Balti population. City tour of Balti. Prices for tourists in Balti

Useful information for tourists about Balti in Moldova - geographical location, tourist infrastructure, map, architectural features and attractions.

Balti is a city located in the northern part of Moldova, on a hilly plain, at the confluence of the Reucel River and the Reut River, 130 km from Chisinau. The Reutsel River crosses the city from southeast to northwest, and the Reut - from northeast to southwest. The name of the city comes from the marshy area on which it is located. The city has a total area of ​​41.42 sq. km, and with suburbs of about 78 sq. km, about 150 thousand people live.

The first chronicle mentions of the city date back to the beginning of the 15th century. In 1421, during the reign of the Moldavian sovereign Alexander the Good, the settlement was in the possession of Princess Mazowiecka. Very often the poorly fortified settlement was attacked by the Tatars, who robbed and burned houses. At the end of the 15th century. The Budak Tatars, who were under the leadership of Khan Megli-Gery, plundered and completely burned the settlement.

In 1711, during the Prussian campaign, Balti was the main supply base for Russian troops with large food supplies. Soon information about this reached the Tatars, after which Balti was again plundered and burned. In 1766, the Moldavian ruler Alexander Ghica expelled the Tatars from this territory, and donated the local fertile lands to the monastery and the merchant brothers of Panaiti - Iordacia, Constantine and Alexander. Over time, a village began to be built on the Panaiti estate, which received the name Balti, which at the end of the 18th century. transformed into a small shopping center. In 1811, Russian Tsar Alexander I ordered the small town of Balti to be given the status of a city.

Located at the crossroads of major roads, the city became an important trading center in the historical region of Bessarabia. The main item of trade at that time was cattle. Second half of the 19th century. was marked by the expansion of artisan workshops and the creation of small handicraft enterprises. In 1887 the city turned into a county center. Thanks to the construction at the end of the 19th century. railway Balti-Ungheni-Chisinau and Rybnitsa-Balti-Oknitsa, Balti by the beginning of the 20th century. became an industrial city with well-developed trade, a huge number of factories and factories.

Balti, like most cities in Moldova, suffered greatly during the Second World War. Before that, the bulk of the city's population were Jews, but during the war most of them were exterminated. During the Soviet years, Balti was a large industrial center, having the status of a city of republican subordination. After Moldova declared independence, the standard of living in the city dropped sharply due to unemployment, forcing some residents to leave. In 1994, Balti received the status of a municipality.

There are a large number of memorial sites and monuments in Balti. The youngest complex, opened in 2010, is the Alley of Classics, where you can see pedestals with busts of figures of Moldovan culture. Also in the city there is an Alley to the soldiers who died in 1941-1944, and many monuments, for example, a monument to the liberators of the city - Tank T-34, a monument to the Young Guard B. Glavan, N. Ostrovsky, A. Russo, M. Eminescu, “Stefan Great" and a monument to railway workers.

The green part of Balti is very diverse. The city has several beautiful squares and parks: central park, Andries children's park, Victory park, Selection park and so on.

The most favorite place for walking is the main city street, Stefan cel Maare. It is here that the ancient Church of St. Nicholas, the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, the Church of St. Gregory, the building of the Cathedral of St. Constantine and Helen Equal to the Apostles, the Church of St. Venerable Paraskeva, the Church of St. Apostles Peter and Paul, the building of the Balti Diocesan Administration and the Church of the Holy Archangels are located Michael and Gabriel.

Balti (original name Bălţi) is an amazing city and also a municipality in Moldova. The presented city is located on the famous Reut River, 127 km from Chisinau. The city of Balti is the second largest in Moldova. It was founded in 1421.

It should be noted that the city of Balti ranks third in the country in terms of population after cities such as Tiraspol and Chisinau. Also, the city of Balti in Moldova is the cultural and economic center of the country. Local residents call this city the “northern capital”. There are several artificial lakes on the territory of the city, for example, Kirpichnoe, Gorodskoe and Komsomolskoe.

