Chișinău

The origin of the city's name is unclear. A theory suggests that the name may come from the archaic Romanian word {{lang|ro|chișla}} (meaning "spring", "source of water") and {{lang|ro|nouă}} ("new"), because it was built around a small spring, at the corner of Pușkin and Albișoara streets.{{Cite web|language=ro |url=http://www.kishinev.info/history_ro/ |title=History of Chișinău |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030722230610/http://www.kishinev.info/history_ro/ |archive-date=22 July 2003 |url-status=dead |website=Kishinev.info |access-date=12 October 2008}}

The other version, formulated by (or attributed to{{Cite web |date=2014-05-09 |title=Chişinău is magyar volt? |url=https://www.nyest.hu/hirek/chisinau-is-magyar-volt |access-date=2024-08-27 |website=Nyelv és Tudomány |language=hu}}) Ștefan Ciobanu, (occasionally to Iorgu Iordan) Romanian historian and academician, holds that the name was formed the same way as the name of Chișineu (alternative spelt as Chișinău) in Western Romania, near the border with Hungary. Its Hungarian name is {{lang|hu|Kisjenő}}, from which the Romanian name originates.{{cite web|url=http://www.basarabiaveche.com/monografia-chisinaului-1925/istoria-orasului-i/ |title=Istoria Orașului I |access-date=2010-06-11 |url-status=dead |website=BasarabiaVeche.Com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301171153/http://www.basarabiaveche.com/monografia-chisinaului-1925/istoria-orasului-i/ |archive-date=1 March 2012 |language=ro}} Kisjenő comes from {{lang|hu|kis}} "small" and the Jenő, one of the seven Hungarian tribes that entered the Carpathian Basin in 896. At least 24 other settlements are named after the Jenő tribe.{{cite web |url=http://sebok2.adatbank.transindex.ro/ |title=Transindex – Határon túli magyar helységnévszótár |website=Sebok2.adatbank.transindex.ro |access-date=2016-12-17 |archive-date=22 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222084914/http://sebok2.adatbank.transindex.ro/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://mnytud.arts.unideb.hu/doktorik/racz_anita.pdf |title=Racz Anita |website=Mnytud.arts.unideb.hu |access-date=2016-12-17 |archive-date=14 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714224011/http://mnytud.arts.unideb.hu/doktorik/racz_anita.pdf |url-status=live }}

A third theory by Kiss Lajos linguist and slavist holds (as possible origin) that the name came from the Cuman kešene ("grave", kurgan) and the Karachayian for "cemetery", and these came from the Persian word kāšāne ("house").[https://m.nyest.hu/hirek/chisinau-is-magyar-volt?fbclid=IwY2xjawEtbRNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHSRuOXxjq2BsVPtX6NySq3EiNgVBjRRTZCmKRa-nkTLjva4cR3BK7LXBnQ_aem_RIM2Hyb3h7_lYQbVDnfGVA]

Chișinău is known in Russian as {{Transliteration|ru|Kishinyov}} ({{lang|ru|Кишинёв}}, {{IPA|ru|kʲɪʂɨˈnʲɵf|pron}}), while Moldova's Russian-language media call it {{Transliteration|ru|Kishineu}} ({{lang|ru|Кишинэу|links=no}}, {{IPA|ru|kʲɪʂɨˈnɛʊ|pron}}). It is written {{lang|gag-Latn|Kişinöv}} in the Latin Gagauz alphabet. It was also written as Chișineu in pre–20th-century Romanian{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/basarabiainseco00arbugoog|title=Basarabia in secolul XIX ...|last=Zamfir C. Arbure|date=1 January 1898|publisher=C. Göbl|via=Internet Archive}} and as {{lang|ro-Cyrl|Кишинэу}} in the Moldovan Cyrillic alphabet. Historically, the English-language name for the city, Kishinev, was based on the modified Russian one because it entered the English language via Russian at the time Chișinău was part of the Russian Empire (e.g. Kishinev pogrom). Therefore, it remains a common English name in some historical contexts. Otherwise, the Romanian-based Chișinău has been steadily gaining wider currency, especially in written language. The city is also historically referred to as {{langx|lt|Kišiniovas}}; {{langx|hu|Kisjenő}}; {{langx|de|Kischinau}} {{IPA|de|ˌkɪʃiˈnaʊ||audio=De-Kischinau.ogg}}; {{langx|pl|Kiszyniów}} {{IPA|pl|kʲiˈʂɨɲuf||audio=Pl-Kiszyniów.ogg}}; {{langx|uk|Кишинів|Kyshyniv}}, {{IPA|uk|ˈkɪʃɪn⁽ʲ⁾iu̯|pron|audio=LL-Q8798 (ukr)-Tohaomg-Кишинів.wav}}; {{langx|bg|Кишинев|Kishinev}}; {{langx|yi|קעשענעװ|Keshenev}}; or {{langx|tr|Kişinev}}.

{{Main|History of Chișinău|Timeline of Chișinău}}

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{{flagicon image|Flag of Moldavia.svg}} Principality of Moldavia 1436–1812

{{flag|Russian Empire}} 1812–1917

{{flagicon|Russia}} Russian Republic 1917

{{flagicon image|Flag of Sfatul Tarii reverse (1918).svg}} Moldavian Democratic Republic 1917–1918

{{flag|Kingdom of Romania}} 1918–1940

{{flag|Soviet Union}} 1940–1941

{{flag|Kingdom of Romania}} 1941–1944

{{flag|Soviet Union}} 1944–1991

{{flag|Moldova}} 1991–present

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Founded in 1436 as a monastery village, the city was part of the Principality of Moldavia (which, starting with the 16th century became a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire, but still retaining its autonomy). At the beginning of the 19th century Chișinău was a small town of 7,000 inhabitants.

File:Chișinău 1889 1.jpg

In 1812, in the aftermath of the Russo-Turkish War (1806–1812), the eastern half of Moldavia was ceded by the Ottomans to the Russian Empire. The newly acquired territories became known as Bessarabia.

Under Russian government, Chișinău became the capital of the newly annexed oblast (later guberniya) of Bessarabia. By 1834, an imperial townscape with broad and long roads had emerged as a result of a generous development plan, which divided Chișinău roughly into two areas: the old part of the town, with its irregular building structures, and a newer city centre and station. Between 26 May 1830 and 13 October 1836 the architect Avraam Melnikov established the Catedrala Nașterea Domnului with a magnificent bell tower. In 1840 the building of the Triumphal Arch, planned by the architect Luca Zaushkevich, was completed. Following this the construction of numerous buildings and landmarks began.

On 28 August 1871, Chișinău was linked by rail with Tiraspol, and in 1873 with Cornești. Chișinău-Ungheni-Iași railway was opened on 1 June 1875 in preparation for the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878). The town played an important part in the war between Russia and the Ottoman Empire, as the main staging area of the Russian invasion. During the Belle Époque, the mayor of the city was Carol Schmidt, whose contribution to the modernisation of the city is still commemorated by Moldovans.{{in lang|ro}} {{blockquote|... orașul nostru n-a avut niciodată un primar ca neîntrecutul Carol Schmidt.|Pavel Cuzminschi, "Din amintirile lui Pavel Cuzminschi", în revista "Viața Basarabiei", 1934, nr. 9.}}{{cite web |url=http://www.publika.md/un-bust-al-fostului-primar-al-chisinaului--carol-schmidt--a-fost-dezvelit-in-capitala_1921611.html |title=Un bust al fostului primar al Chișinăului, Carol Schmidt, a fost dezvelit în capitală |publisher=Publika .Md |access-date=14 May 2014 |archive-date=14 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140514142341/http://www.publika.md/un-bust-al-fostului-primar-al-chisinaului--carol-schmidt--a-fost-dezvelit-in-capitala_1921611.html |url-status=dead }} Its population had grown to 92,000 by 1862, and to 125,787 by 1900.Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition

