Stefan cel Mare (or Stephen the Great), the principality of Moldavia flourished but by the time his son succeeded him the Turkish army had become too strong and Moldavia was subsumed under the Ottoman empire. It remained under Turkish suzerainty until 1711 when the Russians appeared on the Moldavian borders for the first time. Although the Russian army was initially repelled, the next century saw Russia and Turkey going at it hammer and tongs. Annexations, partitions, skirmishes, invasions and wars were the order of the day. Moldavia exchanged hands more times than a bent coin. In 1774 Austria acquired northern Moldavia, renaming it Bukovina, in exchange for brokering a peace treaty between the warring Russians and Turks. In 1812 hostilities between Turkey and Russia were temporarily suspended by the signing of the Bucharest Treaty, which gave the eastern half of Moldavia to the Russians (who renamed the region Bessarabia) and the rest of Moldavia and Wallachia to Romania. Russia persistently tried to gain control of strategic parts of Romania by various sleights of hand and hairsplitting, and in 1878 did a couple of backroom deals with the other super powers to expand the Bessarabian borders into Romania.
Bessarabia remained under Russian control until the 1918 Bolshevik Revolution, when the ideology of self-determination was put back on the agenda with a bang. Bessarabia reacted to this historical sea change by declaring itself an autonomous republic but, after Ukraine started running speculative eyes over its undefended flanks, decided to reunite with Romania as a protective measure. Autonomy granted by Lenin was one thing but reunification with an old enemy was another thing altogether. The reunification was never recognised or condoned by the Soviet Union and in 1924 a group of peasants, loyal to Lenin, formed the breakaway Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (MASSR), which was later to become the Transdniestr republic. In 1939 the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the Soviet-German agreement on dividing Eastern Europe, handed Bessarabia back to the USSR who joined the fledging ASSR to the greater region of Bessarabia and renamed the entire region the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic (MSSR).
The area was reoccupied by Romanian forces between 1941 and 1944 during which time thousands of Bessarabian Jews were deported to Auschwitz. In 1944 the Romanians were forced to relinquish their hold on the area and the Soviet authorities once again took control. The consequent Sovietisation of Moldavia included the deportation of over 25,000 ethnic Moldavians to Siberia and Kazakstan, the closing of Jewish synagogues, the outlawing of religious ceremonies, and the imposition of the Cyrillic script on the Latin-based Romanian alphabet. There was also all the usual monument-building, statue-constructing, road-naming, city square-dedicating hi-jinks that comes with trying to impose an unnatural order on a conquered race of people. With the collapse of Communism in the mid 1980s and Gorbachev's policies of glasnost and perestroika the nationalist Moldovan Popular Front finally got a forum to air their views. Several years of reform and consultation followed: in 1989 the Latin alphabet was reintroduced as the official written language; in 1990 the Moldovan flag was instated and a declaration of Moldovan sovereignty was passed; and finally in 1991 Moldova declared its full independence, with communist Mircea Snegur as its first democratically elected president.
Independence has not solved all of Moldova's problems and has, in fact, created some new ones. The Slavic minorities in the Transdniestr are keen to retain their cultural and social ties with Russia while in the south the Turkish-speaking Gagauz minority are worried about possible reunification with Romania. As soon as Moldova cut the umbilical cord and declared itself a republic, the Transdniestr authorities seceded from the republic and reiterated its loyalty to Mother Russia. Matters were further complicated when the Gagauz started muttering about their own breakaway republic in the southeast. The brand new Moldovan republic was shrinking by the minute. Eventually the Gagauz relented after promises of greater regional autonomy and representation in government but the Transdniestr republic has remained obstinate in its refusal to join Moldova. An uneasy compromise has been reached with a tri-partite Russian-Dnestr-Moldovan peacekeeping force operating in the area, but sporadic fighting between rebel separatists and Moldovan military forces still occurs and there are constant calls for official recognition of independence from hard line secessionists. Added to these internal tensions is Moldova's economic woes, with austere cost-cutting measures in the pipeline, and a political struggle between those advocating stronger and faster reforms and those calling for a return to communist style governance.
 Economic Profile
The Moldovan leu started off in hunky-dory fashion but its economic fortunes were inextricably linked to the Russian rouble. As the rouble went into an uncontrolled spin the leu went with it and in late 1998 there was a currency crash that left the region without hard currency.
