Moldova is a landlocked country nestled between Romania and Ukraine, with the vast majority of its territory situated between the Prut and Dniester rivers. The wine industry here is highly developed, making it the world's seventh-largest wine exporter. At the same time, the country boasts a profound cultural heritage and many beautiful attractions.
1. Japca Village
The Japca region is located 160 kilometers north of Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, and is famous for its nunnery, which is the only monastery that remained open throughout the Soviet era. In the 17th century, this nunnery resembled a military fortress. Historical records trace the monastery back to 1693, when it was inhabited by monks who conducted religious services in the monastery's church. The monks moved out in 1770, a period that marked the monastery's reconstruction, during which a library was built. By the beginning of the 19th century, a new stone church was established, and the monastery's most important church was subsequently rebuilt. To date, the monastery features three altars: Resurrection, Transfiguration, and Passion. Visitors are deeply impressed by the traditional activities here and can visit the monastery during the day. Tourists can also visit the natural mineral springs of Japca village, the beautiful and mysterious Rascov nature reserve, and the Paleolithic sites in the Socola and Rascov regions.
2. Chisinau
Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, is located in the central part of the country on the banks of the Bîc River, a tributary of the Dniester, and has a history spanning over 500 years. The medieval old town of Chisinau was built in the Bîc River valley, while the new city was constructed on the river terraces. The region has a temperate continental climate, and the suburban horticulture industry is highly developed, producing abundant grapes and wine. Moldova is also known as the land of grapes, and clusters of grapes are engraved on the national emblem. Chisinau is a white city; throughout the streets and alleys, one can see white buildings nestled in lush greenery. These white buildings are constructed from limestone, which is abundant in Moldova. The pristine white architecture contrasts with the emerald green trees, giving Chisinau a sense of vitality and energy. The city streets are laid out in a grid pattern, with Stefan cel Mare Boulevard and Pushkin Street being the main thoroughfares. The city preserves many historical sites, including the Bell Tower, the Triumphal Arch, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and the Nativity Cathedral. During the Tsarist era, Alexander Pushkin was exiled to Moldova, which was then a remote frontier, for writing poems that championed freedom. The house where Pushkin lived in Chisinau is now a museum.
3. Chisinau National Opera and Ballet Theatre
Established in 1980, the Chisinau National Opera and Ballet Theatre is the largest and oldest opera house in Moldova. It is a two-story white building; while not large in size, it serves a role equivalent to China's National Centre for the Performing Arts, though it is far less spectacular and grand. The walls of the Chisinau Opera House feature stone carvings that resemble Egyptian pharaohs. Outside the opera house, there is a fountain, and the theater is surrounded by flowers and trees. Every day, the Chisinau Opera House hosts various forms of performances, including ballet, plays, concerts, operas, and dance dramas, attracting many audiences to enjoy the shows. There is a square outside the opera house equipped with benches where visitors can take a rest.
4. National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History
The National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History was established in 1983. It is the oldest museum in Chisinau and a place well worth visiting. The museum has ten exhibition halls housing approximately 300,000 items, which showcase the culture and history of Moldova from ancient times to the present, with 5,000 of these items belonging to Moldova's national heritage. The exhibition halls are divided into different sections, including archaeology and ancient history, medieval history, modern history, numismatics, dioramas, and temporary exhibitions. The collection includes photographs, books, maps, dioramas, tools, and military equipment. It houses many archaeological treasures from Orheiul Vechi, including coins from the Golden Horde, as well as old weapons from the Soviet era and large paintings from the Second World War. It displays models of traditional houses from different regions of Moldova and features many colorful traditional handmade textiles, carpets, and wall hangings. The Russian poet Alexander Pushkin (1799–1837) spent three years of his exile here from 1820 to 1823, during which he wrote his masterpiece, "The Prisoner of the Caucasus."
5. Underground Wine City
Attraction Introduction: The "Cricova" underground wine cellar is located just over ten kilometers from the Moldovan capital, Chisinau. Driving there, one is greeted by endless rolling hills and rows of lush, neatly arranged grapevines. Every few meters along the roadside, small trucks are parked, with small plastic barrels of brandy and wine neatly arranged on and around them. According to the interpreter, this is wine and brandy produced and sold by local farmers; it is very cheap but authentic, with all raw materials derived from grapes. The "Cricova" wine cellar was founded in 1953. At that time, due to the country's need for large quantities of stone for construction, people quarried the mountains, creating many empty and abandoned underground tunnels. Winemaking experts discovered that the stone in the tunnels had moisture-absorbing properties, and the temperature inside the tunnels remained constant at 12–16 degrees Celsius year-round, with humidity maintained above 80%, making it ideal for the aging of wine and the storage of high-quality vintages. They utilized these tunnels to build an underground wine city. The total area of the wine cellar reaches 64 square kilometers (with a total length of over 120 kilometers) and an average depth of 50–80 meters. It houses two wineries producing nearly 10 types of wine and 4 types of champagne, as well as a wine museum.
