Stefan cel Mare Boulevard

Opera and Ballet Theatre

Initially, this street was expensive along the military camp of the Russian army, located near the borders of the old city since 1789 . The beginning of the development of the street dates back to 1817 ^[4] . Intensive construction on the street began in 1834, after the approval of the master plan for the construction of Chisinau. At the beginning of the XIX century, the street was called Millionnaya ^[5] .

In the forties of the XIX century, the street was renamed to Moscow . This name lasted until 1877 ^[5] . After which it was again renamed - in the street Alexandrovskaya . So the street was called until 1924 ^[5] .

The most important buildings of the city were built along the street: the city government (now the city mayor), the city bank (now the Organ Hall ), the metropolis ( 1818 ), the diocesan house, the Second Men's Gymnasium (all three buildings were not preserved), the church of the male gymnasium (in Soviet At that time, it housed an urban planetarium, now it is operational), a hospital (currently the Tom Chorba Infectious Diseases Clinical Hospital) and other buildings.

All the important squares of the central part of Chisinau were located along the street: Chuflinskaya shopping area, square with a guest yard (red rows), Cathedral Square. At the beginning of the 20th century, many working demonstrations were held here.

While Bessarabia was part of Romania, the street was renamed again. From 1924 to 1944 it was divided into two parts: one of them retained its former name - Alexandrovskaya Street (from Freedom Square to the intersection with Armyanskaya Street). The second (from the intersection with Armyanskaya Street to the Military Hospital) received the name of King Karol II Boulevard . At that time, a series of performances and strikes took place on the street (Political strike and anti-war demonstration on August 1, 1929 , Demonstration of Chisinau workers for reunification with the Soviet Motherland on January 24, 1930 and other events).

After Bessarabia joined the USSR on July 3, 1940, the first parade of Soviet troops took place on the street with the participation of Zhukov . During the battles for the liberation of the city, the battalion under the command of Alexei Belsky was the first to break into the center of Chisinau and in the evening of August 23, 1944 raised the Soviet flag on the ruins of a house at the intersection of Lenin and Gogol streets (now Stefan cel Mare Avenue and Metropolitan Gabriel Banulescu-Bodoni ).

In 1944, the street along its entire length began to be called Lenin Street , and from 1952 to 1990 it was called Lenin Avenue ^[5] .

After World War II, active development and restoration was carried out on the street, many destroyed houses were restored. In 1947 - 1949, the outstanding Soviet architect Alexei Viktorovich Shchusev developed a master plan for the reconstruction and construction of Chisinau. The plan provided for the restoration of old buildings and the construction of new, both residential and administrative and public buildings, as well as the construction of industrial zones, new streets, squares and parks. According to this plan, Lenin Street (later Prospect) retained the role of the central avenue of the city and had to be connected to the Railway Station Square (currently Stefan cel Mare Avenue is connected to the Railway Station Square via Negruti Boulevard and Gagarin Boulevard ) ^[4] .

In 1989, the prospectus witnessed a rise in nationalist sentiment in Moldova.

• On May 14, 1989, not far from the central park, two hundred meters from the Supreme Council (the Presidential Palace is now located there), the murder of eighteen-year-old guy Dmitry Matyushin, who was coming from the theater with his friend, was committed. The motive for the murder of Dmitry was that he "spoke loudly in Russian."
• On August 29, a session of the Supreme Council of Moldova began to work at the Opera House. The session was accompanied by rallies and outrages of a drunken crowd.
• October 1989 - mass rallies were held in Chisinau, accompanied by the atrocities of the nationalist-minded crowd. Protesters blocked Lenin Avenue and did not allow public transport to go.

• November 10, 1989, on Police Day, the building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Moldova , located on the avenue ^[6], was pogrom.

In 1990, Lenin Avenue got its current name - Stefan cel Mare Avenue .

In 2002 and 2003, Stefan cel Mare Avenue became the venue chosen by the opposition to the then-majority party in the Parliament of the Communist Party PPCD (Christian Democratic People's Party), led by its leader Iurie Rosca , for its anti-government rallies. Protesters pitched a tent camp on the roadway and set up a stage for performances. The rallies were attended by several thousand people ^{[7] [8]} .

In April 2009, the avenue witnessed a new incident related to the elections to the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova. After the announcement of their results, a crowd supporting the then opposition and disagreeing with the decision of the election commission blocked Stefan cel Mare Avenue, broke into Parliament buildings and the Presidential Palace and defeated them.