{{Main|Kishinev pogrom}}

In the late 19th century, especially due to growing anti-Semitic sentiment in other parts of the Russian Empire and better economic conditions in Moldova, many Jews chose to settle in Chișinău. By the year 1897, 46% of the population of Chișinău was Jewish, over 50,000 people.{{cite web |title=The Jewish Community of Kishinev |url=https://dbs.bh.org.il/place/kishinev |publisher=The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot |access-date=24 June 2018 |archive-date=24 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180624121317/https://dbs.bh.org.il/place/kishinev |url-status=live }}

As part of the pogrom wave organized in the Russian Empire, a large anti-Semitic riot was organized in the town on 19–20 April 1903, which would later be known as the Kishinev pogrom. The rioting continued for three days, resulting in 47 Jews dead, 92 severely wounded, and 500 suffering minor injuries. In addition, several hundred houses and many businesses were plundered and destroyed.{{cite journal|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/172771|title=The Kishinev Pogrom of 1903: A Turning Point in Jewish History|first=Monty Noam|last=Penkower|date=10 September 2004|journal=Modern Judaism|volume=24|issue=3|pages=187–225|doi=10.1093/mj/kjh017|s2cid=170968039|via=Project MUSE|access-date=27 January 2019|archive-date=7 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407144217/https://muse.jhu.edu/article/172771|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}} Some sources say 49 people were killed.Encyclopaedia Judaica, Vol 10, page 1066. Jerusalem, 1971. The pogroms are largely believed to have been incited by anti-Jewish propaganda in the only official newspaper of the time, Bessarabetz (Бессарабецъ). Mayor Schmidt disapproved of the incident and resigned later in 1903. The reactions to this incident included a petition to Tsar Nicholas II of Russia on behalf of the American people by US President Theodore Roosevelt in July 1903.{{cite web |url=http://kishinev.moldline.net/pogrom.html |title=VIRTUAL KISHINEV – 1903 Pogrom |website=Kishinev.moldline.net |access-date=2016-12-17 |archive-date=27 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180927004139/http://kishinev.moldline.net/pogrom.html |url-status=live }}

On 22 August 1905, another violent event occurred: the police opened fire on an estimated 3,000 demonstrating agricultural workers. Only a few months later, on 19–20 October 1905, a further protest occurred, helping to force the hand of Nicholas II in bringing about the October Manifesto. However, these demonstrations suddenly turned into another anti-Jewish pogrom, resulting in 19 deaths.

File:Monumentul a lui Stefan cel Mare, Chisinau Stefan the Great Monument, Chisinau, Moldova (49601054843).jpg monument]]

Following the Russian October Revolution, Bessarabia declared independence from the crumbling empire, as the Moldavian Democratic Republic, before joining the Kingdom of Romania. As of 1919, Chișinău, with an estimated population of 133,000,{{cite book|last=Kaba|first=John|title=Politico-economic Review of Basarabia|year=1919|publisher=American Relief Administration|location=United States|page=12|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/7313/view/1/12/|access-date=3 October 2013|archive-date=5 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005001320/http://www.wdl.org/en/item/7313/view/1/12/|url-status=live}} became the second largest city in Romania.

Between 1918 and 1940, the center of the city undertook large renovation work. Romania granted important subsidies to its province and initiated large scale investment programs in the infrastructure of the main cities in Bessarabia, expanded the railroad infrastructure and started an extensive program to eradicate illiteracy.

In 1927, the Stephen the Great Monument, by the sculptor Alexandru Plămădeală, was erected. In 1933, the first higher education institution in Bessarabia was established, by transferring the Agricultural Sciences Section of the University of Iași to Chișinău, as the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences.

File:Moldova-chisineu-war-memorial-site.jpg]]

File:Trenul durerii.jpg – the monument to the victims of communist mass deportations in Moldova]]

File:State Art Museum (80-ies). (8257398062).jpg period]]

File:Prospectul Păcii (1980).jpg

On 28 June 1940, as a direct result of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, Bessarabia was annexed by the Soviet Union from Romania, and Chișinău became the capital of the newly created Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic.

Following the Soviet occupation, mass deportations, linked with atrocities, were executed by the NKVD between June 1940 and June 1941. More than 400 people were summarily executed in Chișinău in July 1940 and buried in the grounds of the Metropolitan Palace, the Chișinău Theological Institute, and the backyard of the Italian Consulate, where the NKVD had established its headquarters.{{cite book|author1=Andrei Brezianu|author2=Vlad Spânu|title=The A to Z of Moldova|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bgcCelRuTboC&pg=PA116|date=26 May 2010|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-7211-0|pages=116–|access-date=25 April 2018|archive-date=21 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221141455/https://books.google.com/books?id=bgcCelRuTboC&pg=PA116|url-status=live}} As part of the policy of political repression of the potential opposition to the Communist power, tens of thousand members of native families were deported from Bessarabia to other regions of the USSR.

A devastating earthquake occurred on 10 November 1940, measuring 7.4 (or 7.7, according to other sources) on the Richter scale. The epicenter of the quake was in the Vrancea Mountains, and it led to substantial destruction: 78 deaths and 2,795 damaged buildings (of which 172 were destroyed).{{Cite web |url=http://www.iitk.ac.in/nicee/wcee/article/WCEE2012_2123.pdf |title=Building Damage vs. Territorial Casualty Patterns during the Vrancea (Romania) Earthquakes of 1940 and 1977 |access-date=29 April 2018 |archive-date=31 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171031113003/http://www.iitk.ac.in/nicee/wcee/article/WCEE2012_2123.pdf |url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=http://stiridegalati.ro/75-de-ani-de-la-cutremurul-din-1940/|title=75 de ani de la cutremurul din 1940|date=10 November 2015|access-date=29 April 2018|archive-date=29 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180429160412/http://stiridegalati.ro/75-de-ani-de-la-cutremurul-din-1940/|url-status=live}}

In June 1941, in order to recover Bessarabia, Romania entered World War II under the command of the German Wehrmacht, declaring war on the Soviet Union. Chișinău was severely affected in the chaos of the Second World War. In June and July 1941, the city came under bombardment by Nazi air raids. However, the Romanian and newly Moldovan sources assign most of the responsibility for the damage to Soviet NKVD destruction battalions, which operated in Chișinău until 17 July 1941, when it was captured by Axis forces.{{Cite web|first=Virgil |last=Pâslariuc |url=http://www.historia.ro/exclusiv_web/general/articol/cine-devastat-chisinaul-iulie-1941 |title=Cine a devastat Chișinăul în iulie 1941? |trans-title=Who devastated Chisinau in July 1941? |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120620132238/http://www.historia.ro/exclusiv_web/general/articol/cine-devastat-chisinaul-iulie-1941 |archive-date=20 June 2012 |url-status=dead |website=Historia.ro |language=ro}}

During the German and Romanian military administration, the city suffered from the Nazi extermination policy of its Jewish inhabitants, who were transported on trucks to the outskirts of the city and then summarily shot in partially dug pits. The number of Jews murdered during the initial occupation of the city is estimated at 10,000 people.{{Cite web|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/memories-of-the-holocaust-kishinev-introduction-and-acknowledgements |title=Ghettos: Memories of the Holocaust: Kishinev (Chișinău) (1941–1944) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170311011254/https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/memories-of-the-holocaust-kishinev-introduction-and-acknowledgements |archive-date=11 March 2017 |website=Jewish Virtual Library |access-date=11 October 2022}} The deportation of the city's Jews to Transnistria reduced its Jewish population from 11,388 in the fall of 1941 to 177 in 1943; a large majority of the deportees died.See Jean Ancel, The History of the Holocaust in Romania (Lincoln, University of Nebraska Press and Jerusalem, Yad Vashem, 2011) p. 266-269, with the statistics on p. 269. During this time, Chișinău, part of Lăpușna County, was the capital of the newly established Bessarabia Governorate of Romania.{{cite journal|url=https://www.rtsa.ro/rtsa/index.php/rtsa/article/view/166|title=Administrarea teritoriului României în timpul celui de-al doilea Război Mondial|first=Viorel|last=Stănică|journal=Transylvanian Review of Administrative Sciences|volume=9|issue=19|year=2007|pages=107–116|language=ro}}

As the war drew to a conclusion, the city was once again the scene of heavy fighting as German and Romanian troops retreated. Chișinău was captured by the Red Army on 24 August 1944 as a result of the Second Jassy–Kishinev offensive.

