Moldova is a small landlocked state in southeastern Europe - one of the most highly populated republics of the former USSR (appr. 4.400,000 people). It occupies the area of 33,700 sq.km. To the north, east and south Moldova, is bound by Ukraine, to the west by Romania. The River Prut constitutes the border with Romania.

The country's topography is diverse, ranging from a steppe area in the North and South, to forested and mountainous highlands up to 400 meters in elevation in the center of the country. This area retains its ancient name Codru, meaning "old forest". These beautiful forests continue to hold great environmental importance. Moldova is rich with fertile land and a lovely climate. It was Dimitri Cantemir, the ruler of Moldova, who wrote in the early 18th Century, "Fields of Moldova that were much written have by the ancient authors far exceed the riches of the mountains."

The history of Moldova is complicated by the fact that the republic's present-day territory was not called Moldova or Moldavia until 1940. Present-day Moldova occupies the central two-thirds of a region historically referred to as Bessarabia. For centuries the name Moldova referred to a larger area encompassing Bessarabia and stretching from the Black Sea in the south to Bukovina, a former province of Romania, in the north, and from the Siret River in the west to the Dnestr in the east.

Established in the 15th century, Moldova has a long history of foreign domination. It fell under Turkish suzerainty in the 16th century, and part of the north was added to the Austrian Empire in the 18th century. From 1812 to 1856 Russians occupied the eastern portion of Moldova, which they named Bessarabia. After Bessarabia was returned to Moldova in 1856, Moldova and Walachia were united to form the Kingdom of Romania in 1859.

The territorial integrity of the new Romanian State did not last long, however. In 1878 Russian forces took over Bessarabia, which remained part of the Russian Empire until 1917. In March 1918 the Bessarabian legislature voted in favor of unification with Romania, and at the Paris Peace Conference in 1920 the United States, France, the United Kingdom, and other western countries officially recognized the union. The new Soviet government did not accept the union, and it took steps to acquire the lost territories. In 1924 a Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (ASSR) was established within the USSR on the border of Romania. The Ukrainian town of Balta was its capital until 1929, when the capital was transferred to Tiraspol.

Less than one-third of the population of the Moldavian ASSR was Romanian in the mid-1920s. In 1939 Bessarabia was granted to the USSR in the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the Soviet-German agreement on dividing Eastern Europe. Although Romania declared its neutrality in September 1939, the USSR forced it to concede Bessarabia, and Soviet forces occupied the region in June 1940. At first Soviet authorities continued to call the new territory Bessarabia. But on August 2, 1940, the Moldavian SSR was proclaimed, and the former Moldavian ASSR abolished. The Trans-Dnestr region was transferred to the new republic, while the remainder of the Moldavian ASSR reverted to Ukraine.

Romanian forces from 1941 to 1944 reoccupied the Moldavian SSR, when Soviet forces again retook the territory. It remained part of the USSR until the collapse of Communism in 1991, when an independent Moldovan republic was established (on August 27, 1991).

The capital city of Moldova is Chisinau, which is located in the southwestern extremity of the Central-Moldovan Hills, in a forest-steppe zone. The Byk River crosses the city. The population of Chisinau, including its nearest suburbs, is over 750 thousand, and the city's territory now covers over 170 square kilometers.

RED STAR TRAVEL invites you to visit Moldova, the country with attractive scenery - green rolling hills, rich river valleys, picturesque roadside wells, whitewashed villages, fruitful orchards and vineyards.

DACIA HOTEL

Located downtown, in August 31, 1989 Street. Walking distance to the Palace of the Republic and the "Stefan cel Mare" Central Amusement Park. 20 km to the airport and 7 km to the railway station. Opened in 1983. 6 floors. All floors accessible by elevator. 90 rooms. 87 rooms offered by Red Star Travel feature private bathroom with shower cabin, air conditioner, color cable TV, radio, telephone, refrigerator, mini-bar. Suites are additionally equipped with air conditioner. Room Service. Lobby bar for 12 seats. Coffee shop for 80 seats. Banquet room for 12 seats. Conference room for 12 seats. Facsimile facilities. Sauna with massage. Hair salon. Safety deposit box. Currency exchange. Souvenir kiosk. News stand. Laundry. Baggage storage. Towncar service. On-site parking. Security service. English-speaking staff. Room rates - from $121.

COSMOS HOTEL 2

Conveniently located close to the center of Chisinau, in the Negruzzi Square. 17 km to the airport and 1.5 km to the railway station. Opened in 1983. Partially renovated in 1995. 22 floors. All floors accessible by elevator. 360 rooms. 199 rooms offered by Red Star Travel feature private bathroom with shower and emergency water heater, color cable TV, international direct-dial telephone, radio. Upgraded singles, junior suites and suites are additionally equipped with refrigerators or mini-bars. Room service. Restaurant with 2 dining halls for 250 seats. Banquet hall for 25 sets. 2 bars. Conference room for 33 seats. Facsimile and photocopying facilities. Safety deposit box. Hair salon. Casino. Penny arcade. Currency Exchange. Post office. Newsstand. Medical center. Laundry. Baggage storage. Security services. On-site parking. English-speaking staff. Room rates - from $95.

