Old Orhei, Moldova October 2nd, 2014
The historical and archaeological complex of Old Orhei is one of the most picturesque places in Moldova. It is located 60 km northeast of Chisinau, in the valley of the Reut River. Now the villages of Trebuzheni, Butucheni, and Morovaya are located on the territory of the museum complex.
Sign at the entrance to the Orhei district.
Old Orhei should not be confused with the modern Moldovan city of Orhei, which is twenty kilometers from this place.
The first city founded on this territory was called Orhei, meaning “fortification”. Subsequently, many cities were founded and destroyed on this site, but the name was preserved.
The history of Orhei consists of three periods: the time before the Golden Horde conquered these lands (the end of the thirteenth - the first half of the fourteenth centuries), the Golden Horde period, during which all construction was carried out under the leadership of eastern masters, and, starting from the mid-fifteenth century, the period of formation Principality of Moldova.
During the years of Tatar rule, Orhei was called Shehr al-Jedid (New City). During this period, it acquired an oriental appearance; two caravanserais and a mosque were erected in its center, and public baths and other structures were built on the eastern outskirts. The ruins of these buildings have survived to this day in some places.
Under the Principality of Moldova, Orhei began to grow and acquire important defensive significance. In the second half of the fifteenth century, under the legendary Moldavian ruler Stephen the Great, a stone fortress was built. The style of this building was typical of Moldavian fortifications of that period. The fortress had the shape of a quadrangle with corner towers and a gate tower. Inside was the palace of the pyrkalaba, who was appointed as the head of the highest military and civilian commander of the city and region.
In addition to its enormous historical significance, Old Orhei is also famous for its rock monasteries and hermitages. A huge number of caves were carved into the rocks surrounding the valley of the Reuta River, in which hermit monks settled, hiding from the constant raids of the Tatars and other conquerors.
Now there is an active Butuchensky rock monastery with the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, towering above the valley.
I’m not the first to visit Old Orhei. There are places where you want to return, and this is exactly such a place. It offers stunning views of the valley and river, all surrounded by high cliffs. True, you are not always lucky with the weather, but these are the little things in life.
Local residents earn extra money by selling homemade stone souvenirs.
Souvenirs are made mainly from kotelets (white stone), a common rock in these places.
Curious living creatures.
There are quite a lot of tourists here, this is not surprising - Old Orhei is one of the most famous attractions in Moldova.
The Assumption Church stands on the site of the once existing rock monastery of Chituri. Its caves have long been no longer used for their intended purpose.
Monastery courtyard.
Now the monks live in modern cells.
I liked the very bright painting in the church.
Antique bell.
A faucet pumping water from a well.
Behind the obelisk there are the most stunning views of Old Orhei.
The white building is the bell tower of the Peshtere rock monastery. Monks do not live in it and now tourists are allowed into it.
There is a small church inside, and a church store. There is only one monk serving in this monastery.
Nearby there are empty cells where monks once lived. There is no way to straighten up to their full height; one can only imagine how difficult it was for them to exist here.
A lamp is burning in one of the cells.
There is access to the so-called balcony - a small ledge on the wall above the cliff.
There is a tradition here of leaving a coin in the wall in exchange for a wish.
As usual, I wish for “world peace” and barely find a free niche for my coin.
Behind the monastery rock lies the typical Moldavian village of Butuceni. Many local residents open something like inns in their homes.
I took a short walk around the Moldovan village.
Residents of Moldova decorate their homes with special grace.
This territory has been inhabited since ancient times. Many cities were founded and destroyed on this site. The first city that was founded here was called Orhei, which means “fortification”. At the beginning of the 14th century, the Golden Horde conquered this territory and on the site of Orhei, an oriental-style city called Shehr al-Jedid, which means “New City,” grew up. In the middle of the 14th century, this city disappeared and a new city with the name Orhei appeared in this place. In the middle of the 16th century, the inhabitants of Orhei moved 18 km to the north. Later they founded a city called Orhei in a new place. The archaeological reserve bears the name of the medieval city located in this place, but it is already called Old Orhei.
Excavations on the territory of Old Orhei have been carried out since the 1940s. In 1968, the museum complex “Old Orhei” was founded. The villages of Trebuzheni, Butucheni, and Morovaya are located on the territory of the museum complex.
Old Orhei today
The museum complex of Old Orhei is a system of historical monuments and natural landscapes. It consists of several steep cliffs. The central rock is called Pestere. The name comes from the numerous caves carved into it (“Peshtere” is translated from Romanian as “caves”). The Butuceni rock very successfully complements Old Orhei. Together with the Pestere rock, they form a complex that is harmonious from all points of view. The Butuceni rock is interesting both from a geological point of view and from the point of view of the uniqueness of the landscape. The magnificent view and traces of disappeared cities amaze every visitor.
Old Orhei is famous for its rock monasteries. This territory was ideal for monasticism in early Christian society. She was isolated from the outside world. At the time when Christians came to this land, it is possible that there were already caves in the rocks, carved by prehistoric tribes who lived in this territory. Most likely, Christians used the existing caves. They "invaded the stone" to "become the rock." Christian life in the rocks of Old Orhei became sacred and eternal. In the Middle Ages, the spread of monastic life forced monks to go deeper into the rocks. They expanded existing caves and carved new ones. Some caves are well preserved to this day. And some were damaged or completely resolved, mainly by earthquakes, which are frequent in this region. Research shows that dozens of monasteries collapsed into the waters of the Reut River, but many complexes are still in good condition.