After the war, Bessarabia was fully reintegrated into the Soviet Union, with around 65 percent of its territory as the Moldavian SSR, while the remaining 35 percent was transferred to the Ukrainian SSR.

Two other waves of deportations of Moldova's native population were carried out by the Soviets, the first one immediately after the Soviet reoccupation of Bessarabia until the end of the 1940s and the second one in the mid-1950s.{{cite web|url=https://www.moldova.org/en/70-years-ago-today-13-14-june-1941-300000-were-deported-from-bessarabia-221894-eng/|title=70 years ago today: 13–14 June 1941, 300,000 were deported from Bessarabia|first=Autor|last=invitat|website=Moldova.org|date=15 June 2011|access-date=7 April 2019|archive-date=7 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407144219/https://www.moldova.org/en/70-years-ago-today-13-14-june-1941-300000-were-deported-from-bessarabia-221894-eng/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.languagesoftheworld.info/russia-ukraine-and-the-caucasus/stalins-ethnic-deportations-gerrymandered-ethnic-map.html|title=Stalin's Ethnic Deportations—and the Gerrymandered Ethnic Map|last=Pereltsvaig|first=Asya|website=LanguagesOfTheWorld.info|date=8 October 2014|access-date=25 April 2018|archive-date=26 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426012346/https://www.languagesoftheworld.info/russia-ukraine-and-the-caucasus/stalins-ethnic-deportations-gerrymandered-ethnic-map.html|url-status=live}}

File:LOWA ET54.jpg

In the years 1947 to 1949, the architect Alexey Shchusev developed a plan with the aid of a team of architects for the gradual reconstruction of the city. {{citation needed|date=March 2015}}

There was rapid population growth in the 1950s, to which the Soviet administration responded by constructing large-scale housing and palaces in the style of Stalinist architecture. This process continued under Nikita Khrushchev, who called for construction under the slogan "good, cheaper, and built faster." The new architectural style brought about dramatic change and generated the style that dominates today, with large blocks of flats arranged in considerable settlements. {{citation needed|date=March 2015}} These Khrushchev-era buildings are often informally called Khrushchyovka.

The period of the most significant redevelopment of the city began in 1971, when the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union adopted a decision "On the measures for further development of the city of Kishinev," which secured more than one billion rubles in investment from the state budget,{{cite web|url=http://www.kishinev.info/architecture_en |title=Chisinau – the capital of Moldova: Architecture |website=kishinev.info |access-date=2010-06-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100513230114/http://kishinev.info/architecture_en/ |archive-date=13 May 2010 }} and continued until the independence of Moldova in 1991. The share of dwellings built during the Soviet period (1951–1990) represents 74.3 percent of total households.{{cite web|title=Energy consumption in households|url=http://www.statistica.md/pageview.php?l=en&id=5413&idc=350|website=NBS |access-date=14 April 2017|archive-date=15 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170415103718/http://www.statistica.md/pageview.php?l=en&id=5413&idc=350|url-status=live}}

On 4 March 1977, the city was again jolted by a devastating earthquake. Several people were killed, and panic broke out.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}} The Intourist Hotel, a flagship property constructed by the Soviet state-owned travel monopoly of the same name, was completed in 1978.{{Cite news |last=Higgins |first=Andrew |date=2024-08-04 |title=Trying to Save a Concrete 'Monument to Corruption' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/04/world/europe/moldova-national.html |access-date=2024-08-12 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |url-access=subscription}}

On 22 April 1993, the city inaugurated the Monument to the Victims of Jewish Ghettos, a public monument centring on a bronze statue of the Biblical prophet Moses, which serves as a symbol of remembrance to the thousands of Jews who perished during the holocaust. The monument was designed by architect Simeon Shoihet and sculptor Naum Epelbaum. It stands on Ierusalim Street, marking the site of the main entrance to the Chișinău ghetto, which was established in the lower part of the city in July 1941, shortly after the German and Romanian troops occupied the area.{{Cite web |title=Monument to the Victims of Jewish Ghetto in Chisinau, Moldova |url=https://www.gpsmycity.com/attractions/monument-to-the-victims-of-jewish-ghetto-8352.html |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=GPSmyCity |language=en}}{{unreliable source?|date=August 2024}}

Since Moldovan independence following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, many streets of Chișinău have been renamed after historic persons, places or events. Independence from the Soviet Union was followed by a large-scale renaming of streets and localities from a Communist theme into a national one.{{Cite journal|last1=Light|first1=Duncan|last2=Nicolae|first2=Ion|last3=Suditu|first3=Bogdan|date=September 2002|title=Toponymy and the Communist city: Street names in Bucharest, 1948–1965|url=http://link.springer.com/10.1023/A:1022469601470|journal=GeoJournal|volume=56|issue=2|pages=135–144|doi=10.1023/A:1022469601470|bibcode=2002GeoJo..56..135L |s2cid=140915309|access-date=15 March 2021|archive-date=29 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210529150939/https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1022469601470|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}

On 5 September 2022, the country's first Christian university Universitatea Moldo-Americană opened its doors, supported by the Scandinavian broadcaster Visjon Norge and several donors in Norway, and run in cooperation with the American Southeastern University in Florida, United States.{{Cite web |date=2022-09-05 |title=First Christian university opens in Moldova |url=https://cne.news/article/1646-first-christian-university-opens-in-moldova |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=Christian Network Europe |language=en}}

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Moldova allowed more than 600,000 Ukrainian civilians to flee Ukraine across their border. Despite being among the poorest states in Europe, Moldova has continued to host more than 100,000 Ukrainian refugees, many of them in Chișinău.{{Cite web |title=Moldova's efforts in hosting and providing safe transit to Ukrainian refugees applauded by OSCE PA migration committee |url=https://www.oscepa.org/en/news-a-media/press-releases/press-2023/moldova-s-efforts-in-hosting-and-providing-safe-transit-to-ukrainian-refugees-applauded-by-osce-pa-migration-committee |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=www.oscepa.org}}{{Cite web |last=Carter |first=Bryan |date=2023-02-24 |title=Ukrainian refugees in Moldova: Warmly welcomed but dreaming of home |url=https://www.euronews.com/2023/02/24/ukrainian-refugees-in-moldova-warmly-welcomed-but-dreaming-of-home |access-date=2023-07-06 |website=Euronews |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Krasteva |first=Gergana |date=2023-04-16 |title=Tears of Ukrainian refugees in Moldova still in limbo as they wait to go home |url=https://metro.co.uk/2023/04/16/tears-of-ukrainian-refugees-in-moldova-still-in-limbo-as-they-wait-to-go-home-18606690/ |access-date=2023-07-06 |website=Metro |language=en}}

On 23 November 2022, the Chișinău Court of Appeal ruled that Chișinău International Airport will return to state ownership, according to justice minister Sergiu Litvinenco, more than three months after an international court allowed Moldova to terminate a 49-year concession deal with airport operator Avia Invest.{{Cite web |title=Moldova takes back control of Chisinau Airport – minister |url=https://seenews.com/news/moldova-takes-back-control-of-chisinau-airport-minister-805816 |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=seenews.com |date=23 November 2022 |language=en}} In April 2023, the Dutch government opened a new embassy in Chișinău.{{Cite web |last=Zaken |first=Ministerie van Buitenlandse |date=2023-04-19 |title=New Dutch embassy shows Dutch support for Moldova's future EU membership – News item – Government.nl |url=https://www.government.nl/latest/news/2023/04/19/new-dutch-embassy-in-moldova |access-date=2023-07-06 |website=www.government.nl |language=nl-NL}}