GDP: US$11 billion
GDP per head: US$2400
Annual growth: 1.5%
Inflation: 15%
Major industries: agriculture, viniculture, food processing
Major trading partners: Russia, Kazakstan, Ukraine, Romania, Germany
 Culture
If, as PJ O'Rourke paraphrases, 'Russia is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma, tied in a hankie, rolled in a blanket and packed in a box full of Styrofoam peanuts', then Moldova, with its cultural ties to Russia, Romania and Turkey, is even more of an enigma. It has risen from the ruins of Soviet socialism to become a democratic republic split in two, one area controlled by the government and the other by separatist rebels loyal to Mother Russia; it has few cities but is one of the most populated countries; unification with Romania, its closest neighbour, is an on again/off again issue and yet it has more in common with other former Soviet countries; the official language, Moldovan, is phonetically identical to Romanian, but school and university classes are all taught in Russian; it actively encourages entrepreneurial flair and closer ties to western economies but is still hobbled to the Russian rouble; it's got all the ingredients for a successful tourism industry but is less developed than other Eastern European countries; Moldovans are gregarious people but make some of the surliest hotel staff in the world. Everything in Moldova has an equal and opposite reaction, which makes it either one of the most balanced of countries or one of the most confusing.
War and religion play a big part in the Moldovan psyche and it has a fistful of monasteries, ancient fortresses, wooden churches and war memorials to prove it. These architectural and cultural museums are supplemented by medieval frescoes of Madonnas, princes, crosses, anonymous churchy folk and a range of gilded iconography that immediately makes you think of Russia. Literature, art, music and dancing are also pretty big in Moldova. Folk dancing is similar to other Eastern European folk dancing; all dirndls, bonnets, and elaborately embroidered tunics, with partners moving in circles or sinuous lines to the sound of bagpipes, flutes, panpipes, and violins. Sort of like sedate square dancing without the Stetsons and whoopin'n'hollerin'. And when all the praying and dancing is done with, Moldova has some of the best and biggest vineyards in Eastern Europe. Wine and wine tasting are an integral part of Moldovan life.
It's fortunate that the wine is so good because Moldova has inherited the Russian anti-style of cooking: meat done to a consistent grey and vegetables boiled to a watery pulp and sculpted into forms resembling Soviet style monoliths. The ubiquitous Romanian mamaliga (soft cornmeal mush) appears on most menus along with Turkish sasliks, kebabs and baclavas. Some of the better dishes include Russian dumplings in mushroom sauce and hearty Jewish stews. One uniquely Moldovan speciality is tochitura Moldoveneasca, pan-fried pork in a spicy pepper sauce served with mamaliga and topped with fried egg. If you've got a cast iron stomach and feel particularly adventurous you might want to try some of the dishes at the Cactus Cafe in downtown Chisinau, where time is saved by serving main meal and desserts on the one plate. How about chicken with chocolate sauce or turkey with bananas? Mmmmm-mmmm!
 Events
There are very few ritual events celebrated in Moldova, mostly because the republic is still in its infancy and is experiencing painful teething problems. It's hardly had time to clear away the rubble from all the old Lenin statues let alone organise feasts, fetes and fiestas. The one truly Moldovan event is Independance Day celebrated on 27 August. For the residents of Transdniestr this is like waving a red rag at a bull and celebrations are usually boycotted by those living east of the Dniestr River.
 Facts for the Traveller
Visas:All western visitors require a visa. To get a visa everyone except US citizens require an invitation or proof of prebooked accommodation from a company or organisation.
Health risks: No vaccinations required. A certificate confirming HIV-negative status must be obtained if staying for longer than three months.
Time: GMT/UTC plus two hours (one hour ahead in summer)
Electricity: 220V, 50 Hz
Weights & measures: Metric (see conversion
table)
 Money & Costs
Currency: Moldovian leu (MDL)
Relative costs:
- Budget meal: US$1-3
- Moderate restaurant meal: US$5-10
- Top-end restaurant meal: US$10 and up
- Budget room: US$15-20
- Moderate hotel: US$30-40
- Top-end hotel: US$100-300
Moldova, like other ex-Soviet countries, is still a cheap place for western tourists despite the fact that the Soviet three-tier pricing system ('From each according to his abilities etc,etc,etc') is still in effect. The biggest expense is accommodation but if you're not too fussed about how reliable the hot water system is, can put up with a bit of surliness from hotel staff, and don't mind endless meals of cornmush and kebabs, you can get by on $30 a day. A bit of spice in your meals, a reliable shower, and hotel rooms that come with a smile will cost about $60 a day. If you're looking for accommodation that includes plush sofas and silver service meals you'll be spending upwards of $150 a day.