On the territory of Old Orhei, objects dating back to all periods of the monument’s existence were found. Muslim tiles, pottery, jewelry, figurines. Now they are located in the museum.
There are several historical structures in Old Orhei that attract the attention of both scientists and ordinary people. The oldest fortified structure in Old Orhei is the Geta Fortress. It is located on the Butuchen rock. The fortress has an oval shape, which is oriented from east to west. The fortress communicates with the outside world by a narrow path, which can be easily blocked if necessary, so the area was ideal for building a fortress. At the end of the 3rd century BC, the inhabitants abandoned the fortress due to the invasions of Germanic tribes and Bastarnae.
Another building that attracts interest is the Medieval Fortress. It was built when the Golden Horde conquered the area. The city that existed here was destroyed and a new city called Shehr al-Jedid grew in its place. The wooden fortress was demolished and a new stone fortress was built. A large building was built in this fortress. It had 2 rooms of different sizes and an underground tomb. The building was accompanied by a courtyard. After the city was liberated from the Golden Horde, this building became the residence of the magistrate of the Orhei district. In those days, the patio became an attribute of Moldavian houses. The tomb was converted into a basement and since then basements have also become an attribute of Moldavian houses. This building burned down. Perhaps this happened in 1510, when the Tatars set fire to the entire city.
There are two rock monasteries in Old Orhei that can be visited today. The monks' cells, churches, and stone crosses carved into the rock make a stunning impression. There are magnificent icons and altars made of wood made by Moldovan craftsmen. The ceilings of the rooms are very low, only human height.
In the city founded by the Golden Horde, 3 baths were built (they were called feredeu). They were located in different parts of the city. These were public places where you could swim. All baths were made in oriental style. The foundation of one bathhouse has survived to this day. The building was rectangular in shape. The bathhouse had 2 sections: for men and for women. There was also a special rest room, which contained a stone table and chairs. The building was equipped with central heating. Warm air circulated in the voids under the stone floor and the floor heated up. A caravanserai (khan) was also built in this city. It was rectangular in shape. The caravanserai had a courtyard and also had a small building with two gates: one for entry, the other for exit. Rooms for clients and their horses were located along the interior walls. A similar caravanserai has survived to this day in Bucharest.
The foundation of a church was found southeast of the caravanserai. This church had a shrine, a nave and a nave outskirts 18 meters long. This church is special. The nave vestibule is wider than usual and is separated from the nave by a stone wall. Also on the western wall there were 4 corners, which also distinguish the church from the rest.
For tourists
Those who visit Old Orhei by bus as part of a trip organized by a travel agency are shown only the sights of the village of Butuceni and the neighboring cave temple, but are not shown fragments of a stone fortress and a Tatar settlement, as well as the defensive structures of the Geto-Dacians. On the territory of the reserve there is an ethnographic museum, a restaurant and a hotel.
On weekends, especially in good weather, Old Orhei is filled with visitors, both in private cars and on tourist buses. Keep this in mind if you want to enjoy the atmosphere of antiquity without unnecessary crowds.
Perhaps the most famous attraction of Moldova is Orhei: the ruins of the most ancient city in the country in an incredibly beautiful place. But in fact, Orhei (or, in the Russian manner, Orhei) is no longer a city, but an area along the Reut River, quite comparable to. The fact is that Orhei, founded in pre-Moldavian times and replaced several “layers”, one of which was the Golden Horde, in 1636, by decree of Vasily Lupu (“Wolf”), the last Moldavian ruler who ruled for more than several years, was moved 18 kilometers upstream the Reut. So now there are two Orhei in Moldova: the new one - a city (33 thousand inhabitants) 40 kilometers from Chisinau at the fork in the roads to Soroca and Balti, and the Old one - a settlement between the villages of Trebujeni and Butuceni. So, “attraction No. 1” is precisely Old Orhei, and now I’ll tell you about New: for some reason there is an opinion that there is nothing to see in it, and yet it is perhaps the best-preserved county town of the Bessarabia province.
Of course, I was also in Old Orhei, and I’ll tell you about it, as well as about the stone-cutting village of Braneshti, in the next three parts. I kindly ask you to read this paragraph several times and not write me comments saying that I went to the wrong place.