Rivers such as Flaminde and Kopachanka flow through the city of Balti (Moldova). The area of ​​the presented city of Balti is 55 square kilometers, and together with the suburbs - about 78 square kilometers. The climate in the city is favorable, moderate continental. The name of the city translated means “swamps” or “puddles”. Many believe that this city received its name due to its swampy area.

Balti is one of the main centers for the development of national as well as local society in the country. The city's population is about 148.2 thousand people. It is worth noting that this city is a fairly large industrial center. On its territory there are more than 40 enterprises of agricultural and electrical engineering, light and food industries.

The main attractions of the city of Balti are the National Theater. Vasile Alecsandri, art gallery named after. Antioch Cantemir, Municipal Palace of Culture, Regional Museum of History and Ethnography, Palace of Culture "Flachera", St. Nicholas Cathedral, which was erected in 1975, Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, Cathedral of St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helen, monument to Taras Shevchenko, monument to Stephen the Great , the building of the Balti Diocesan Administration, the monument to M. Eminescu, etc. You can find out in detail where these attractions are located on the map of the city of Balti. It is also worth noting that in the city of Balti there are two modern airports, one of which is international. It is thanks to this that this city is visited by a huge number of tourists.

It proudly bears the unofficial name of the Northern capital of Moldova. This is a major transport hub, the center of the republic's processing and food industries. After Chisinau, it is the most populous and richest city in Moldova.

If you look at the map of Balti, you will see that the city is located in a beautiful, hilly and wetland-rich area. From the top of the hill occupied by Balti, a tranquil landscape overlooks lakes, manicured fields and pastures. But the city’s culture is not inferior to nature in terms of the richness of interesting places: modern theaters and art galleries compete with ancient churches. And the Orthodox Cathedral of St. Constantine and Helena and the Bishop's Palace with the adjacent park stand out.

The absence of an influx of tourists allows you to calmly and calmly enjoy your stay in a wonderful, quiet, spiritual place.

Regular article
Municipality

Balti
Bălţi

A country Moldova Moldova
Coordinates Coordinates:  /  (G) (O)47.761667 , 27.928889 47°45′42″ n. w. 27°55′44″ E. d. /  47.761667° s. w. 27.928889° E. d.(G) (O)
Population 144.8 thousand
Census year 2013
Date of foundation 1421
First settlement of Jews 1779
Current number of Jews 2000
Head of the Jewish Community Lev Bondar

Basic city data

It is located in the north of the country, on the western bank of the Dniester.

The population in 2013 was 144.8 thousand people.

Since 1812, part of the Russian Empire. In 1918–40 and 1941–44 belonged to Romania. In 1887, Yassky district was renamed Beltsky.

Situated at the crossroads of major roads, the city gradually became a significant trading center in Bessarabia. The main item of trade was livestock.

The importance of Balti increased even more when the railway was built in 1894. By the beginning of the 20th century, Balti had turned into an industrial city with widely developed trade and many factories. The economic development of Balti continued after the annexation of Bessarabia to Romania in 1918.

During Soviet times, Balti became a large industrial center with the status of a city of republican subordination.

In 1991, the independence of Moldova was declared. In the conditions of the economic crisis, most of the city's enterprises found themselves on the brink of survival. Unemployment and a sharp decline in living standards led to the fact that a significant part of the residents left the city. From 1989 to 2004, the population of Balti decreased by 20%.

Jewish community of the city

Jewish population of Balti in 1841–1989.

Year Jewish
population, people
in % of everything
to the population
1841 1792 No data
1861 3920 35.2
1887 7000 70.0
1897 10348 56.0
1930 14259 60.0
1959 11600 No data
1970 12915 12.7
1979 10500 No data
1989 8903 No data

Until the 20th century

According to some sources, the first Jews appeared in this region of Moldova at the beginning of the 10th century.

Jews settled in Balti in 1779; their rights and obligations were regulated by the agreement of 1782. During the 19th century. The Jewish population increased significantly due to the influx of Jews from other places, including from nearby villages.

In 1887, there were 72 synagogues in Balti.

Early 20th century

In the 1930s. in Balti there were five Jewish schools, a hospital and a nursing home. The main occupations of the Jews of Balti were trade and handicraft production; a number of Jews living in the vicinity of Balti were also engaged in agriculture.