The good old cash-and-carry system still operates in Moldova so take lots of US dosh including some smaller denominations. There is often a shortage of ready change which means you may find yourself holding a box of matches or half a loaf of bread in lieu of a lei. Travellers cheques are almost impossible to exchange in Moldova although there are a few banks that will exchange and one that charges a 4% commission for advances on Visa or Mastercard. This is about the only time your credit card will get a workout as they are not accepted anywhere else in Moldova.
Transdniestr (a separate republic in everything except international recognition) have introduced their own currency, the Transdniestr rouble. It's about as valuable as Monopoly money but not as stable or straightforward. When inflation reaches critical meltdown, zeroes are added to selected bills with an insouciance that would make an economist weep. All you have to remember is that the blue 50,000 notes are worth 50,000 roubles while the brown 50,000 notes are actually worth 500,000 roubles, and five rouble notes are really worth 50,000 roubles if they have a silver hologram attached to them. And none of them are worth anything outside Transdniestr. Got all that?
A tip of 10%-15% is expected in restaurants and taxis.
 When to Go
Moldova has very few culturally specific festivals or calendar highlights and usually a trip there is combined with a trip to neighbouring Romania. It's worth taking this into consideration when deciding when to go but as a general rule the best time to visit is September or October. May through to August can also be pleasant although you run the risk of a snow flurry or two and low temperatures.
Attractions
Chisinau
Chisinau is a surprisingly green city on the banks of the Byk River, flanked by parks and lakes. Despite being the transport hub of the city, its pretty tree-lined streets resemble a provincial town in Romania rather than a capital city. Bombs in WWII destroyed nearly two thirds of Chisinau's old buildings and it's obviously a city on the remake. It still has a wealth of stately old buildings and onion-domed cathedrals but mixed in with these are the stark, Gulag-grey boxy buildings from the Stalinist era, offset by a number of funky bars and cafes sprouting up around the city and trying hard to swim against the prevailing economic current. Once in the surrounding rural areas, however, the extent of the poverty becomes obvious.
With the exception of the statues of the famous writers Alexander Pushkin (who spent his exiled years in Chisinau) and Mihai Eminescu, nearly every other piece of upright masonry in the city is a war monument of some sort. Inside the Stefan cel Mare Park, which dominates the western flank of Blvd Stefan cel Mare, is the statue of Stefan cel Mare. Needless to say the medieval warrior-prince is still something of a hero in Moldova.
There are a number of Art and History Museums scattered around Moldova but there's a truly mind boggling exhibition in the National History Museum. It's a life-sized rendering of the Soviet invasion of Chisinau in 1945. As if the original wasn't enough! As an antidote to all these slate grey men on slate grey horses head off to the Exhibition Hall where contemporary art is on exhibition. The Galeria Brancusi, inside the hall, has pieces for sale for those interested in collecting international objet d'arts.
Chisinau is tailor made for the directionally challenged; straight streets in a rigid grid system. The main drag of Chisinau, the Blvd Stefan cel Mare, crosses the town from southeast to northwest. At the northern end is the central square, dominated by the blockbuster buildings, the main cathedrals and Moldova's Arc de Triomphe. Restaurants and hotels are scattered throughout the central city section. Although the streets are laid out in a straightforward fashion, the naming of them isn't. Some streets have their Moldovan name, some still bear their Russian name, and some have both old and new.
Unfortunately most of Moldova's wineries can only be visited on officially sanctioned tours and guides can charge like wounded bulls for the privilege of tasting their local plonk in situ. But the wineries have their compensations and delights. Crivoca lies some 15km (9mi) north of Chisinau and is the starting point for your Moldovan pub crawl with a difference. Cricova is completely underground with a labyrinth of subterranean streets stretching more than 60km (19mi). All the streets are named after wine types, so you can stagger along Cabernet Street before crawling east into Pinot Street. Fifteen kilometres (9mi) east of Cricova is Cojusna, which produces the usual array of reds and whites as well as vodka and heavy port wines for the diehard drinkers. Cojusna is strictly geared for the tarry-and-tipple tourist, although this doesn't mean sipping old wines in French style chateaux. There are no actual vineyards in Cosujna as the cellars are stocked from the harvests of smaller vineyards in the district.