On 21 May 2023, tens of thousands of Moldovans took to the streets in a massive rally, the European Moldova National Assembly, to support the country's European Union membership bid.{{Cite news |last1=Vilcu |first1=Irina |last2=Timu |first2=Andra |date=2023-05-21 |title=Moldovans Rally to Support EU Entry, Shift Away From Russia |language=en |work=Bloomberg News |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-21/moldovans-rally-to-support-eu-entry-shift-away-from-russia |access-date=2023-07-05}}{{Cite web |title=Moldova: Tens of thousands gather in pro-EU rally – DW – 05/22/2023 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/moldova-tens-of-thousands-gather-in-pro-eu-rally/a-65693417 |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=Deutsche Welle |language=en}} Moldovan police said more than 75,000 demonstrators were present at the rally organised by Moldovan president Maia Sandu.{{Cite news |last=Tanas |first=Alexander |date=2023-05-21 |title=Pro-government rally in Moldovan capital draws tens of thousands |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/pro-government-rally-moldovan-capital-draws-tens-thousands-2023-05-21/ |access-date=2023-07-05}}

Later that month, Chișinău hosted a major international summit of the European Political Community organised to discuss the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine as well as cybersecurity, migration and energy security, and regional issues in Azerbaijan, Armenia, and clashes in Kosovo.{{Cite news |last=Irish |first=John |date=2023-05-30 |title=European leaders head to Moldova for symbolic summit on Ukraine's doorstep |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/european-leaders-head-moldova-symbolic-summit-ukraines-doorstep-2023-05-30/ |access-date=2023-07-05}}{{Cite news |last1=Timu |first1=Andra |last2=Vilcu |first2=Irina |date=2023-06-01 |title=Zelenskiy Visits Summit in Moldova as European Leaders Meet |language=en |work=Bloomberg News |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-06-01/zelenskiy-visits-summit-in-moldova |access-date=2023-07-05}}{{Cite web |last1=Casert |first1=Raf |last2=Spike |first2=Justin |last3=Heintz |first3=Jim |date=2023-05-31 |title=EU aspirant Moldova prepares to host major international summit |url=https://apnews.com/article/moldova-european-summit-bulboaca-af8c00a1b860b77453732cbf092369b7 |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=AP News |language=en}}

File:Biserica de lemn din Hirișeni 3.jpg

Chișinău is located on the river Bâc, a tributary of the Dniester, at {{Coord|47|0|N|28|55|E|display=inline}}, with an area of {{cvt|120|km2|0}}. The municipality comprises {{cvt|635|km2|0}}.

The city lies in central Moldova and is surrounded by a relatively level landscape with very fertile ground.

Chișinău is roughly equidistant between the borders with Romania (58 km.) and Ukraine (54 km.), and between the northernmost (188 km.) and southernmost (179 km.) points of Moldova, thus meaning that it is very close to Moldova's geographic centre.

File:Gradina botanica Chisinau (15).jpg]]

Chișinău has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa) characterised by warm summers and cold, windy winters. Winter minimum temperatures are often below {{convert|0|°C|0|abbr=on}}, although they rarely drop below {{convert|-10|°C|0|abbr=on}}. In summer, the average maximum temperature is approximately {{convert|25|°C|0|abbr=on}}, however, temperatures occasionally reach {{convert|35|to|40|C|F|abbr=on}} in mid-summer in downtown. Although average humidity during summer is relatively low, most of the annual precipitation occurs during summer, causing infrequent yet heavy storms.

Spring and autumn temperatures vary between {{convert|16|and|24|C|F|abbr=on}}, and precipitation during this time tends to be lower than in summer but with more frequent yet milder periods of rain.

File:Grădina Publică "Ștefan cel Mare și Sfânt" Foto 1.jpg]]

{{Weather box

| width = auto

| location = Chișinău (1991–2020, extremes 1886–present)

| metric first = Yes

| single line = Yes

| Jan record high C = 16.6

| Feb record high C = 20.7

| Mar record high C = 25.7

| Apr record high C = 31.6

| May record high C = 35.9

| Jun record high C = 37.5

| Jul record high C = 39.4

| Aug record high C = 39.2

| Sep record high C = 37.3

| Oct record high C = 32.6

| Nov record high C = 23.8

| Dec record high C = 18.3

| year record high C = 39.4

| Jan high C = 1.1

| Feb high C = 3.4

| Mar high C = 9.2

| Apr high C = 16.4

| May high C = 22.3

| Jun high C = 26.1

| Jul high C = 28.4

| Aug high C = 28.3

| Sep high C = 22.3

| Oct high C = 15.5

| Nov high C = 8.1

| Dec high C = 2.7

| year high C = 15.3

| Jan mean C = -1.8

| Feb mean C = -0.2

| Mar mean C = 4.5

| Apr mean C = 11.0

| May mean C = 16.8

| Jun mean C = 20.7

| Jul mean C = 22.9

| Aug mean C = 22.6

| Sep mean C = 17.0

| Oct mean C = 10.8

| Nov mean C = 4.8

| Dec mean C = -0.2

| year mean C = 10.7

| Jan low C = -4.2

| Feb low C = -3.0

| Mar low C = 0.7

| Apr low C = 6.3

| May low C = 11.8

| Jun low C = 15.9

| Jul low C = 17.9

| Aug low C = 17.5

| Sep low C = 12.5

| Oct low C = 7.1

| Nov low C = 2.1

| Dec low C = -2.5

| year low C = 6.8

| Jan record low C = -28.4

| Feb record low C = -28.9

| Mar record low C = -21.1

| Apr record low C = -6.6

| May record low C = -1.1

| Jun record low C = 3.6

| Jul record low C = 7.8

| Aug record low C = 5.5

| Sep record low C = -2.4

| Oct record low C = -10.8

| Nov record low C = -21.6

| Dec record low C = -22.4

| year record low C = -28.9

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation mm = 36

| Feb precipitation mm = 31

| Mar precipitation mm = 35

| Apr precipitation mm = 39

| May precipitation mm = 54

| Jun precipitation mm = 65

| Jul precipitation mm = 67

| Aug precipitation mm = 49

| Sep precipitation mm = 48

| Oct precipitation mm = 47

| Nov precipitation mm = 43

| Dec precipitation mm = 41

| year precipitation mm =

| Jan snow depth cm = 7

| Feb snow depth cm = 6

| Mar snow depth cm = 3

| Apr snow depth cm = 0

| May snow depth cm = 0

| Jun snow depth cm = 0

| Jul snow depth cm = 0

| Aug snow depth cm = 0

| Sep snow depth cm = 0

| Oct snow depth cm = 0

| Nov snow depth cm = 1

| Dec snow depth cm = 3

| year snow depth cm =

| Jan humidity = 82

| Feb humidity = 78

| Mar humidity = 71

| Apr humidity = 63

| May humidity = 60

| Jun humidity = 63

| Jul humidity = 62

| Aug humidity = 60

| Sep humidity = 66

| Oct humidity = 73

| Nov humidity = 81

| Dec humidity = 83

| year humidity = 70

| Jan rain days = 8

| Feb rain days = 7

| Mar rain days = 11

| Apr rain days = 13

| May rain days = 14

| Jun rain days = 14

| Jul rain days = 12

| Aug rain days = 10

| Sep rain days = 10

| Oct rain days = 11

| Nov rain days = 12

| Dec rain days = 10

| year rain days = 132

| Jan snow days = 13

| Feb snow days = 13

| Mar snow days = 8

| Apr snow days = 0

| May snow days = 0

| Jun snow days = 0

| Jul snow days = 0

| Aug snow days = 0

| Sep snow days = 0

| Oct snow days = 0

| Nov snow days = 6

| Dec snow days = 11

| year snow days = 51

| Jan sun = 70

| Feb sun = 96

| Mar sun = 155

| Apr sun = 210

| May sun = 283

| Jun sun = 301

| Jul sun = 326

| Aug sun = 308

| Sep sun = 220

| Oct sun = 162

| Nov sun = 81

| Dec sun = 65

| year sun = 2277

| source 1 = Pogoda.ru.net{{cite web

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191213144209/http://www.pogodaiklimat.ru/climate/33815.htm

| archive-date = 13 December 2019

| url = http://www.pogodaiklimat.ru/climate/33815.htm

| title = Климат Кишинева (Climate of Chișinău)

| access-date = 20 August 2023

| publisher = Погода и климат

| language = ru}}

|source 2 = NOAA (sun, 1991–2020){{cite web

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230820205005/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Moldova/CSV/Chisinau_33815.csv

| archive-date = 20 August 2023

| url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Moldova/CSV/Chisinau_33815.csv

| title = Chisinau Climate Normals 1991–2020

| work = World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020)