Getting to Orhei from Chisinau is almost easier than to many areas on the outskirts of the capital: minibuses from the Central Bus Station run every 15-20 minutes, and this does not count those passing by - since the city is located on the main fork in the country, there are dozens of them every day. About 40 minutes after leaving, this view opens up ahead - on the left is the road to Balti (the minibuses going there do not call at the Orhei bus station), on the right is Orhei itself, through which the road to Soroca lies:
The city center with the prospect of three churches - and I never found information about any of them, except for the central one. The red church in the foreground stands at the fork, and if you are traveling by Balti minibus, the city tour will begin approximately from there. The middle St. Demetrius Church is already behind Reut, and is considered the main attraction of the town. In fact, I would call the county center the main attraction - but from here it is completely obscured by trees:
Well, the center opens with the same church of Dmitry Solunsky, the same age as the city (1634-36), one of three buildings in Moldova older than the 18th century (the other two are churches in Causeni) and the only monument in the country from the era of Vasily Lupu, in which especially active Iasi was built. However, visually the church is rather nondescript and is clearly designed for defense:
In addition, even the gates were closed outside the service time, and the church is surrounded by a fence of a considerable height - I, despite my very good height, barely managed to take a photo, holding the camera at arm's length above my head:
In the church yard there is also a hefty cross of unknown date, the pedestal of which was built for the 300th anniversary of the founding of the city under the Romanians... and you will see who stood on the pedestal later:
Even from my trip to Balti, I managed to remember that Orhei is very spectacular from the Balti highway, and then I decided, before going to the center, to admire the city from that side. Across the street from the Demetrievskaya Church, meadows already begin:
And although the “facade” of the city is formed by high-rise buildings, its unique appearance is given by a steep hill, which for some reason reminded me of the Kazakh hills:
The Reut Valley is famous for its quarries, and kotelets was most likely once mined in the quarries above the city:
Directly ahead is an abandoned factory and a Jewish cemetery. Two monuments of two civilizations that left here:
The picture was completed by a hang glider in the colors of the Bulgarian flag, which spent the entire evening circling over the city and meadows - you’ll understand why a little later.
I never made it to Kirkut; I’m not a fan of cemeteries at all. There are such cemeteries in many old cities and former towns of Bessarabia, which by the beginning of the twentieth century were 50-70% Jewish. The list of famous natives of Orhei speaks volumes: for example, the poet Simcha Ben-Zion, the French sculptor Moses Kogan (who died in Auschwitz), the Argentine poet Jacobo Fichman, the first mayor of Tel Aviv Meir Desingof and even the famous and rather controversial Israeli politician Avigdor Lieberman.
On the mountain is another unidentified church. However, all of them, except Dmitrievskaya, are rather nondescript and clearly from the second half of the 19th century, therefore they are interesting only as part of the Orhei landscape:
Well, the wind brought music and cheerful cries to me - this is the city center, on the left is the recreation center, right behind the trees is the bus station:
In general, I got to Orhei exactly on the city day - and you should have seen how sincerely the people were having fun at these carousels:
And the Palace of Culture, by the way, is not Stalinist, but another work of Semyon Shoikhet (circus and Palace of Culture of the Railway in Chisinau) of the 1970s. What’s impressive here is not so much the buildings themselves as the plots - I almost fell in love with this uncomplicated collective farmer:
I don’t know whether this is connected with the holiday or not, but Orhei seemed very neat to me. In general, among the Moldovan towns I have seen, it is perhaps the most comfortable - Balti is too industrial, Soroca is too gypsy, and in other cities there is not enough antiquity:
From the cultural center I went out to Vasily Lupu Square with a typical city hall building. The Romanian house on the left side of the frame is in the opening frame, but from the other side. On the wall of the city hall on the right are images of the cathedral in the Curchi monastery near Orhei, which again I did not have time to visit:
The monument to Lupu, by the way, was erected in 1936 - for the 300th anniversary of the city, and originally stood on the same pedestal at the Demetrius Church. This square was built only under the Soviets, in front of the mayor's office stood, of course, Lenin - the ruler was moved to his place in 2000. But in general, Moldova is perhaps the only country annexed on the eve of the war, where the Soviet government did not destroy some monuments of the era of “bourgeois freedom” - Stephen the Great (1928) in Chisinau, Vasily Lupu here... However, these were heroes long ago of the past days, and also built excellent relations with Russia.
Vasily Lupu, unlike Stephen the Great and Peter Rares, left very few traces in Bessarabia. But his reign in 1634-53 was the last “island” of stability in the endless succession of rulers who remained on the throne for a maximum of several years with the support of foreign patrons. Under Volk, Iasi was actively built, which became the capital back in 1574, he tried to subjugate Wallachia and Transylvania, traded with Russia and secretly negotiated an alliance against the Turks, but Lupu was not friends with the Ukrainian Cossacks, openly supported Poland (although in Khmelnitsky’s army Moldovan volunteers fought), for which he was eventually beaten by an alliance of Cossacks and Tatars, after which he made peace with Khmelnitsky and even gave his daughter Roskanda to his son Timofey. The boyars and governors, who were friends with the Polish gentry, immediately came to their aid and, with the help of Wallachia and Transylvania, organized a conspiracy, which ended Lupu’s reign. “Bastard boyars” have always been more relevant for Moldova than for Russia - the country has lived for several centuries in a continuous division of power, and even several strong rulers in a row could have made it the main power of the Balkans.