On Stefan cel Mare Avenue currently located:

Government Institutions

• Presidential Palace (154 Stefan cel Mare Avenue; built in 1990 , architect Yu. Tumanyan ^[9] );
• The Parliament Building ^[10] (Stefan cel Mare Avenue, 105; built in 1976 , architects A. Cherdantsev and G. Bosenko ^[11] );
• City Primaria (83 Stefan cel Mare Avenue; built in 1902 , architects M. Elladi and A. Bernardazzi );
• The Government Building of the Republic of Moldova (National Assembly Square, 1; architect S. Fridlin , 1964 ^[12] );
• The building of the Ministry of the Interior (75 Stefan cel Mare Avenue) ^{[13] [14]} .

Diplomatic

• Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Moldova (153 Stefan cel Mare Avenue) ^[15] ;
• The Embassy of Hungary in the Republic of Moldova (Stefan cel Mare Avenue, 131) ^[16] .

Schools

• Technical University of Moldova (168 Stefan cel Mare Avenue) ^[17] ;
• Medical University "N. Testimitsianu ” (165 Stefan cel Mare Avenue). The building is an architectural monument of the beginning of the 20th century (architect Mikhail Chekerul-Kush, 1905 ). It was originally built as a military infirmary. In 1950, the Medical Institute organized in 1945 was transferred here ^[18] .

Scientific Institutions

Academy of Sciences of Moldova . Located at the very beginning of the street (1 Stefan cel Mare Avenue). Built in the fifties by the architect Valentin Mednik. After the collapse of the USSR, the building was reconstructed and repainted, Soviet symbols were shot down from it and a new emblem of the ASM was installed ^[19] .

Communications

General Post Office

It is located on the corner of Stefan cel Mare Avenue and Vlaiku Pyrkalab Street (134 Stefan cel Mare Avenue; architect Valentin Mednik). The Moscow City Post Office on Tverskaya Street served as the “prototype” of the building. Prior to the 1976 earthquake , the main entrance to the post office was decorated with a glass globe ^[20] .

MOLDTELECOM Central Office

The modern building does not represent architectural value (12 Stefan cel Mare Avenue; built in the 1980s).

Attractions

National Hotel

One of the buildings of modern architecture (4 Stefan cel Mare Avenue; architects V. Shalaginov and A. Gorbuntsov, 1978 ). It is a seventeen-story rectangular building. As part of the hotel’s building complex, a restaurant building was built, rounded on one side and connected to the main building of the hotel by a transition. Originally called the Intourist Hotel. It was considered one of the most prestigious hotels in Chisinau, it had a fairly high level of service. In 2000, it was declared obsolete. Several reconstruction projects were presented, not one of which was completed. In 2007, it was announced the demolition of the building and the construction of a new one in its place ^[21] . However, in the end, it was decided to reconstruct the building, covering its facade with a solid glass panel. The restaurant building will be dismantled. The reconstructed hotel will be classified as a five-star hotel ^[22] .

Organ Hall

Concert Hall (81 Stefan cel Mare Avenue; built according to the project of engineer Mikhail Chekulul-Kush, 1911 ). Initially, the City Bank (later the USSR State Bank) was located in this building. At the initiative of the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the MSSR, Ivan Bodiul, the building was reconstructed, in 1978 a concert hall with 555 seats was opened in it. The only production organ of the Czechoslovak company Riger Kloss was installed in the hall. Currently, the building hosts concerts of chamber, organ and symphonic music, music festivals and art exhibitions.

City Hall Building

The building was built in 1902 by architects M. Elladi and A. Bernardazzi , in honor of Bernardazzi, a memorial plaque hangs on the wall of the building. Currently, the Chisinau Primaria is located in this building, as well as several shops, including the Fantezia folk craft and souvenir shop ^[23] . The building is two-story, built in the shape of the letter "G". The entrance is located from the corner of the building. Above the entrance is a clock tower made in the style of Venetian Gothic. A clock with chimes plays every hour the beginning of the melody of the song of the Moldavian composer Eugene Doga “My white city, you are a flower of stone” ^[24] .

Arc de Triomphe

Monument of architecture of the 19th century. It was built by the architect I. Zaushkevich in 1840 in honor of the victory in the Russian-Turkish wars . In 1973, a restoration was carried out.

Cathedral

The Cathedral (Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ) was built on the initiative of Metropolitan Benulescu-Bodoni in 1836 by the architect Abraham Melnikov , and a bell tower was also built. The cathedral was built in the style of Russian classicism . The building is centric, with four porticoes of six columns on the facades of the building. The temple is crowned by a large dome on a round drum, which is cut by eight large light windows. In 1962, by order of the city administration, the bell tower was blown up. The temple building was transformed into the Exhibition Hall of the Ministry of Culture of the MSSR. In 1989, it was again transferred to the church. In 1997, the bell tower was restored.