NATIONAL HOTEL

Conveniently located in the center of Chisinau, in the Stefan cel Mare Boulevard. 15 km to the airport and 3 km to the railway station. Opened in 1978. 13 floors. All floors accessible by elevator. 319 rooms. 244 rooms offered by Red Star Travel feature private bathroom, color cable satellite TV, international direct-dial telephone, radio, refrigerator. 2 restaurants for 100 and 200 seats. Banquet hall for 60 seats. Lobby bar. Coffee shop for 12 seats. Conference hall for 140 seats. Service bureau. Facsimile and photocopying facilities. Safety deposit box. Beauty shop. Casino. Currency Exchange. Medical center. News stand. Laundry. Baggage storage. Security services. On-site parking. English-speaking staff. Room rates - from $65.

Chisinau Museums

National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History. Operating hours: 9am - 4pm (in winter), 10am - 5pm (in summer), closed on Mondays. Opened in 1889 by A. Stuart. A special museum building in the Pseudo-Mauritanian style was set up in 1905. Over 135,000 exhibits are displayed in 12 halls. The museum comprises the Geology Department featuring geography and mineral resources; the Paleontology Department; the Zoology Department, displaying a variety of animals, game birds and endangered species; the Entomology Department; the Ethnography Department tracing the natural and cultural history of the native population of Moldova; the Archeology Department displaying ancient civilizations found on the territory of Moldova. Scientific Library.

National History Museum. Operating hours: 10am - 5pm (in winter), 9am - 4pm (in summer), closed on Mondays. The museum was opened in 1987. Over 260,000 exhibits, 165,000 of them - rarities. The collection consists of archaeological finds, antique, Middle Age and contemporary history items. Traveling exhibits from other museums of the country.

Fine Arts Museum. Operating hours: 10am - 4:30pm, closed on Mondays. The 30,000 exhibits are displayed in 14 halls, including icons and cult objects, sculptures, paintings and graphics, works of applied art created by Bessararbian and Moldovan artists. Russian art dating from the end of the 18th to the beginning of the 20th century. The Western European section has examples of Italian, Dutch, Flemish and German masters. Collection of graphics from Japan. Works by modern artists and sculptors.

Pushkin House Museum. Operating hours: 10am - 4pm, closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Opened in 1948 in the house of the Russian merchant Naumov, where the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin lived in exile in Chisinau between 1820 and 1823. It was here that he began to write "Eugene Onegin". There are two exhibition halls displaying over 20,000 items. Visitors can see numerous documents, paintings, prints and sculpture works dedicated to Pushkin and his Associates in Moldova.

Archaeology Museum. Operating hours: 10am - 4pm, closed on Sundays and Mondays. Opened in 1977 in a 19th century building, the museum houses a collection of about 90,000 items, 10,000 of which are exhibited in the museum halls and 80,000 stored in its reserves. The collection is displayed in 10 exhibition halls occupying a territory of 350 square meters. You will find here archaeological relics dating as far back as to Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras. To complete the picture, the museum exhibits agricultural tools, traditional clothing including national costumes of later periods, religious artifacts and much more.

City Tour of Chisinau, 3.5 hours

Chisinau is also named "Small Rome", because it is situated on 7 hills. During the tour you will have a chance to enjoy the best view of the city from one of them: wide parks and avenues, a variety of architectural styles like Romanesque, Modern Venetian Baroque, Neobizantyne, etc.

Walk through the "Stefan the Great" park and the "Avenue of flowers", where a lot of beautiful flowers are sold. Visit the so-called "Vernisage Market" where you can buy different objects of national creativity. Most of the city's sights can be seen on a tour down the Boulevard Stefan Cel Mare.

In the city center you will see the Victory Arch, which was originally called the Holy Gate. The arch, constructed in 1840, serves as a bell tower for the Cathedral of the Nativity. Immediately behind the arch you will find large stones set in a semicircle. Each stone is marked with a date and an explanation of its significance in Moldovan history. This history tour will take you into the Victory Arch Park and the Pushkin Park lined with statues and busts of Romanian and Moldovan authors.

You will see several churches: the green-roofed Mazarakievskaya Church of the Nativity of the Virgin (1757), the St. Konstantine and Helena Church (1777), the onion-domed Chisinau Cathedral. The so-called Greek Church is no longer a church at all, but a wine-tasting hall.

TOURS AROUND CHISINAU

Tour of Tiraspol Town, 5 hours

Located 60 km southeast of Chisinau in the Nistru Valley, Tiraspol is considered to be a living museum of Soviet culture. With a population of 200,000 the city still has its share of Lenin statues, monuments like a tank T-34 on the pedestal and retained names of the streets but it has few restaurants and cafes and nothing in the way of Western conveniences or service.