Lupu Square is also crossed by Lupu Street, the main street in Orhei - in fact, the city stretches along it for 7 kilometers, but on average it is less than a kilometer wide. However, to begin with, I turned into the street behind the house from the introductory frame. After a day in the city, people wait for minibuses to the outskirts and villages:
Orhei courtyards:
The same street goes down in a couple of steep zigzags into a deep hollow of some stream, most likely flowing to Reut from Lake Orhei - it is small and adjacent to the residential areas. On the mountain is the Chateau Vartaley winery, and behind it you could walk to the Old Believer church (not visible from here):
A boiler room with a thick pipe and either a Romanian or even a pre-revolutionary building:
But the medical college is definitely from the Romanian era - a typical school design, I came across these several times:
Having made a circle, I went out on the other side of Lupu Square onto one of the side streets. Orhei district stretches for about a kilometer from the square to the Demetrius Church, and its architecture is mainly concentrated above Vasily Lupu Street. Of the 7 district towns of Bessarabia (Ackerman, Balti, Bendery, Izmail, Soroca, Khotin), Orhei a hundred years ago was the smallest (12 thousand inhabitants), but at the same time it looks much more impressive than the district districts or, and most importantly, much more holistic. Moreover, “by eye” about 2/3 of its buildings are from tsarist times, the rest is Romanian:
And yes, it really happened on the streets so deserted - however, where all the Orhei people were at that time, I have already shown. True, a group of schoolchildren of about 13-14 years old were rushing through these streets with loud screams, and to be honest, their presence bothered me - a rare case in Moldova, in fact the country is not at all a riot.
One of the two streets on which this neighborhood is located runs right along the back of Lupu Street. Here, let's say, a hotel - isn't it Romanian, maybe? The facade is 100% Soviet, I didn’t even take a photo of it, but from the courtyard it resembles interwar functionalism:
Or here is the apse of the now Orthodox church, suspiciously similar to the former church:
From the south, both district streets are closed by a church (1902-04), perhaps the largest and most beautiful in thoroughly Orthodox Moldova:
Bessarabia, as a part of New Russia, in the 19th century was extremely multinational - Germans, Poles, Bulgarians, and Greeks lived here, invited by the government of Tsarist Russia - some to fertile lands, others away from the Turkish yoke. However, churches are not typical for Moldova, and this particular one is the merit of the local boyars of Polish origin, the couple Grigory Dolino-Dobrovolsky and Cesarina Bokarska - according to a family legend, which was told to me by Alexander Deorditsa, the first built a church in the village of Braviceni, the second - a church in Orhei .
Nearby there is another church - but it could very well be Bulgarian or Greek:
So I went out again onto Lupu Street, about a block from St. Demetrius Church, and walked back towards the square. The development of the street is generally quite dull. The already mentioned former church (?) looks at it with its façade - and here is a church in a county town, so you shouldn’t be surprised, there are a lot of ex-German villages in Moldova:
Crossed Lupu Square again. Basically, the center of Orhei is built up with these Stalin-era low-rise buildings, very typical for Moldova:
Although in general the district of Orhei is much more extensive than those two streets, but for some reason it does not form a single fabric beyond them - only a scattering of individual houses in Soviet buildings. Behind Lupu Square there are three monuments almost in a row. The first is for victims of repression (for Moldova, the darkest year was 1949, when at least 35 thousand people were deported from here, but in journalism and disputes the numbers vary up to six zeros):
The next one is for the victims of Chernobyl. The cross on the atom is impressive:
And finally - to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War:
The furthest point along Lupu Street was a functioning synagogue with architecture characteristic of Bessarabia:
There is another house nearby - I was wondering whether it was Romanian or modern, and it turned out that it was a remodel after all. But very good:
Along the parallel street below Lupu Street, I began to return to the bus station:
I took the last shot in Orhei near the cultural center:
And less than an hour later he returned to Chisinau. In general, I remember this town - it’s clearly not worth neglecting when traveling around Moldova.
The next two parts are about Old Orhei. I went there on another day, and it’s easier to get from Chisinau than from here.
Orhei is one of the cities in the very center of Moldova. In Moldavian it is called “Orhei”. This is a small, provincial town in which most of the buildings remain from Soviet times. You won't find skyscrapers or high-tech street gadgets here. However, there are several highlights here that are hidden behind dilapidated facades and crowns of hundred-year-old trees.
Discover Orhei
You can easily get to Orhei from Chisinau. The town is located just 40 kilometers from the capital of Moldova. Along the way, picturesque landscapes open from the car window. Orhei is located in a valley shrouded in hills and forests in one of the greenest areas of the country - next to the Codri nature reserve.
Orhei – version 2.0
The ancient city was founded approximately 20 kilometers from the modern settlement. Today, on the old site there is a historical and archaeological complex protected by the state. Tourists know it as Old Orhei, where one of the first settlements appeared in the 12th century. After 3 centuries, the Mongol-Tatars came to the lands of the Getae and Dacians - the ancestors of modern Moldovans. People were forced to flee and moved the settlement, which today is already known as the new city of Orhei.
Jewish trace
Modern Orhei is 463 years old. Jews were among the first settlers. They were attracted to Orhei by its geographical location - it was easy to get from the city to other major points, as well as by its fertile lands and temperate climate. Over the course of several centuries, Orhei became the largest Jewish community in all of Bessarabia - as Moldova used to be called. By the end of the 19th century, the city's population was three-quarters Jewish. And the remaining quarter are Moldovans, Ukrainians and Russians.
In the 19th century, synagogues could be found on every corner in Orhei; to be more precise, there were 19 of them. Today, by the way, there is only one left.
« These were mostly the richest people. They held medicine and education in their hands. In our city and county, 20 millionaires were registered among Jews», – said Andrei Kalcha, an employee of the history museum.