Museum of Art

These are two buildings, which are also called the buildings of Kligman and Herz ^[25] . Herz House (115 Stefan cel Mare Avenue) was built in 1905 in the Baroque style. Kligman House (Stefan cel Mare Avenue, 113) was built earlier, at the end of the 19th century near the House of Herz, the architecture is in the neoclassical style. These buildings of the Art Museum have not been operating since the end of the eighties (the exposition of the Art Museum since 1989 has been operating in the building of the former Gymnasium on the street on August 31, 1989, 115) ^[26] . There were rumors that both buildings were sold to private individuals ^[25] . Many Chisinau residents believe that there is no Art Museum in the city. Nevertheless, the museum management stated that these buildings will open in 2008 ^[25] . This did not happen; the reconstruction of the buildings was not completed.

Male Gymnasium Church

Another name for this temple is the Gymnasium Church of Constantine and Elena. It was built in 1902 by the architect M. Serocinsky. During World War II, the church was not damaged. In April 1962, the temple was redeveloped into an urban planetarium , while it is not known where the icons and church utensils were taken from. In the early nineties, the planetarium burned down, all the equipment and all the exhibits died. In 1991, restoration was carried out ^[27] . Now the temple is called the Transfiguration Cathedral ^[28] .

Palace of Pioneers

This building (located at 169 Stefan cel Mare Avenue) was supposed to be built back in the seventies. As reported in the press, in 1971 it was planned to begin construction of a new building of the Palace of Pioneers, as well as a children's sports school ^[29] . Construction was started, but completed only after the collapse of the USSR. In the building that opened, there was a business center ^[30] , a disco club “OWL” ^[31] . In 2009, the building was rebuilt and the Republican Center for Children and Youth was opened in it ^[32] .

Monuments

Available for viewing nowadays

• Monument to Stefan the Great (on the corner of Benulescu-Bodoni street and Stefan cel Mare Avenue) - a symbol of the capital of Moldova ^[33] (1928, sculptor Alexander Plamediale ).
• Monument to liberators from Nazi occupation (located in the center of the square on the corner of Negruti Boulevard and Stefan cel Mare Avenue, opposite the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Moldova) ^[34] .
• Monument "In memory of the victims of the Soviet occupation and the totalitarian communist regime" (installed in the very center of Chisinau, opposite the Arc de Triomphe) ^[35] .

Moved and destroyed

• Monument to Emperor Alexander I. Opened June 3, 1914 . The discovery was dedicated to the celebration of the centenary of the accession of Bessarabia to the Russian Empire. The monument was made by the Italian sculptor L. Ximenes, opened with the personal presence of Emperor Nicholas II . In 1918, by order of the Romanian authorities, the monument was destroyed ^[36] .
• Monument to Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (sculptor Sergey Merkurov , architects A. Schusev and V. Turchaninov). It was opened on October 11, 1949 . In 1991, the monument was dismantled and transported to the territory of the Moldexpo free economic zone, where it is still available for viewing.
• Monument to Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels (sculptor Lazar Dubinovsky , 1976 ^[37] ). It is made by a method of punching, unique for Moldova. At first, the statue was made of babbitt (durable material), from which a life-size model was made. Then the monument was overlaid with copper sheets and with the help of massive round metal bars they beat copper until it repeated the shape of the model of the statue. During the rise of nationalism in Moldova, it was seriously damaged. The statue was smashed with hammers. This moment broadcast local television. On August 25, 1991, by a decision of the Moldovan authorities, the monument was destroyed ^[38] .

Theaters

National Opera and Ballet Theater of the Republic of Moldova

The building was designed in a modern architectural style (152 Stefan cel Mare Avenue; architects N. Kurennoy, A. Gorshkov, sculptors V. Novikov, N. Sazhin, B. Dubrovin, G. Dubrovin, 1980 ). In the theater, in addition to opera and ballet performances, various concerts and festivals are regularly held. Since 2002, spectators have been installed on the square in front of the theater during major football tournaments and broadcasted matches on large screens ^[39] .

Mihai Eminescu National Theater

The theater building was built in 1954 (79 Stefan cel Mare Avenue; architects S. Galadzhev, V. Smirnov and V. Alexandrov). This is the only building built in the Soviet period in Chisinau, entered in the Register of Monuments of History and Culture of National Importance (at the suggestion of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Moldova). Initially, it operated opera and drama theaters, combined into one troupe. The theater was named after A.S. Pushkin . Since 1957, the musical part of the troupe formed the Moldavian Opera and Ballet Theater and worked in the old theater building until the construction of the new one in 1980 . Since 1994, he received the name of the classic of Romanian literature, Mihai Eminescu ^[40] .