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| access-date = 20 August 2023}}

| date=August 2010}}

File:Clădirea fostei Dume Orășenești. Astăzi Primăria și Consiliul Municipal Chișinău. Foto 4.jpg]]

Chișinău is governed by the City Council and the Mayor ({{langx|ro|Primar}}), both elected once every four years. Ion Ceban was elected mayor first in 2019 and again in 2023. During his first term, he formed a new political party, the National Alternative Movement, of which he was elected president in 2022.{{cite web | title=Ion Ceban – portrait of candidate for mayor of Chisinau | website=IPN | date=2023-10-21 | url=https://www.ipn.md/en/ion-ceban-portrait-of-candidate-for-mayor-of-chisinau-8012_1100240.html | access-date=2025-03-03}}

The 2023 election also brought in a new city council. The percentages of votes and the resulting number of seats for parties represented in the council are listed below.

Moldova is administratively subdivided into 3 municipalities, 32 districts, and 2 autonomous units. With a population of 662,836 inhabitants (as of 2014), the Municipality of Chișinău (which includes the nearby communities) is the largest of these municipalities.Moldovan Law 764-XV from 27 December 2001, Monitorul Oficial al Republicii Moldova, no. 16/53, 29 December 2001

Besides the city itself, the municipality comprises 34 other suburban localities: 6 towns (containing further 2 villages within), and 12 communes (containing further 14 villages within). The population, as of the 2014 Moldovan census, is shown in brackets:

{{colbegin|colwidth=25em}}

• Chișinău (532,513)
• Codru (15,934)
• Cricova (10,669)
• Durlești (17,210)
• Sîngera (9,966)
• Dobrogea
• Revaca
• Vadul lui Vodă (5,295)
• Vatra (3,457)

{{colend}}

{{colbegin|colwidth=25em}}

• Băcioi (10,175)
• Brăila
• Frumușica
• Străisteni
• Bubuieci (8,047)
• Bîc
• Humulești
• Budești (4,928)
• Văduleni
• Ciorescu (5,961)
• Făurești
• Goian
• Colonița (3,367)
• Condrița (595)
• Cruzești (1,815)
• Ceroborta
• Ghidighici (5,051)
• Grătiești (6,183)
• Hulboaca
• Stăuceni (8,694)
• Goianul Nou
• Tohatin (2,596)
• Buneți
• Cheltuitori
• Trușeni (10,380)
• Dumbrava

{{colend}}

File:Mapa chisinau vectorizata232.svg

The municipality in its totality elects a mayor and a local council, which then name five pretors, one for each sector. They deal more locally with administrative matters. Each sector claims a part of the city and several suburbs:[http://primar.md/?a=33&i=30 Moldovan Law 431-XIII from 19 April 1995] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722170932/http://primar.md/?a=33&i=30 |date=22 July 2011 }}, Monitorul Oficial al Republicii Moldova, no. 31-32/340, 9 June 1995 {{in lang|ro}}

{{colbegin|colwidth=25em}}

;{{flagicon image|Drapelul_sectorului_Centru.jpg}} Centru

:* Codru

;{{flagicon image|Drapelul_sectorului_Buiucani.jpg}} Buiucani

:* Durlești

:* Vatra

:* Condrița

:* Ghidighici

:* Trușeni

:** Dumbrava

;{{flagicon image|Drapelul_sectorului_Râșcani.png}} Râșcani

:* Cricova

:* Ciorescu

:** Făurești

:** Goian

:* Grătiești

:** Hulboaca

:* Stăuceni

:** Goianul Nou

;{{flagicon image|Drapelul_sectorului_Botanica.jpg|border=}} Botanica

:* Sîngera

:** Dobrogea

:** Revaca

:* Băcioi

:** Brăila

:** Frumușica

:** Străisteni

;{{flagicon image|Drapelul_sectorului_Ciocana.jpg}} Ciocana

:* Vadul lui Vodă

:* Bubuieci

:** Bîc

:** Humulești

:* Budești,

:** Văduleni

:* Colonița

:* Cruzești

:** Ceroborta

:* Tohatin

:** Buneți

:** Cheltuitori

{{colend}}

File:Malldova Shopping, Кишинев, Республика Молдова Malldova Shopping, Chisinau, Republica Moldova Moldova Shopping, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova (51187661202).jpg shopping centre]]

Historically, the city was home to fourteen factories in 1919. Chișinău is the financial and business capital of Moldova. Its GDP comprises about 60% of the national economy{{cite web |url=http://www.statistica.md/public/files/publicatii_electronice/Chisinau/Anuar_Chisinau_2013.pdf |title=CHIŞINĂU ÎN CIFRE : ANUAR STATISTIC |website=Statistica.md |access-date=2016-12-17 |archive-date=24 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924120331/http://www.statistica.md/public/files/publicatii_electronice/Chisinau/Anuar_Chisinau_2013.pdf |url-status=live }} reached in 2012 the amount of 52 billion lei (US$4 billion). Thus, the GDP per capita of Chișinău stood at 227% of the Moldova's average. Chișinău has the largest and most developed mass media sector in Moldova, and is home to several related companies ranging from leading television networks and radio stations to major newspapers. All national and international banks (15) have their headquarters located in Chișinău.

Notable sites around Chișinău include Cineplex Loteanu, the new malls MallDova, Port Mall and best-known retailers, such as N1, Linella, Kaufland, Fourchette and Metro. While many locals continue to shop at the bazaars, many upper class residents and tourists shop at the retail stores and at MallDova. Jumbo, an older mall in the Botanica district, and Sun City, in the centre, are more popular with locals.

Several amusement parks exist around the city. A Soviet-era one is located in the Botanica district, along the three lakes of a major park, which reaches the outskirts of the city centre. Another, the modern Aventura Park, is located farther from the centre. The Chișinău State Circus, which used to be in a grand building in the Râșcani sector, has been inactive for several years due to a poorly funded renovation project.{{cite web|url=https://www.exutopia.com/urban-exploration-abandoned-soviet-circus/|title=Sneaking into an Abandoned Soviet Circus in Moldova|work=Ex Utopia|date=25 November 2013|access-date=9 July 2021}}

{{Historical populations

|title = Municipality of Chișinău

|percentages = pagr

|align = right

|footnote = c-census; e-estimate

|cols = 3

|1812{{cite web |url=http://www.bessarabia.ru/demografic.htm |title=Evoluţia demografică a oraşelor basarabene în prima jumătate a secolului al XIX-lea |website=Bessarabia.ru |access-date=2016-12-17 |archive-date=6 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161206085943/http://www.bessarabia.ru/demografic.htm |url-status=live }} | 7000

|1818 | 10966

|1835 | 34079

|1847 | 43965

|1851 | 58849

|1865 | 94047

|1897(c){{cite web |url=http://www.jewishgen.org/bessarabia/files/projects/3GeographicalDictionary/JewishPopulationinBessarabia.htm |title=Jewish Population in Bessarabia and Transnistria – Geographical |website=Jewishgen.org |access-date=2016-12-17 |archive-date=26 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126220613/http://www.jewishgen.org/Bessarabia/files/projects/3GeographicalDictionary/JewishPopulationinBessarabia.htm |url-status=live }} | 108483

|1912 | 121000

|1930(c) | 114896

|1959(c) | 216005

|1970(c) | 363940

|1979(c) | 589140

|1989(c) | 714928

|2004(c) | 712218

|2014(c) | 662836

|2024(c) | 651880

}}

File:Chișinău population pyramid.svg

Natural statistics (2015)

• Births: 6,845 (9.8 per 1,000)
• Deaths: 6,433 (7.7 per 1,000)
• Net Growth rate: 412 (2.1 per 1,000)

Population by sector:

Chișinău is the seat of the Moldovan Orthodox Church, as well as of the Metropolis of Bessarabia. The city has multiple churches and synagogues.