The Moldovans got along well with the newcomers and were grateful for their contribution to the development of the city. Now the ancient cemetery, one of the oldest in all of Europe, reminds of the Jewish trace. Almost 15 thousand people are buried in the cemetery, which is over 400 years old. Stone tombstones with inscriptions in Hebrew are still preserved here.
The attraction, which sends a chill down your spine, will appeal to those who are attracted by history and architectural monuments. By the way, there are plenty of the latter in Orhei.
ChurchXVIIcentury
One of the oldest churches in Moldova is the Church of St. Demetrius. It was built back in 1636. Today it is the calling card of Orhei, the domes of which are visible almost immediately upon entering the city. To build the monastery, the Moldavian ruler Vasile Lupu invited the best architects from Romania and Poland. They built the temple in just 5 years. If not for the Second World War, the temple could have been preserved in its original form to this day. But the bombings of '44 destroyed half the building. The Church of St. Demetrius was quickly restored in the 50s of the last century. Since then it has not been closed for a single day. Moldovans value this architectural heritage so much that they immortalized it on the 5 lei banknote of the national currency.
Gothic church - Orhei Hogwarts
Orhei is a compact city, where you can and even need to move around exclusively on foot. There is absolutely no need for transport. While walking through the center of Orhei, it is impossible not to notice the Catholic Church.
There are very few Catholics in Moldova, so the church is a rarity. The most beautiful of them is located in Orhei - the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. It was built at the very beginning of the 20th century by the Polish noblewoman Cesarina Bokarskaya, according to one version, a relative of the Russian reformer Pyotr Stolypin.
The church is made in the neo-Gothic style. In appearance, it resembles the fictional Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Such a building is the only one not only in Orhei, but throughout Moldova.
“Even believers of other faiths come to our church. The Mass lasts only 40 minutes, and not 4 hours, as in an Orthodox church, and there are benches here - soft and comfortable», – said the custodian of the church, Alevtina.
In 2008, the temple was completely restored - it was also damaged during the war. For a long time there were warehouses, a gym and even a radio studio here. Now from the outside it looks impeccable, almost the same as 114 years ago. The inside is light and cozy – the multi-colored stained glass windows give a special atmosphere. Each of them reflects biblical scenes, such as the Annunciation or the crucifixion of Christ.
Orhei is the most dynamically developing city in Moldova in 2018
Orhei is a city with a rich past. At the same time, the regional center is trying to keep up with the times - it is developing dynamically and even strives to become a modern European city. New buildings and structures appear here, roads are repaired and street lighting is installed much faster than what happens in Chisinau. Therefore, this city attracts even Chisinau residents. They come here for holidays or weekends. Residents of other cities are fascinated by Orhei with its quiet regularity, low prices and pleasant atmosphere.
A quiet harbor
One of the places where you can relax from the hustle and bustle is the city lake. It has no name because it is the only one in the city. Finding it is not difficult, you can ask any Orhei resident and he will tell you the way.
The first thing that catches your eye is the modern infrastructure: neatly laid paving slabs, snow-white benches, sports and playgrounds. It is not surprising that locals spend almost all their free time here. Here they swim, sunbathe and fish.
« This is a very beautiful place where you can spend time with your family. We love to come here to eat ice cream and listen to music. Many concerts for children are held here» – says Orhei resident Cecilia Grisa.
For privacy, it is better to come here on weekdays, because on weekends you are unlikely to be the only visitors. Here you can enjoy the light breeze and walk along the sandy beach.
The most beautiful park in the country
Once you've strolled around the lake, head into the central part of the city to Orhei's largest and greenest park, Ivanos. It was named after the river that flows along the entire territory. This park was built back in 1873. A few years ago it was completely restored and CCTV cameras were installed throughout the territory. There is also security on duty here around the clock.
The park is kept in perfect order - by the way, this habit dates back to the 19th century, when the city governor organized a massive cleanup of the area. Until now, no one has abandoned this tradition - all visitors maintain cleanliness. Automatic watering is installed on neatly trimmed lawns. The entire area is surrounded by tens of thousands of trees brought from all over the world: Canadian maple, Australian acacia and golden spruce.
Walking here is a pleasure. It feels like you are in an oasis hidden in the very heart of the city.
French style chateau
This piece of paradise is located at the highest point of Orhei, overlooking the entire city and the Reut River. The history of the city inspired local winemakers to create a real “chateau” - in the French style. A chateau is a place with a full cycle of wine production, when one winemaker controls the entire process, from planting the vines to aging in cool cellars.
This winery does not have a centuries-old history - it was founded a little over 20 years ago, but this place will appeal to many.
On the territory of the complex there is a restaurant with Moldovan and European cuisine, a production workshop, as well as 4 villas where guests of the chateau can stay for several days until they taste all the wine available here. And there is a lot of it in cool basements. Classic European red varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Shiraz, and Pinot Noir. Whites: Chardonnay, Riesling, Traminer and Muscat. To get an insight into the Moldovan culture, it is worth trying local varieties that are found only in Moldova - these are Feteasca Regale, Feteasca Neagra and Rara Neagra.
Orhei is a good option for a busy one-day trip. Here you can experience the centuries-old history of the city, see some of the most beautiful architectural and cultural heritage of Moldova and taste good wine.