The Straseni vineyard, 12km (4mi) northeast of Chisinau, is renowned for its sparkling white wines. This is where you'll find the sprawling vineyards that you might have expected in Cojusna. A little further away is the Romanesti winery, one of the largest in the business, and the one-time leading producer of wines in the USSR. One of its more famous products is a Bordeaux-type red which was the drink of choice for many a famous tsar.
Visiting the Cricova winery is only possible as part of an organised tour which can be arranged through the winery's excursion bureau in Chisinau. The prohibitive price of the tour does at least includes transport there and back. To tipple at the Cojusna winery, call the factory, make an advance booking, and then take a bus from Chisinau out to the village. The same system, different bus, applies to getting to and from Straseni.
You may be a little tired and emotional after your visit to the vineyards and ready for something restful and spiritual. There's an old monastery conveniently located 7km (2mi) southwest of Straseni in the isolated village of Capriana, where you can repent of your drinking ways and give your liver a rest. It's a 14th century monastery that miraculously survived the militant atheism of the Soviet era and its obligatory looting and pillaging. Sitting serenely at the edge of a lake, it's comprised of three sections, each built in a different era. The oldest is the church of the Virgin's Assumption, built in classic 14th century baroque style. Saint Nicholas' Church was built in the 1800s and Saint George's church (abutting the abbot's house, refectory and cells) was built at the turn of the 20th century. Forty-two Orthodox monks still use the monastery today.
Three buses leave daily from Chisinau to Capriani but they begin their 30km (10mi) trip back to Chisinau almost immediately. This makes a day trip difficult.
Off the Beaten Track
Orheuil Vechi
The ancient city of Orheuil Vechi or old Orhei, sometimes referred to as Trebujeni, is out in the boondocks of Moldova. It's a bit of an archeological wonder, holding the remnants of a civilisation ancient enough to think that stone tools were the height of sophistication, as well as the ruins of a medieval village. The remnants of this village - including the vestiges of a mosque, two mausolea, a caravan-seraglio, three bathhouses and a typical Moldovan house - are open to the public. The rest of the complex includes an ancient fortress built by the indefatigable Stefan cel Mare in the 14th century and destroyed by the equally indefatigable Tartars in 1499, and an ancient monastery carved out of the face of a lime cliff.
The hermitage of Butuceni was built by monks during the 13th century and is a classic example of the role that architecture played in the medieval ages. It was built not only as a place of worship but as a refuge during times of adversity . The interior is an almost seamless web of corridors, devoid of geometrical lines or sharp turns, with light penetrating the gloom through rectangular doors hewn out of the stone. At some stage during the 18th century the faithful from neighbouring Butuceni dug a tunnel through to the chapel so that they could practice their religion in relative secrecy.
Getting to Orheuil Vechi by public transport is tough. It involves firstly getting a bus from Chisinau to the town of Orhei, about 50km (16mi) and from there another bus to Orheuil Vechi or Trebujeni. Ask the bus driver to drop you off at the Monastery Complex on the way. A taxi can also shuttle you between Orhei and Orheuil Vechi.
The autonomous republic of Gagauzia, in southern Moldova, is populated by a Turkish-speaking Christian minority whose Muslim descendants fled the Russian-Turkish wars in the 18th century. The price of entry into the region was conversion to Christianity, and their language, a Turkish dialect, is now inflected with Russianisms rather than with the Islamic influences of other Turkish dialects.
The Gagauz have made an art of resisting the usual gamut of assimilation tactics which goes a long way toward explaining their bull-dog obstinacy in the face of Moldovan nationalism. Constant threats by the Gagauz to secede from the republic finally forced the Moldovan government into a backdown and small but significant changes in the constitution paved the way for Gagauzia to become autonomous in regional affairs and to be better represented at government level.
Gagauzia's capital, Comrat, is a one horse town about 75km (24mi) southwest of Chisinau. Nothing much happens in Comrat, apart from a lot of studying at the University, but it was the site of violent clashes between the Moldovan armed forces and Gagauz nationalists in 1990 over the issue of Gagauz independence.