Cinema "Patria"

In place of the current cinema "Patria" (103 Stefan cel Mare Avenue) in the XIX century there was an English club , the building of which burned down in 1886 . After the fire, the city authorities decided to build a house for the noblemen on the site of the club. The building was designed by the architect Heinrich Lonsky (Austria). In 1888, the building of the Noble Assembly was opened. It was built in a classical style with baroque elements. In 1897, it was in this building that the first screening of the movie took place in Bessarabia. It was a shot of the teachings of the Lubensky Dragoon Regiment, which was stationed in Chisinau. The films bore the corresponding names: “Attack”, “Collection”, “Get ready for the foot formation!” ^[41] .

The building of the Noble Assembly, like many houses in Chisinau, was destroyed during the Second World War . After the war, not far from the destroyed building, a wooden cinema opened; several cafes are now located in its place. In 1952, a new movie theater “Patria” was opened ^[41] . In 1999, the old building was reconstructed and turned into a modern two-screen cinema equipped with the latest cinema projection equipment and Dolby Digital Surround EX sound system. In 2010, the most advanced XpanD 3D projection equipment was installed in the Great Hall of the cinema, and special 3D glasses (so-called “active”) with liquid crystal eyepieces are used to watch such films. The cinema also has two modern bars ^[42] .

Vernissage

On Stefan cel Mare Avenue, in the square between the Mihai Eminescu National Theater, the Organ Hall and the central office of Mobiasbanca ^[43] (formerly it was the Officers' Assembly building, later converted to the Moldova Hotel) ^[40] there is an art street exhibition and sale of paintings , handicrafts and souvenirs. Vernissage is open at any time of the year ^[44] .

Parks

Stefan cel Mare Park

The park is located in the very center of the city. It was defeated in 1818 at the initiative of the wife of the governor of Bessarabia, Alexei Bakhmetev . Initially, it had no name and was simply called the “City Garden”, although the townspeople unofficially called the park Alexandrovsky ^[45] . In the sixties of the XIX century it was surrounded by a cast-iron fence. In 1885, in the center of the park, on a granite column, a bronze bust of the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin was installed (sculptor Alexander Opekushin ). It was near this park that the monument to Emperor Alexander I , destroyed by Romanians, stood, and later a monument to Stephen the Great was erected in its place. In Soviet times, the park was called the “A. Pushkin Park”, after the collapse of the USSR it received the name “Stefan cel Mare Park” (although Chisinau still call the park “Pushkin” ^[45] ). There are four fountains in the park, all of its alleys converge in rays to one of them, the central one. The area of ​​the park is seven hectares .

Cathedral Square

Located opposite the Government Building of the Republic of Moldova, behind the Arc de Triomphe . In the center of the square is the Cathedral . It was founded in 1836. The area of ​​the square is 9 hectares. The square has eight entrances, from which direct paths converge to the Cathedral. Currently, the square of the Cathedral is a favorite place for Internet users, as the park has coverage of a free wireless network WiFi ^[46] .

Prohibition of minibuses on Prospect

In 2006, shuttle buses on Stefan cel Mare Avenue were prohibited. All routes were transferred to neighboring streets ^[47] . On the line of the only preserved route passing along the avenue, No. 122, full-size buses operate. Currently, on the initiative of the mayor of Chisinau, Dorin Chirtoaca, it is planned to return taxis to Stefan cel Mare Avenue ^[48] .

Tram

The history of the tram traffic on Stefan cel Mare Avenue has about 62 years. In April 1888, the Chisinau City Council decided to build a horse-drawn railway . The Duma concluded an agreement with Chisinau private entrepreneurs on the construction and operation of Konka for 42 years. During the year, a horse-drawn iron line with a length of six miles was built on Aleksandrovskaya Street and, in part, on other central streets of the city. In 1913, the city's tram network was electrified. In 1948, tram tracks were built on the parallel Aleksandrovskaya (then already called Lenin Street) Frunze Street (currently Kolumna Street ). Since 1951, the tram was removed from the main street of the city of Chisinau ^[49] , where as early as 1949 the first trolleybus route in the city was launched.

• Kishinev. Encyclopedia. - Chisinau: Main Edition of the Moldavian Soviet Encyclopedia, 1984. - P. 312-313.