According to the 2004 census, 25,641 people live in Orhei: 46.56% are men, 53.44% are women. Ethnic composition: 89.17% - Moldovans, 3.59% - Ukrainians, 5.45% - Russians, 0.12% - Gagauz, 0.18% - Bulgarians, 0.07% - Poles, 0.14% - Jews, 0.59% - Gypsies, 0.67% - representatives of other nationalities. There are 8,715 registered households in Orhei, each with an average of 2.9 people.
[top] History
The first mentions of Orhei date back to the last third of the 15th century and refer to the pyrkalab (head of administration) of the Orhei fortress, located 18 kilometers downstream of the Reut from the current city. Researchers have tried to interpret the toponym “Orhei” in different ways. According to one version, it comes from the Hungarian word “var” - “city”. According to another hypothesis, “Orhei” is a local term designating a place for a farm or a yard. There are those who believe that the name of the city goes back to the Tatar word “orga”, which denoted the residence of the khan.
Orhei has an ancient and rich history. Initially, the village was located in another place, which the inhabitants abandoned several centuries later. The population left the old settlement on Reut and founded a new one with the same name. The old city, abandoned in the first decades of the 16th century, is now called Old Orhei, and the new settlement, which arose in the middle of the 16th century, is called Orhei. The old town became an ordinary village, which disappeared at the beginning of the 18th century.
Archaeologists have discovered in Old Orhei an ancient fortress of the 12th-13th centuries, built of wood and earth. It was destroyed during the Tatar-Mongol invasion of 1241-1242. At the same place around 1330, the Tatar-Mongols built fortifications and even created an oriental-type city called Shehr al-Jedid (translated as New City). In 1369, the Tatar-Mongols were expelled from the Prut-Dniester interfluve, and the local population occupied the city, which was named Orhei. The expansion of the territory of the Moldavian Principality due to the space between the Prut and the Dniester favored the development of Old Orhei, which became a center of handicraft production and trade. Political stability during the reign of Alexander the Good (1400-1432) contributed to the transformation of Old Orhei into a trading settlement.
Evidence of this is the many Moldovan and foreign coins from the time of Alexander the Good, found by archaeologists in Old Orhei.
The stone fortress built by the Tatar-Mongols, although damaged, continued to serve the Moldovans as a defensive center. During the reign of Stephen the Great (1457-1504), the citadel was reconstructed and turned into the residence of the Pyrkalabs. A document dated April 1, 1470 mentions the pyrkalab of the Orhei fortress, which also performed administrative functions in the cinuta. By building earthen and wooden fortifications in Old Orhei, Stefan the Great sought to strengthen the defensive system of Moldova and protect the principality from Tatar raids. The importance that the ruler attached to Old Orhei is indicated by the fact that the governor appointed loyal boyars there as pyrkalabs. These are Radu Gangur, Galesh, Vlaicu, Grozia Mikotić, Ivanko and Alexa.
During the 15th-16th centuries, the fortifications in Old Orhei housed the pyrkalaba palace and the houses of some townspeople. In 1499, as a result of a Tatar raid, the market and the fortress of Old Orhei were devastated. And although the citadel remained in the hands of the Moldovans, its defensive qualities were seriously damaged. A new invasion of the Tatars in 1513 dealt another blow to the fortress. The Tatar raids continued in the following years, causing enormous damage to the fortress, trade and the entire tsinut. The campaign of the Turkish Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in the summer of 1538 to Moldova led to disastrous consequences for the fortress of Old Orhei and Tsinuta. Moreover, there was a real possibility of turning Old Orhei into a Turkish-Tatar fortress in order to strengthen the position of the Ottoman Empire in this region.
The destruction caused by a series of raids after 1499 apparently prompted the city's inhabitants to move to a new location. The transition began to occur more actively after 1530-1540. A new settlement (it is customary to call it Orhei) arose 18 km upstream of the Reut. Old Orhei was completely abandoned. Starting from the 50-60s of the 16th century, sources already speak of a new market, which became the administrative center of the Orhei cinut.
Accurate data about the city of Orhei appears during the reign of Alexander Lapusneanu - from 1554, when a dam began to be built at the confluence of the Kula and Reut rivers, which made it possible to create a lake. Dmitry Cantemir also wrote about him: “Orhei district. It is called so by the name of Orhea, which is on the Reut River, a city that is not particularly large, but quite beautiful and abundant in everything that is needed for human life. Lake Orhei, located not far from the city to the east, and the beautiful island on it provide abundant food.” The census of 1591 registered 2,657 poor people, 380 kurtians (servicemen) and 226 nemes (nobles) in the Orhei cinut.
Since 1559, Orhei appears in official documents as a market town. The settlement began to develop, becoming a regional trading center. Among the owners of the shops that appeared was the then Orhei pyrkalab Nicoare Donich. In 1607, he donated to the Seku monastery “several houses with all the places and shops with goods, which are located in the middle of the Orhei market and were built by us and with our money.”
The period of economic prosperity of the city occurred during the reign of Vasily Lupu, who cleaned the lake, built bridges, developed a number of streets, and founded a settlement near Orhei, the income from which was due to the ruler. Vasily Lupu initiated the construction of the Cathedral of St. Demetrius - one of the 15 churches and monasteries he founded. Pavel Aleppo, who passed through Orhei in 1653, wrote in his travel notes: “The houses are built of stone and wood, and the roads are paved with boards, like in Iasi.”
