Chișinău
Chișinău | |
|---|---|
Capital city and municipality | |
Chișinău City Hall Triumphal Arch and Nativity Cathedral Stephen the Great Monument Chișinău Water Tower City Gates Mihai Eminescu National Theatre Valea Morilor Park | |
|
Flag Coat of arms | |
| Nickname(s): Orașul din piatră albă (lit. 'The city of white stone') | |
Location of Chișinău in Moldova | |
Chișinău Chișinău | |
| Coordinates: 47°01′22″N 28°50′07″E / 47.02278°N 28.83528°E | |
| Country | Moldova |
| First written mention | 14 October 1436[1] |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–council government |
| • Mayor | Ion Ceban (MAN) |
| Area | |
• Capital city and municipality | 123 km2 (47 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 571.6 km2 (217.5 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 85 m (279 ft) |
| Population (2024 census)[3] | |
• Capital city and municipality | 719,687 |
| • Density | 5,900/km2 (15,000/sq mi) |
| Demonym | chișinăuieni (Romanian) |
| GDP (Nominal, 2022)[4] | |
| • Capital city and municipality | €8.6 billion (1st) |
| • Per capita | €12,000 |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) |
| Postal code | MD-20xx |
| Area code | +373-22 |
| ISO 3166 code | MD-CU |
| HDI (2022) | 0.831[5] Very high · 1st |
| Website | chisinau.md |
| a As the population of the Municipality of Chișinău (which comprises the city of Chișinău and 34 other suburban localities)[6] | |
Chișinău (/ˌkɪʃɪˈnaʊ/ ⓘ KISH-in-OW, US also /ˌkiːʃiːˈnaʊ/ KEE-shee-NOW, Romanian: [kiʃiˈnəw] ⓘ; formerly known as Kishinev)[a] is the capital and largest city of Moldova.[7][8] The city is Moldova's main industrial and commercial centre, and is located in the middle of the country, on the river Bîc, a tributary of the Dniester. According to the results of the 2014 census, the city proper had a population of 532,513, while the population of the Municipality of Chișinău (which includes the city itself and other nearby communities) was 700,000. Chișinău is the most economically prosperous locality in Moldova and its largest transport hub. Nearly a third of Moldova's population lives in the metropolitan area.
Moldova has a history of winemaking dating back to at least 3,000 BC. As the capital city, Chișinău hosts the yearly national wine festival every October.[9][10] Though the city's buildings were badly damaged during the Second World War and earthquakes, a rich architectural heritage remains. In addition, it has numerous buildings designed in the postwar Socialist realism and Brutalist architecture styles.
The city's central railway station boasts a Russian-Imperial architectural style, and maintains direct railway links to Romania. The Swiss-Italian-Russian architect Alexander Bernardazzi designed many of the city's buildings, including the Chișinău City Hall, Church of Saint Theodore, and the Church of Saint Panteleimon. The city hosts the National Museum of Fine Arts, Moldova State University, Brancusi Gallery, and National Museum of History of Moldova, with more than 236,000 exhibits.
There are bustling markets in the north of the city, including the house where Alexander Pushkin once resided while in exile from Alexander I of Russia. It has now been adapted as a museum. The Nativity Cathedral, located at the centre of the city and constructed in the 1830s, has been described as a "masterpiece" of Neoclassical architecture.[11]
- ^ Brezianu, Andrei; Spânu, Vlad (2010). The A to Z of Moldova. Scarecrow Press. p. 81. ISBN 9781461672036. Archived from the original on 17 May 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
- ^ "Planul Urbanistic General al Municipiului Chișinău" (Press release). Chișinău City Hall. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
- ^ "Preliminary results of the 2024 Population and Housing Census". statistica.gov.md (in Romanian). National Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Moldova. 30 January 2025. Retrieved 30 January 2025.
- ^ "Regional Gross Domestic Product, thousand lei by Economic activities, Development regions and Years", statbank.statistica.md
- ^ "Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- ^ "Population by commune, sex and age groups" (Press release). National Bureau of Statistics of Moldova. 31 March 2017. Archived from the original on 14 November 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
- ^ "Moldova Pitorească" [The picturesque Moldova] (PDF). natura2000oltenita-chiciu.ro. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 May 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
- ^ Davis, Pat Rischar (August 2001). Geographic Literacy: Maps for Memorization. Walch. ISBN 978-0-8251-4272-7.
- ^ Erizanu, Paula (1 June 2023). "I've come to love Chișinău: my home city in Moldova deserves the spotlight". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ "Chisinau city guide: Where to eat, drink and stay in Moldova's capital". The Independent. 30 September 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ Martus, Vladlena (12 June 2019). "The Nativity Cathedral in Chisinau, a masterpiece of Neoclassicism". itinari. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
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