During the city tour you will see the Pokrov Church (Intercession of the Virgin), the Republican Drama and Comedy Theater, Central Post office, the Lenin and Suvorov Monuments, the Kirov Square and the ruins of the Srednyaya Fortress (on the outskirts of town).

WINERIES TOURS

When visiting Moldova, don't miss the opportunity to take around the famous wineries from Cricova, Cojusna and Milestii Mici where you will enjoy Moldovan original sparkling wines. Tour of Cricova, 3.5 hours We invite you to visit world-famous wine cellars of CRICOVA. You will see an underground city with obscure streets that are carrying the names of wines kept here: Aligote, Riesling, Codru, Feteasca. The wines from this collection have an ancient history: the oldest bottle dates back to 1902. Your local guide will explain the odyssey of some bottles that have arrived there after the WWII. At the end of the excursion you will taste the most famous wines. Tour of Cojusna, 4.5 hours We invite you to see a wine collection in medieval style in COJUSNA winery. You will pass along the narrow streets of the winoteque full of dusty bottles. This factory was founded in 1908 and now more than 10 kinds of the high quality wines are produced there according to the French technology. There are two halls where you will taste wines: a Medieval Moldovan cellar trimmed with natural wood and stone, and a classical European one. Tour of Milestii Mici, 3.5 hours We invite you to explore the old traditions of winemaking in Milestii Mici. The qualified wine manufacturer will acquaint you with an underground gallery, where the huge barrels of wine are established. There is a special tasting hall designed in medieval style with tables and benches made of wood. The pleasant feeling of this air smothered by the aroma of wine will embrace you. Here you will try eight brands of wine and will learn the old traditions of winemaking.

HISTORICAL TOURS

There are 90,000 monuments and historic sights, including over 10,000 antic monuments, over 1400 churches, 24 monasteries and 5 hermitages in Republic of Moldova. Most of them have an original architecture and located in the central part of the country. We invite you to visit the most famous of them: Orheiul Vechi, Saharna, Soroka, Capriana and Hancu.

Tour of Orheiul Vechi Reservation Orheiul Vechi is historic reservation complex, situated 65 km away from Chisinau, on the site of the Moldovan medieval city Orhei, the only medieval town in the country (XII-XVII centuries). It comprises landscape reservation Trebujeni and a XIX century "Adormirea Maicii Domnului" Church. You will enjoy archaeological traces and appreciable historic monuments with unique unrepeatable landscape formed by Raut River, narrows paths, rocks and caves.

See the remains of Geto-Dacian fortress, a functioning cave monastery, ruins of the old Turkish bath. Visit a typical Moldovan house of the 19 century and taste dishes of the Moldovan national cuisine. Ivanchya State reservation complex. Located 45 km away from Chisinau, Ivanchya is one of the oldest Moldovan nature complexes comprising the Vienna-styled park (2,5 ha) with a rich collection of exotic plants and the Museum of Folk and Applied Arts housed in a XIX-century mansion (Operating hours: 10am - 4pm, closed on Mondays). You will get acquainted with popular architecture, the art of wooden carvings and pottery, of spinning and weaving, and a variety of folklore literature, music and dances.

Tour of Soroca Town, 10 hours

Soroca is located 160 km north of Chishinau close to the Ukrainian border. During 2,5 hour drive you will enjoy beautiful landscapes of Old Bassarabia, its small lakes and rivers. You will visit Saharna monastery, Soroca's Fortress and eventually the village of rich Gypsies. Your guide will tell about the story of the well-kept fortress, which has been serving during many centuries as a shelter for Moldavians during Turkish and Tartar invasions.

The well-preserved medieval Soroca fortress is situated in the historical city center. The wooden fortress was erected during the rule of Stefan the Great. Then Petru Raresh rebuilt it in 1543. The 5-tower fortress represents a circumference with a diameter of 30,5 meters and walls that round it are 3.5 m wide and 17-20 m high. Tour of the Hincu Nunnery and the Capriana Monastery

The Capriana Monastery is the most representative from the famous Moldovan monasteries. Founded by the Superior Chiprian, it was the Moldovan Metropole Premise for a long time. It is situated 50 km from Chishinau, on the shore of a small lake near the Capriana village. During the Soviet times it was closed but after Moldova got sovereign it was reopened to the public and became a symbol of revival of Moldovan culture. A monk will guide the excursion through the monastery, which includes visit to the "Adormirii Maicii Domnului" Church (1545), "St. Nicolai" Church (1840) and "St. Gheorghe" Church (1903), abbot's house (1826), cells, the Seminary, the Summer Metropole Premise and the graveyard.

The Capriana Monastery gives the visitors the chance to raise the heart to the Almighty and on the same time gathering in feelings the sound of a past, which was full of sacrifice and kindness of our kin. Situated 80-km west from Chishinau, in the heart of Codru forest, the Hincu Nunnery was founded in 1678. One of the nuns will tour you around the nunnery.