The Orhei pyrkalabs played an important role in the military-political life of Moldova, concentrating defense and administrative functions in their hands. Among them, the Pyrkalabs from the Danchul-Durak dynasty stand out - representatives of this family became the leaders of the Orhei fortress and the Orhei Tsinut in the 16th-18th centuries. In 1671, a major uprising broke out against the ruler George Duka, who introduced heavy taxes and appointed indifferent dignitaries to important government positions to the detriment of the interests of the boyars and the stratum of service people. The movement acquired a large scale in the Soroca, Orhei and Lapushnen cinuts. The uprising was led by the great serdar (military leader) Orhei Mihalcea Hincu, the former great serdar Apostle Fool and the former klucher (boyar rank) Constantine. In 1672, the rebels reached Iasi, forcing the governor to flee, but he, with the support of the Turkish-Tatar army, then managed to defeat them. The leaders of the uprising fled to Poland. Mihalcea Hincu returned to his homeland under other rulers, but Apostle Fool remained in Poland until the end of his life.
The transfer of the city into private ownership began in 1761, when voivode Scarlat Grigore Ghica, in exchange for several houses in Iasi, gave the steward Constantin Riscani part of the hospodar's domain in Orhei. In 1807, the city was already entirely in the possession of Costaque Balsha. Later, Orhei passed into the hands of the state councilor Alexander Ghika.
In 1833, Orhei received the status of a county town. The old settlement expanded to the north and west, towards the transit routes to Rezina, Balti and Soroca. The population grew, handicraft production developed. However, from an economic point of view, Orhei could no longer compete with such commercial and industrial centers as Balti and Bendery. In 1907, a 4-grade girls' gymnasium was opened in Orhei, which in 1910 was transformed into a 7-grade lyceum.
Until 1947, Orhei remained the center of the county, which included the Bravici, Kiperceni, Criuleni, Raspopeni, Rezinsky, Suslensky and Telenesti districts. During the administrative reform of 1947, the counties were disbanded, and Orhei became a regional center. During Soviet times, the city’s economy developed, industrial and processing enterprises, social and cultural facilities, etc. were put into operation.
In 1998, Orhei became the center of the county of the same name. With the return to districts in 2001, the city was again given the status of a district center.
[up] Historical monuments
Orhei is a city with rich traditions and values. It has 63 historical, memorial, architectural and art monuments, including 14 of national significance and 49 of local significance.
Name of the museum complex Old Orhei comes from the name of the medieval city of Orhei, which existed in the 15th-16th centuries. The name Old Orhei appeared after the population of the city left for another place. The museum complex of Old Orhei is a system of historical and natural monuments, unique landscapes located on high rocky capes, which are formed by the meanders of the Reut River between the villages of Trebuzheni and Butuceni. Archaeological research in Old Orhei began in 1947. Of particular scientific and museum value are the Geta and medieval Moldavian fortresses, a bathhouse, an inn, a church, as well as small and large caves formed in the rocky massifs on the banks of the Reut.
Old Orhei includes two giant rocky capes: Pestere and Butuceni. The originality of the landscape is given by the Reut channel, which has the shape of a canyon running through the limestone layers of the ancient Sarmatian Sea (14 million years ago). The first rock complex, located on the northern edge of the cave series, 20-30 m above the river, is the Bosie Monastery. It is an ancient system of rock galleries, built in several rows. It has a rock church with an altar, a naos, and spacious cells.
The second cave complex is located at an altitude of 30-60 m above the river level, to the west of the Bosie monastery, under the base of the Geto-Dacian settlement. Covers approximately 30 caves, built in a limestone massif in several horizontal rows over an area of 250 m. Some caves cannot be climbed without special equipment. Various signs are carved on the walls of the cells, which are similar to the symbols characteristic of the early Middle Ages.
The third rock complex is the Peshtere Monastery. It is located 60 m above the level of Reut and seems to continue other galleries of rock chambers (about 50 m to the west). The monastery consists of a church with an altar, a naos, a pronaos and a vestibule, a group of cells, a corridor with steps leading to Reut, and a tunnel carved into the rock in 1820 from the side of the village of Butuceni. A bell tower (1890) rises above the entrance to the tunnel, near it and above the church, on the edge of the cape there is a massive cross dating from the 18th century.
Orheevsky Museum of History and Ethnography has a rich collection of exhibits that shed light on the history of the city, the occupations of its inhabitants, biographies of famous personalities who were born or worked here: soil scientist Nikolai Dimo (1873-1959), poet Yuri Barzhansky (1922-1976), folk music performer Tamara Cheban, writer Onisifor Gibu, who worked at the Orhei Lyceum during the interwar period. The museum is located in a building classified as a historical heritage of the city.
Cathedral of St. Demetrius founded by the ruler Vasile Lupu, was built before 1638-1639 on a hill in the south-eastern part of the country. The church consists of three parts, each of which is dominated by a spherical dome. The bell tower was erected simultaneously with the building. Its interior is visible from the outside due to arches supported on pillars. A memorial plaque with sculpture elements installed above the portal leading to the pronaos reflects episodes in the life of the founders of the temple. In the Church of St. Demetrius, unauthorized work was carried out to replace old wooden window frames with metal-plastic ones, as a result of which the old plaster based on limestone mortar was knocked down, and cement mortar was used instead.