There are quite a few daily return buses from Chisinau and it is possible, and probably a good idea, to do a day trip. If staying overnight, there is a limited choice in accommodation.
Transdniestr has been a thorn in the side of the Moldovan government since the republic was first formed in 1991. Separatist rebels, with the blessings and wherewithal of the Russian military, have been stirring the pot ever since. It is a self-declared republic with Tiraspol as its capital city and its own currency, army, media and police force, but Transdniestr really started looking like it had slipped down a rabbit hole when it began drawing imaginary borders and protecting them with (unofficial) border guards with (real) guns. It also elected its own president, Igor Smirnov, and you don't get any more Russian than that.
Nearly two thirds of Transdniestr citizens are elderly and impoverished and long for the good old days of Soviet rule when the quality of life was so much better. These days they would find life tough under any form of government but trying to establish an independent republic has put an added strain on resources. Rampant inflation, a currency that is next to worthless, low wages, the collapse of the Russian economy, and soaring debts have put Transdniester behind the economic eight ball. Nevertheless it's worth a visit. It's a walking, talking breathing mausoleum of Stalinist-style government; the Iron Curtain in Transdniestr hasn't been demolished as much as drawn back a little for a cautious peek outside. There are no golden arches, Coca-Cola signs, or funky cafes selling double decaf-cafs here. It's all peasant pragmatism and Stalinist utilitarianism. And they don't go much for US travellers either.
It's actually quite expensive for a foreigner to spend time in Transdniestr because of the three-tiered pricing system. A less than average bed for the night costs about US$60, the equivalent of a month's salary in Transdniestr. In the topsy-turvy world of Transdniestrian logic, even asking questions at the information desk will cost you money!
There are a number of buses every day that do the 50km (16mi) trip between Chisinau and Tiraspol, and one per day between Comrat and Tiraspol. Transdniestr has just announced that all foreign visitors will need to register with the police within three hours of arrival and pay a US$10 fee. In a powerful bit of brinkmanship this includes Moldovan nationals whom they define as "foreign".
 Activities
Moldova is hardly set up to cater for tourists and much of the area is covered in cultivated fields which limits the number of energetic outdoorsy activities you can indulge in. If you're an adrenaline junkie and really need a fix, there's a parachuting club above the open-air festival stage in Chisinau. Lake Valea Morilor, a sprawling park east of Chisinau, offers caneoing and paddleboat opportunities and is a great place to relax and write those long-promised postcards. But the best idea is to drink your way round Moldova. By the time you've visited all the wineries in Moldova and sampled all the sparkling red wines, cabernets, sauvignons, rieslings and port wines, Moldova will look like a tourist's paradise and you'll be thankful that there are so few things that require physical exertion or your undivided attention.
 Getting There & Away
All international flights to Moldova use Chisinau (Kishinev) airport. The only direct flights into Moldova are from Berlin and Paris. A better option is to fly to Bucharest and then take a bus or train to Chisinau. Buses can also be taken from Suceava-Cernauti in Moldavia to Chisinau. Trains from Bucharest are probably the best way to go, as they are the most economical. There are, however, no discount fares, or rail passes available.
 Getting Around
Getting around Moldova is a matter of buses, trams and trolleybuses and usually all three forms will be crowded. Shoving, pushing, and elbowing are just some of the joys of catching public transport so you'd better join in the fun if you want to get anywhere, and don't take it personally when it happens to you. Both government taxis and private taxis are available; government taxis are metered so if you get one of the other sort bargain for a price before you set off. Buses also run between most of the larger towns and cities.
 Recommended Reading
- Studies in Moldovan: The History, Culture, Language and Contemporary Politics of the People of Moldova, edited by Donald Leroy Dyer, is pretty self-explanatory.
- If you want a comprehensive analysis of all the confusing ins-and-outs of the country's history try Belarus & Moldova Country Studies, part of the Area Handbook Series edited by Helen Fodor.
- Romania after Tyranny, edited by David Nelson, focuses on current relations between Romania and Moldova.
- The intriguingly titled Engleza de gata - Off-Pegged English by Violeta Wastasescu and Fuluia Turu is a pocket-sized phrase book for easier travelling.
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 Travellers' Reports
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