In 1940, with the annexation of Balti to the USSR, communal life ceased.

Holocaust

Since the beginning of the war between the USSR and Germany and its allies (June 22, 1941), two thirds of the houses in Balti were destroyed by attacks by German and Romanian aircraft. The Jews fled to nearby villages, mainly to Vlad, where on July 7 many of them were killed by the local population.

On July 9, German troops entered Balti and immediately began massacres of Jews returning from the villages. The executions were carried out by Einsatzkommando 11a, which was part of Einsatzgruppen D, and the Romanian gendarmerie. Thus, in mid-July 1941, about 450 Jews were shot, including members of the local Judenrat (newly created) for failure to comply with orders.

The Romanians, to whom the Germans soon handed over Balti, created three concentration camps for the Jews of the city and its surroundings, where many died of hunger and disease. The survivors were deported to Transnistria.

Post-war time

In 1946–59 there was a synagogue in Balti (Rabbi L. Emalman, 1881-?). In 1962, police raided a house where Jews had gathered for prayer; The worshipers were taken to the city square, where the assembled Komsomol members subjected them to public ridicule and “condemnation.”

In the late 1980s, during the so-called glasnost and perestroika policies, a revival of Jewish life in Balti began. In 1989, the Jewish theater-studio “Menorah” opened.

Since the early 1990s. there were synagogues and a Sunday school. In 1990, the city's Jewish community was registered.

In the late 1990s - early 2000s. Representative offices of Jewish international organizations opened in Balti: the Joint and the Jewish Agency.

In 1998, the Jewish Culture Society, founded in 1989, was reorganized into the Association of Jewish Organizations (Jewish Community) of Balti.

In the late 1980s - early 2000s. many Balti Jews repatriated to Israel or went to other countries of the world.

XXI Century

The Balti Jewish community is the second largest after Chisinau, as it is the regional center of 49 small towns and villages in the North of Moldova.

Jewish population - 2000 people. (plus approximately 600 people from the periphery of Balti).

The Jewish community of Balti is part of the Association of Jewish Organizations and Communities of the Republic of Moldova. There is a community cultural center, an Israeli cultural center, a synagogue, a society of war veterans, a society of former prisoners of the ghetto and fascist concentration camps, and the women's organization "Hava". The Joint through “Hesed” provides financial assistance to all needy Jews of Balti. Since 2000, the Balti community has become related to the Jewish Federation of Greensboro (USA), which supports the main projects of local Jewry.

In the early 2000s. In Balti, acts of anti-Jewish vandalism became more frequent. For example, in 2000 and 2002, graves in the Jewish cemetery were damaged.

In 2005, the building of the Jewish community center opened. Its number at this time was about 1,500 people.

As of 2013, the Jewish community of Balti is headed by Lev Bondar.

Page of the Balti community on the website of the Jewish Community of the Republic of Moldova: http://www.jcm.md/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=59&Itemid=62

Famous Jews from Belchan

  • Mikhail Alperin - jazz musician, lived and studied in Balti in the 1970s
  • Boris Anisfeld - artist, set designer
  • Leonid Balaklav - Soviet and Israeli artist, born in Balti
  • Zeilik Bardichever - lyricist (Yiddish)
  • Nyse Beltzer - cantor and composer of liturgical music, began an independent career as a synagogue cantor in Balti
  • Joseph Bujor - underground revolutionary
  • Leah van Leer - founder and director of the Jerusalem International Film Festival
  • Zisi Weizman - Jewish poet
  • David Vyvodtsev - Russian surgeon and anatomist, founded the Jewish Hospital in Balti with his own funds
  • Zvi Gershoni - Israeli politician, deputy

The city of Balti is located on the Reut River, 130 kilometers from Chisinau. It is the third largest city in Moldova in terms of population. Balti is the economic and cultural center of the northern region, often called the "northern capital". you can see here.

Balti is the birthplace of the famous Moldovan cognac “White Stork”. Also in this city lives the famous actor Mihai Volontir, beloved by many TV viewers of the Budulai gypsies.

