Chisinau is the administrative, economic, scientific, cultural, and tourist centre of the Republic of Moldova. Chisinau is home to numerous ethnic groups. The majority of its residents are fluent in both Moldovan and Russian.
The city rests on seven hills. Its population exceeds 750,000 residents. It has two rivers: the Bic and the Isnovac. The climate is moderately continental. City Day is celebrated on October 14. Chisinau, as a toponymic name, was mentioned for the first time on July 17, 1436. Scholars assume that the name of the city originates from the old Moldovan word meaning "a spring".
In 1812, when Mikhail Kutuzov defeated the Turks, the left bank of the Prut River was freed from the dominion of Porta and annexed to the Russian Empire. Chisinau was converted into the capital of the province of Bessarabia, and this conversion marked the commencement of its political and economic recovery.
The first general plan of the city was approved in 1834. The old part of the city, stretching along the Bic River, remained untouched. Some of the old buildings are still there, including the Ryshkanovskaya (1777) and Blagoveshchenskaya (1807) churches, as well as the oldest city building - the premises of the Mazarakiyevskaya (Old Believers') church that dates back to 1757.
A park was laid out next to the central square. Alexander Pushkin strolled there during his years of exile, in 1820-23. While in Moldova, Pushkin wrote his lyric poems "Gypsies" and "The Fountain of Bakhchisarai", and also started his classic "Eugene Onegin". In 1885, a bust of Pushkin, created by sculptor Alexander Opekushin, was placed in Central Park. This is the most famous old monument in Chisinau.
City buildings were built with the white stone known as "kotelets", extracted from local stone quarries. In 1836, the Cathedral was erected in Chisinau (architect A. Melnikov) together with a belfry and the Holy Gates arch, with a 400-pound bell (architect L. Zaushkevitch). Later, this Arch was renamed the Arch of Triumph to commemorate Russia's victory over the Ottoman Empire.
Alexander Bernardazzi made a substantial impact in developing the architecture of Chisinau. He designed the city hall building, the History Museum, the Water Tower, and the Transfiguration Cathedral.
All Russians cherish monuments like the Soviet Warrior Memorial, created as a tribute to Soviet soldiers who were killed when liberating Moldova from the Nazis, and the burial place of the Russian army soldiers killed during World War I, at the Armenian cemetery named after the adjacent street.
Chisinau has memorial plaques commemorating Leo Tolstoy and Feodor Chaliapin. Chisinau also has a museum of architect Alexei Shchussev (born in Moldova) and the Russian Academic Theatre, named after Anton Chekhov.
The principal site of official ceremonies and floral tributes is the monument to Stephen the Great, the gospodar (the king) of Moldova, who ruled in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. His reign was marked by great prosperity and victories over the Hungarians (1467), the Turks (1475 and 1476) and the Poles (1497).
The city centre is famous for its modern style architecture. The best pieces include the House of the Government, the Presidential Palace, the Parliament, and the national opera.