#Exhibit of the Month

The work In Memoriam. In Memory of the Heroes Who Fell at the Nistru (1992) was developed within the Center for Culture and Military History and published under the auspices of the Government of the Republic of Moldova, the Bureau for Reintegration, and the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Moldova. Authors: Gheorghe Bălan, Vitalie Ciobanu, Gheorghe Cojocaru.

This work provides a retrospective of the events that led to the outbreak of the war on the Nistru, accompanied by photographs of the heroes who lost their lives in the battles to defend the independence and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova.

On March 2, 1992, the political conflict in the Nistru region escalated into a true fratricidal war. Under the fabricated pretext of "defending Russia's southern borders," political adventurers from the former Soviet metropolis encouraged Transnistrian separatism by arming secessionist paramilitary groups. At the same time, thousands of mercenary Cossacks and prisoners released early from jails, along with tanks and missiles, were sent against Independent Moldova, in a desperate attempt to revive the fallen empire.

Russia's undeclared war against the Republic of Moldova left behind hundreds of dead and wounded, shattered families, and villages in ruins. More than 50,000 peaceful residents from the conflict zone were forced to flee their homes, seeking refuge from the horrors of war.

For the sake of freedom and the future, Moldova's defenders faced death, enduring the hardships and humiliations of war.

During the Nistru war, 198 soldiers of the National Army and 89 personnel from the Ministry of Internal Affairs lost their lives, while 40 combatants went missing without a trace, and nearly 300 were left disabled.

Virtual Tour

Exhibitions

"A walk through 20th century Chișinău"

Opening: November 5, 2019, 17:00, Suțu Palace

November 5 – 24, 2019

Chisinau is, without a doubt, a city of contrasts. A settlement that leads life between "was" and "is". We live this contrast sharply, we see and experience it every day, and its architecture is deeply marked by the transition from the old to the new, being a witness and main indicator of change.

Known from the pictures from the beginning of the last century as a small but very friendly city, today we are increasingly confronted with the nostalgic phrase "here it was" ... "Here was the Diocese", "here was the Hotel Suisse", "here was the girls' gymnasium where the deputies from the Sfatul Țării voted the Union in 1918". Of the architectural jewels that once enjoyed the eyes of the townspeople, today we have only pictures left. These pictures are included in collection catalogs and today, the unknown treasures of architecture and urban life, reflected in 48 images, are brought to the public's attention in an exhibition dedicated to Chișinău in the 20th century.

Chișinău is an open air museum, where thousands of people throughout their lives have lived, loved, built with meaning and humility the image of the city "carved in white stone". Each street keeps the footsteps of those who admired it, whether they were simple or noble people. Each villa retains the living memory of its masters and some are still waiting for them, and the holy places in Chișinău are illuminated by the thoughts of those who admired them or passed through the entrance door.

This exhibition is a challenge for all of us to rediscover Chișinău in times when we have and give so little time for the beauty. It is an invitation to a virtual walk on the streets of former times in an attempt to bring back to attention known or forgotten facts, places loaded with history or emotions. And, as in any place that tends to validate its authenticity through culture, Chișinău, today, perhaps more than ever, needs the exercise of memory in order to survive and develop.

The exhibition of these images at the Suțu Palace was made possible thanks to the combined effort of two teams formed of Dr. hab. Eugen SAVA - General director, Mariana VASILACHE-CUROȘU - Deputy director, Ana GRIȚCO - Head of History section, Cătălina PLINSCHI and Denis TOPAL - exhibition graphics (National Museum of History of Moldova); and Dr. Adrian MAJURU - Manager and Dr. Dan PÎRVULESCU - Deputy director (Bucharest Municipal Museum), hosts of this event.