According to the 2024 census results, the major religions in Chișinău were:{{Cite web |date=2025-03-20 |title=Recensământul Populației și Locuințelor |trans-title=Population and Housing Census |url=https://statistica.gov.md/ro/statistic_indicator_details/56 |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=Recensământul Populației și Locuințelor |language=ro}}

• Christians – 95.6%
• Orthodox Christians – 93.7%
• Protestant – 1.2%
• Baptists – 0.7%
• Evangelicals – 0.3%
• Pentecostals – 0.2%
• Seventh-day Adventists – 0.1%
• Jehovah's Witnesses – 0.6%
• Roman Catholics – 0.2%
• Other – 1.0%
• Atheists – 1.8%
• No religion – 1.6%

{{Wide image|Telegentru at night panorama 01.jpeg|1200px|Panorama of Chișinău at night}}

{{multiple image

| align = right

| total_width = 320

| image1 = Vorota kishineva.jpg

| alt1 = The Gate

| caption1 = Soviet-style apartment buildings in Chișinău

| image2 = Romashka Tower.jpg

| alt2 = Romashka Tower

| caption2 = Romashka Tower, the tallest building in Moldova

| footer =

}}

{{see also|Wooden church of Hirișeni}}

Chișinău's growth plan was developed in the 19th century. In 1836 the construction of the Kishinev Cathedral and its belfry was finished. The belfry was demolished in Soviet times and was rebuilt in 1997. Chișinău also displays a tremendous number of Orthodox churches and 19th-century buildings around the city such as Ciuflea Monastery or the Transfiguration Church. Much of the city is made from limestone quarried from Cricova, leaving a famous wine cellar there.

Many modern-style buildings have been built in the city since 1991. There are many office and shopping complexes that are modern, renovated or newly built, including Kentford, SkyTower, and Unión Fenosa headquarters. However, the old Soviet-style clusters of living blocks are still an extensive feature of the cityscape.

{{See also|List of public schools in Chișinău|List of universities in Moldova}}

The city is home to 9 public and 8 private universities, the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, a number of institutions offering high school and 1–2 years of college education. Among them are Moldova State University, the Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova, Alexandru cel Bun Military Academy, Nicolae Testemițanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy, and Ion Creangă State Pedagogical University.

On 5 September 2022, the country's first Christian university Universitatea Moldo-Americană opened its doors, supported by the Scandinavian broadcaster Visjon Norge and several donors in Norway, and run in cooperation with the American Southeastern University in Florida, United States.

In Chișinău there are several museums. The three national museums are the National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History, the National Museum of Fine Arts, and the National Museum of History of Moldova. The National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History was founded in October 1889 by baron Alexandru Stuart, moved to its current location in 1905, and is the oldest museum in Moldova.{{Cite web |title=National Museum Of Ethnography And Natural History |url=https://www.visit.md/en/tour/national-museum-of-ethnography-and-natural-history/ |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=Visit.MD |language=en-US}} It houses more than 135,000 exhibit pieces, among them a life-sized reconstruction of the skeleton of a dinothere, discovered in the Rezine region in 1966.{{Cite web |title=National Museum of Ethnography & Natural History {{!}} Chişinău, Moldova {{!}} Attractions |url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/moldova/chisinau/attractions/national-museum-of-ethnography-natural-history/a/poi-sig/447455/360144 |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=Lonely Planet |language=en}} It also includes exhibits on natural history, natural sciences, archaeology, paleontology, geology, and ethnography.{{Cite web |title=National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History registered in Smart Guide plaform |url=https://www.moldpres.md/en/news/2022/12/21/22009795 |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=www.moldpres.md |language=en}} The building was designed by the architect Vladimir Tsyganko in a distinctive Moorish architectural style with a signature frontal façade consisting of a triangular pediment supported by two Doric columns.{{Cite web |title=National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History in Chisinau, Moldova |url=https://www.gpsmycity.com/attractions/national-museum-of-ethnography-and-natural-history-9970.html |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=GPSmyCity |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History – HiMoldova |url=https://www.himoldova.md/en/md/national-museum-of-ethnography-and-natural-history/ |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=www.himoldova.md}}

The National Library of Moldova is also located in Chișinău.{{cite web|url=http://bnrm.md/|title=National Library of Moldova|date=2022|publisher=National Library of Moldova|access-date=27 April 2022}}

File:Триумфальная Арка, Кишинев, Республика Молдова Arcul de Triumf, Chisinau, Republica Moldova Arch of Triumph, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova (51161091844).jpg|Triumphal Arch

File:Museum of History (AP4L0086 1PS) (28922487610).jpg|Capitoline Wolf and National History Museum

File:Scara cu cascade Valea morilor (2016) (2).jpg|Waterfall Steps at the Mill Valley Park

File:Chisinau Stefan cel Mare park fountain.jpg|Ștefan cel Mare Central Park

File:Органный зал, Кишинев, Республика Молдова Sala cu orga, Chisinau, Republica Moldova Organ Hall, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova (50698302796).jpg|Organ Hall

File:Teatrul National de Opera si Balet "Maria Biesu", Chisinau, Moldova Maria Biesu Opera Theatre, Chisinau, Moldova (49512942998).jpg|Maria Bieșu National Opera and Ballet Theatre

Chișinău, as well as Moldova as a whole, still show signs of ethnic culture. Signs that say "Patria Mea" (English: My homeland) can be found all over the capital. While few people still wear traditional Moldavian attire, large public events often draw in such original costumes.

Moldova National Wine Day and Wine Festival take place every year in the first weekend of October, in Chișinău. The events celebrate the autumn harvest and recognises the country's long history of winemaking, which dates back to at least 3,000 BCE.{{cite web |url=http://www.rferl.org/media/photogallery/moldova-national-wine-day/25130047.html |title=Moldova's 'National Wine Day' |website=Rferl.org |date=2013-10-08 |access-date=2016-12-17 |archive-date=14 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914160321/http://www.rferl.org/media/photogallery/moldova-national-wine-day/25130047.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://moldova-online.travel/2013/09/national-wine-day-in-chisinau/ |title=National Wine Day in Chisinau |website=Moldova-online.travel |access-date=2016-12-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160629020851/http://moldova-online.travel/2013/09/national-wine-day-in-chisinau/ |archive-date=29 June 2016}} Moldova has been called the wine capital of Europe and its yearly festival is a major cultural and tourist event, and every year the streets are filled with people enjoying food, wine, dance, and music taking over the streets.{{Cite web |date=2018-09-13 |title=On the trail of Moldovan wine |url=https://www.euronews.com/green/2018/09/13/on-the-trail-of-moldovan-wine |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=Euronews |language=en}} Moldova's most-awarded sommelier Mihai Druta has described Moldovan wine as being about "small producers and family wineries making premium wine. And nothing costs more than 100 Euro a bottle." The Daily Express in 2019 described the city as "Europe's latest hotspot" in which journalist Maisha Frost praised "its wines, monumental wineries and their epic tasting sessions."{{Cite web |last=Frost |first=Maisha |date=2019-08-15 |title=MOLDOVA: wine, passion, ancient wonders and stranger things |url=https://www.express.co.uk/travel/shortbreaks/1163422/moldova-travel-europe-ussr-transnistria |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=The Daily Express |language=en}} She described the city's Carpe Diem wine bar as "the flagship for a flourishing new breed of craft-style makers."