Prices for tourists in Balti

Tourists coming to Balti can stay in one of several hotels.

In the area of ​​the city bus station, near entertainment and shopping centers, the Tineretea hotel is located. Its doors are always hospitably open for those who prefer quality service and comfort. The hotel has 35 rooms (suite, standard and two-room), which have air conditioning, minibars, flat-screen TVs, wireless Internet. Cost from 30 to 95 dollars.

You can stay comfortably and get quality service at Hotel Balti. From the hotel to the airport it is 20 minutes by car, and there are many shopping centers and restaurants near the hotel.

There are other hotels in the city where you can rent rooms. These are the Bessarabia Hotel, the Tineretsya-Modern Hotel, the Lido Hotel, etc.

Cafes and restaurants in the city

Balti loves guests, so the city has all the conditions so that tourists do not feel hungry. As in any modern city, there are many cafes, coffee shops, restaurants and bars where you can taste both national Moldovan dishes and dishes of other cuisines.

In particular, in the city center there is the Oscar cafe - a fashionable establishment with a calming atmosphere, where guests can enjoy exotic cuisine accompanied by intelligent music.

Moldavian national cuisine is a real paradise for vegetarians, since it is characterized by an abundance of a wide variety of vegetables that can be used as independent dishes or as an addition to meat. If you find yourself in an establishment that serves Moldovan food, do not miss the opportunity to try dishes such as givech, stuffed eggplant, sheep cheese, peshte ku muzdey, mamalyga, mititei.

What are some interesting places?

Balti can rightfully be called the cultural capital of Moldova. There are a lot of memorial places and monuments in the city. The Alley of Classics is one of the youngest complexes in the form of busts of cultural figures mounted on pedestals. The complex was opened quite recently, in 2010.

In 1944, the Alley was founded for the soldiers who fell during the Second World War.

The city has many interesting monuments, including a monument to the T-34 Tank, N. Ostrovsky, Young Guardsman B. Glavan, M. Eminescu, a monument to Stephen the Great, victims of Chernobyl, a monument to railway workers in the form of a Steam Locomotive, etc.

The real pearl of Balti is its holy places: the Cathedral of Saints Equal to the Apostles Constantine and Helen, built in the style of national romanticism, the ancient Armenian Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator of Armenia, the Cathedral and Bell Tower of St. Nicholas, which were restored in 1975, the Catholic Church of the Holy Archangels, the Church of Saints Apostles Peter and Paul and Saint Venerable Paraskeva. The Balti Diocesan Administration is located in the Selection Park.
In the vicinity of Balti there are completely unique medieval monasteries of Tipovo and Saharna. Thanks to their excellent preservation, they are still in use today. In Tsypovo there is the Orthodox Assumption Monastery, one of the largest of its kind in Europe, and in Saharna there is the rock-cut monastery of the Holy Trinity. The monasteries are open to visits; both religious pilgrims and ordinary tourists who are interested in the unique location and beauty of the local nature can come here. It is in such places that people take a break from the bustle of the world and find peace of mind.

Cultural leisure

Among the cultural attractions of Balti are the National Theater named after Vasile Alecsandri, the Municipal Palace of Culture, the Art Gallery named after Antioch Cantemir, the Palace of Culture “Flachera”, the regional historical and ethnographic museum, libraries and reading rooms.

The city has parks and squares (Victory Park, Selection Park, Andriesh Children's Park). Within Balti there are also several lakes - Gorodskoe, Komsomolskoe, Ivanesko. Each of them has its own recreational area where you can have a great rest.

Balti: how to get there

Balti can be reached by train from many regions of Moldova, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine (91 stations in total). These are regions such as Moscow, Gomel, Kiev, Kaluga, Zhitomir, Bryansk, etc. The journey from the capital of Moldova by train takes about 6 hours.

Balti has a bus station, one of the largest in the country. From here you can take a bus to any city in Moldova. There are also international buses.

Balti is connected to Chisinau by a highway built in Soviet times. By car you can get from Balti to Ukraine in two hours, and in just an hour you can get to neighboring Romania.

The city has Balti-Ladovena Airport, which receives both domestic and international flights.