Installed next to the Cathedral of St. Demetrius Monument to Lord Vasily Lupu(sculptor Oscar Hahn, 1932), whose name is associated with many important changes in the development of the city. At first, the bronze statue was located in the city center, but in 1972 it was moved to the church.
Church of St. Nicholas was built in the first half of the 19th century and rebuilt at the end of the same century. The architecture of the temple fits into the tradition of Russian church eclecticism.
Historical monuments are Old Believer Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, built in the middle of the 19th century, and Church of All Saints, founded at the end of the 19th century. A small church appeared in 1904-1915 through the efforts of the local Polish community. Orhei also preserves such architectural and historical monuments as the former women's gymnasium, the district zemstvo assembly (with a park), many residential buildings, and bank offices of the 19th-20th centuries.
[up] Natural resources
Orhei is located in an area with very diverse landscapes. The city covers an area of 2047 hectares. The area of farmland outside the city limits is 218 hectares, 54 hectares are allocated to the Ivanos quarry. The rivers Reut and Ivanos belong to the Dniester basin. These rivers are fed by snow, rain and groundwater.
Near Orhei there is one of the richest forest areas - Codri. Trees and shrubs growing in the forests of this region supply valuable raw materials for folk crafts. It is also a wonderful place for recreation, tourism and hunting. The area of green space within the city is 184 hectares (9.1% of the total area), of which 70% are forests.
The fauna in the region is represented by wild boars, badgers, weasels, foxes, martens, roe deer, hares, etc. Rodents include squirrels, marmots and other species. Among the birds that live here, these places are inhabited by thrushes, turtle doves, jays, finches, quails, herons, storks, wild geese and ducks, etc. Carp, bream, pike perch, beluga, etc. are found in the reservoirs.
Orhei has deposits of clay and stone. There are areas occupied by open quarries for the extraction of gravel, pebbles, lands with excess moisture content, salt marshes, and areas prone to erosion and landslides.
Economy
The economic potential of the city is formed by industrial, trade, transport, telecommunications enterprises, economic agents working in the service sector. The industrial sector specializes in the production of food products, juices, canned food, dairy products, bakery products, cigarettes, alcoholic and soft drinks, household goods, haberdashery, and shoes. These are enterprises such as Orhei-Vit JSC, Fabrica de pîine JSC, Gabini JSC, Tobacco Factory, Orlact LLC, Galanta JSC. They provide quality products to both domestic and foreign markets.
The Orhei region produces a wide range of wines. The wine industry is represented by five factories: Orhei Vin JSC, Marvin JSC, Vinul Codrilor JSC, Pivnițele Brănești JSC and Chateau Vartely LLC, exporting their products to Germany, Italy, France, Turkey, Israel, the UK , CIS countries, etc.
Trade and service enterprises are dynamically developing in the city.
[up] Social sphere
The city educational system covers 7 preschool institutions, 4 gymnasiums, theoretical lyceums named after. I. L. Karadzhiale and O. Gibu, vocational school, art and music schools, boarding school, sports school, medical and pedagogical colleges. In the cultural sphere, two cultural centers, 7 libraries, and 9 amateur art groups operate.
The Orhei Museum of History and Ethnography has a rich collection of exhibits that shed light on the history of the city, the occupations of its inhabitants, biographies of famous personalities who were born or worked here: soil scientist Nikolai Dimo (1873-1959), poet Yuri Barzhansky (1922-1976), folk music performer Tamara Ceban, writer Onesifor Gibu, who worked at the Orhei Lyceum during the interwar period, and others.
[up] Tourist routes
One of the most famous in Moldova is the tourist route - Ivancha - Old Orhei - Cricova - Chisinau (120 km). Among the most attractive points for tourists along this route is the museum complex of Old Orhei. The section of the route from Chisinau to Ivanchi passes through an area where winemaking traditions are very rich. The localities of this region, Cricova and Magdacesti, are famous for their wonderful wines. 10 km from the village of Peresechina is the village of Donich - the former estate of the Donich boyars and the house-museum of the classic of Moldavian literature, fabulist Alexander Donich. Then we find ourselves in the village of Ivancha, located in a picturesque place on the edge of the forest and near the river bank. There you can visit the Museum of Folk Crafts, the exhibitions of which present all the traditional activities of folk craftsmen of Moldova.
A few kilometers from Ivanchi is the village of Braneshti, famous for its masons. The houses, gates, and chimneys here are decorated with flowers and stone columns created with amazing skill. The next stopping point is the valley of the Reut River, where the ruins of three ancient settlements are located: the Geto-Dakyi, the Tatar Shehr al-Jedid and the Moldavian medieval one. An Orthodox rock monastery is carved into the steep banks of Reut. In the village of Butuceni there is an old peasant yard from the 19th century that has been turned into a museum. The tourist route then runs along Reut to the Dniester River, the Dubossary reservoir and the hydroelectric power station. On the way back, tourists will have a stop in the underground city of Cricova, whose wine cellars are among the largest in the world.