The majority of Moldova's media industry is based in Chișinău. There are almost 30 FM-radio stations and 10 TV-channels broadcasting in Chișinău. The first radio station in Chișinău, Radio Basarabia, was launched by the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Company on 8 October 1939, when the religious service was broadcast on air from the Nativity Cathedral. The first TV station in the city, Moldova 1, was launched on 30 April 1958, while Nicolae Lupan was serving as the redactor-in-chief of TeleRadio-Moldova.{{cite web|url=http://www.ianiro.com/NEWS_HOME/installazioni/ipna-moldavia_ENG.html |title=Teleradio Moldova |access-date=2012-01-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118093932/http://www.ianiro.com/NEWS_HOME/installazioni/ipna-moldavia_ENG.html |archive-date=18 January 2012 }}

The state national broadcaster in the country is the state-owned Moldova 1, which has its head office in the city. The broadcasts of TeleradioMoldova have been criticised by the Independent Journalism Center as showing 'bias' towards the authorities.{{cite web|url=http://www.ijc.md/en/about/Raport_septembrie_eng.pdf |title=Monitoring of programs on Radio Moldova and TV Moldova 1 |access-date=2006-11-29 |url-status=dead |work=Independent Journalism Center |year=2004 |location=Chișinău |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070224164139/http://www.ijc.md/en/about/Raport_septembrie_eng.pdf |archive-date=24 February 2007 }}

Other TV channels based in Chișinău are Pro TV Chișinău, PRIME, Jurnal TV, Publika TV, CTC, DTV, Euro TV, TV8, etc. In addition to television, most Moldovan radio and newspaper companies have their headquarters in the city. Broadcasters include the national radio Vocea Basarabiei, Prime FM, BBC Moldova, Radio Europa Libera, Kiss FM Chișinău, Pro FM Chișinău, Radio 21, Fresh FM, Radio Nova, Russkoye Radio, Hit FM Moldova, and many others.

The biggest broadcasters are SunTV, StarNet (IPTV), Moldtelecom (IPTV), Satellit and Zebra TV. In 2007 SunTV and Zebra launched digital TV cable networks.

{{Further|topic=the defunct newspaper founded in 1933|Mișcarea femenistă}}

File:Кишинев, Президентский Дворец Palatul Prezidential din Chisinau Presidential Palace in Chisinau, Moldova (48055528712).jpg in Chișinău]]

{{See also|2023 Moldovan local elections}}

File:Chisinau railway station (188802333 cropped).jpg, exterior]]

File:Kišiněv, letiště, AKSM-321 (2019-03-17; 02).jpg on the street]]

Chișinău International Airport offers connections to major destinations in Europe and Asia.

FlyOne and HiSky airlines have their headquarters, and Wizz-Air has its hub on the grounds of Chișinău International Airport.{{cite web|url=http://www.airmoldova.md/headofice-en/ |title=Air Moldova :: Contacts |website=Airmoldova.md |access-date=2016-12-17}}

The most popular form of internal transport in Moldova is generally the bus.{{citation needed|date=May 2012}} Although the city has just three main terminals, buses generally serve as the means of transport between cities in and outside of Moldova. Popular destinations include Tiraspol, Odesa (Ukraine), Iași and Bucharest (Romania).

The second most popular form of domestic transportation within Moldova is via railways. The total length of the network managed by Moldovan Railway ({{As of|2009|lc=y}}) is {{convert|1232|km|0|abbr=off}}. The entire network is single track and is not electrified. The central hub of all railways is Chișinău Central Railway Station. There is another smaller railway station – Revaca located on the city's ends.

Chișinău Railway Station has an international railway terminal with connections to Bucharest, Kyiv, Minsk, Odesa, Moscow, Samara, Varna and St. Petersburg. Due to the simmering conflict between Moldova and the unrecognised Transnistria republic the rail traffic towards Ukraine is occasionally stopped.{{citation needed|date=May 2012}}

{{See also|Trolleybuses in Chișinău}}

There is wide trolleybus network operating as common public transportation within city. From 1994, Chișinău saw the establishment of new trolleybus lines, as well as an increase in capacity of existing lines, to improve connections between the urban districts. The network comprises 22 trolleybus lines being {{convert|246|km|0|abbr=on}} in length. Trolleybuses run between 05:00 and 03:00. There are 320 units daily operating in Chișinău. However the requirements are as minimum as 600 units.{{clarify|date=April 2022}} A trolleybus ticket costs 6 lei (ca. $0.31). It is the cheapest method of transport within Chișinău municipality.

There are 29 lines of buses within Chișinău municipality. At each public transportation stops there is attached a schedule for buses and trolleybuses. There are approximately 330 public transportation stops within Chișinău municipality. There is a big lack of buses inside city limits, with only 115 buses operating within Chișinău.{{cite web|url=http://diez.md/2016/09/01/numarul-de-troleibuze-si-autobuze-care-vor-circula-chisinau-fost-majorat/|title=Numărul de troleibuze şi autobuze care vor circula în Chișinău a fost majorat – #diez|date=September 2016 |access-date=6 October 2017|archive-date=6 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171006212632/http://diez.md/2016/09/01/numarul-de-troleibuze-si-autobuze-care-vor-circula-chisinau-fost-majorat/|url-status=live}}

In Chișinău and its suburbs, privately operated minibuses known as "rutieras" generally follow the major bus and trolleybus routes and appear more frequently."Chisinau." Chisinau Infos. World Infos, n.d. Web. 9 November 2016.

As of October 2017, there are 1,100 units of minibuses operating within Chișinău. Minibuses services are priced the same as buses – 3 lei for a ticket (ca. $0.18).{{cite web|url=http://www.moldpres.md/news/2017/09/25/17007341|title=Numărul microbuzelor care circulă pe itinerarele din capitală s-a micșorat cu 600 de unități|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170925142258/http://www.moldpres.md/news/2017/09/25/17007341|archive-date=2017-09-25 |publisher=Moldpres|date=2017-09-25|access-date=2017-10-06}}

The city traffic becomes more congested as each year passes. Nowadays there are about 300,000 cars in the city plus 100,000 transit transports coming to the city each day.{{citation needed|date=May 2015}} The number of personal transports is expected to reach 550,000 (without transit) by 2025.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}

File:Zimbru Stadium 2023.jpg]]

Football is the most widely followed sport in Chișinău. Local clubs such as Zimbru and Dacia Buiucani compete in the Moldovan Super Liga (first division), while Real Succes and Victoria Bardar play in the Liga 1 (second division).

Zimbru Stadium, which opened in May 2006 with a seating capacity of 10,500, meets all the requirements for hosting official international matches and serves as the home venue for the Moldova national football team.

Since 2011, CS Femina-Sport Chișinău has organized women's competitions in seven sports.

Arena Chișinău, an indoor arena was opened in 2022.

The FMF Beach Soccer Arena, a beach soccer stadium that opened in 2022, was the main venue for the Socca EuroCup events held in 2023 and 2024.{{Cite web|url=https://soccafederation.com/competition/2024-socca-eurocup-moldova/|title=2024 Socca EuroCup – Moldova – Socca}}

The city also hosts the annual Chișinău International Marathon.

• Gavril Afanasiu, Bessarabian opera singer, lyric baritone and singing teacher
• Radu Albot, Moldovan professional tennis player
• Doina Aldea-Teodorovici, Moldovan-Romanian singer, part of the iconic musical duo that defined the national awakening of the early 1990s
• Nicolae Alexandri, Bessarabian-Romanian politician, editor-in-chief of Cuvânt Moldovenesc
• Olga Bancic, Jewish-Romanian communist activist, known for her role in the French Resistance
• Regina Barzilay, Israeli-American computer scientist and professor at MIT
• Savatie Baștovoi, Moldovan Orthodox monk, novelist, essayist, poet, painter, and theologian
• Dan Bălan, Moldovan musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer, founder of the popular Eurodance band O-Zone
• Alexandru Boldur, Bessarabian-Romanian historian, lawyer, and archeologist
• Marcel Bostan, Moldovan singer and leader of the alternative rock band Alternosfera
• Samuel Bronston, American film producer and media executive (and Leon Trotsky's nephew)
• Elena Cataraga (Lena Scissorhands), Moldovan heavy metal singer and songwriter
• Petru Cazacu, medical doctor, historian, publicist, and Prime Minister of the Moldavian Democratic Republic
• Maria Cebotari, Romanian soprano and actress, one of Europe's greatest opera stars in the 1930s and 1940s
• Toma Ciorbă, Romanian physician and hospital director
• Claudia Cobizev, Moldovan sculptor
• Miron Constantinescu, Marxist sociologist, historian, academic, and journalist, leading member of the Romanian Communist Party
• Alexandru Cristea, priest, choir conductor, music teacher, composer of the music for the national anthem of Moldova
• Ion Cuțelaba, Moldovan light heavyweight UFC fighter
• Nicolae Donici, Romanian astronomer
• Boris Epure, Bessarabian-Romanian politician, member of Sfatul Țării
• William F. Friedman, American cryptologist
• Alexander Frumkin, Soviet electrochemist
• Dennis Gaitsgory, Israeli-American mathematician at MPIM
• Anton Gămurari, Moldovan general, veteran of the Transnistrian War
• Anastasia Golovina, the first Bulgarian female doctor
• Sarah Gorby, French-Jewish singer
• Paul Gore, Romanian politician and historian, honorary member of the Romanian Academy
• Vladimir Herța, mayor of Chișinău in the wake of the Great Union
• Laura Hidalgo, Argentine actress
• Anatole Jakovsky, French art critic
• Boris Katz, American computer scientist at MIT
• Nathaniel Kleitman, American physiologist and sleep researcher
• Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Moldovan-Austrian-Swiss violinist
• Avigdor Lieberman, Israeli politician
• [http://www.musicarussica.com/composers/grigory-lvovsky#:~:text=As%20a%20composer%2C%20Lvovsky%20studied,based%20on%20pre%2Dexisting%20chants. Grigory Lvovsky], composer
• Lia Manoliu, Romanian discus thrower and Olympic medalist
• Viorica Marian, Moldovan-born American psycholinguist, cognitive scientist, and professor of psychology at Northwestern University
• George Meniuc, Moldovan writer
• Lewis Milestone, American film director, two-time Academy Award winner
• Constantin Mimi, Bessarabian politician and winemaker
• Sacha Moldovan, American expressionist and post-impressionist painter
• Oleg Mutu, Romanian cinematographer and film producer
• Tatiana Nicolescu, Romanian historian of literature and translator
• Ilya Oleynikov, Russian comic actor and television personality
• Rusanda Panfili, Moldovan-Romanian violinist and composer
• Nina Pekerman, Israeli triathlete
• Lev Pisarzhevsky, Soviet chemist
• Alexandru Plămădeală, Moldovan sculptor, creator of the Stephen the Great Monument
• Radu Poklitaru, Moldovan-born Ukrainian choreographer-director
• Nicu Popescu, Moldovan author and diplomat
• Vitaliy Pushkar, Ukrainian rally driver
• Andrew Rayel, stage name of Andrei Rață, Moldovan producer and DJ
• Alecu Russo, Bessarabian-Romanian writer, literary critic and publicist
• Valentina Rusu-Ciobanu, Moldovan painter and stage designer
• Glebus Sainciuc, Moldovan artist, portraitist and author of masks
• Lică Sainciuc, Moldovan artist, writer and architect
• Andrei Sârbu, Moldovan painter
• Alexander Schmidt, Bessarabian German politician, economist, lawyer and academic, the last Tsarist mayor of Chișinău
• Alexey Shchusev, Russian and Soviet architect
• Yulia Sister, Israeli analytical chemist and science historian
• Serghei Spivac, Moldovan heavyweight UFC fighter
• Cleopatra Stratan, Moldovan-Romanian singer, youngest artist to score a No. 1 hit in a country
• Mihai Timofti, Moldovan theatre and film director, actor, multi-instrumentalist musician, professor, screenwriter, writer and composer
• Tatiana Țîbuleac, Moldovan writer
• Alexander Ulanovsky, Soviet resident spy in the United States in the 1930s, prisoner in the Soviet Gulag
• Mihail Vakulovski, Moldovan-Romanian author, poet, novelist, playwright, essayist, blogger and translator
• Olga Volkenstein, Russian journalist, suffragist and a leader of the women's rights movement in pre-revolutionary Russia
• Maria Winetzkaja, American opera singer in the 1910s-1920s
• Iona Yakir, Red Army commander executed during the Great Purge
• Chaim Yassky, Jewish physician killed in the Hadassah medical convoy massacre
• Sam Zemurray, American businessman who made his fortune in the banana trade

• Dan Balan, musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer
• Gheorghe Botezatu, American engineer, businessman and pioneer of helicopter flight
• Eugen Doga, composer
• Nicolae Testemițanu, physician
• Timofei Moșneaga, physician
• Israel Gohberg, Soviet and Israeli mathematician
• Dovid Knut, poet and member of the French Resistance
• Sigmund Mogulesko, singer, actor, and composer
• Pasha Parfeny, singer-songwriter, musician, who represented for the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 and 2023
• SunStroke Project, Moldovan representative for the Eurovision Song Contests 2010 and 2017
• Zlata Tkach, composer and music educator
• Maria Biesu, operatic soprano

{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Moldova}}

Chișinău is twinned with:{{cite web |title=Orașe înfrățite |url=https://www.chisinau.md/tabview.php?l=ro&idc=526 |access-date=2021-11-29 |website=chisinau.md |publisher=Chișinău |language=ro}}

{{colbegin|colwidth=20em}}

• {{flagicon|ROU}} Alba Iulia, Romania (2011)
• {{flagicon|TUR}} Ankara, Turkey (2004)
• {{flagicon|SWE}} Borlänge, Sweden (2009)
• {{flagicon|ROU}} Bucharest, Romania (1999)
• {{flagicon|UKR}} Chernivtsi, Ukraine (2014)
• {{flagicon|FRA}} Grenoble, France (1977)
• {{flagicon|ROU}} Iași, Romania (2008)
• {{flagicon|UKR}} Kyiv, Ukraine (1999)
• {{flagicon|GER}} Mannheim, Germany (1989)
• {{flagicon|UKR}} Odesa, Ukraine (1994)
• {{flagicon|ITA}} Reggio Emilia, Italy (1989)
• {{flagicon|USA}} Sacramento, United States (1990)
• {{flagicon|ROU}} Suceava, Romania (2021){{cite web |title=Chișinău și Suceava – orașe înfrățite. Consiliul Municipal Chișinău a votat, cu majoritatea voturilor, acordul de înfrăți între cele două municipii|url=https://tv8.md/2021/11/23/chisinau-si-suceava-orase-infratite-consiliul-municipal-chisinau-a-votat-cu-majoritatea-voturilor-acordul-de-infrati-intre-cele-doua-municipii/|website=tv8.md|publisher=TV8|language=ro|date=2021-11-23|access-date=2021-11-29}}
• {{flagicon|GEO}} Tbilisi, Georgia (2011)
• {{flagicon|ISR}} Tel Aviv, Israel (2000)
• {{flagicon|ARM}} Yerevan, Armenia (2000)

{{colend}}

• {{flagicon|ENG}} Kingston Upon Hull, England (1982)

{{notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Portal|Moldova}}

• Weiner, Miriam; Ukrainian State Archives (in cooperation with); Moldovan State Archives (in cooperation with) (1999). "Town Clips: Kishinev." [https://www.rtrfoundation.org/webart/KISHINEV.pdf Jewish Roots in Ukraine and Moldova: Pages from the Past and Archival Inventories] . Secaucus, NJ: Miriam Weiner Routes to Roots Foundation. p. 364-371. ISBY 978-0-96-565081-6. OCLC 607423469.

{{Refbegin}}

• {{Cite journal |last=Hamm |first=Michael F. |title=Kishinev: The character and development of a Tsarist Frontier Town |journal=Nationalities Papers |volume=26 |issue=1 |date=March 1998 |pages=19–37 |doi=10.1080/00905999808408548|s2cid=161820811 }}

{{Refend}}

{{Sister project links|Chișinău|voy=Chișinău}}

• {{official website|http://www.chisinau.md}}
• {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20140404072651/http://hartachisinau.net/ Map of Chișinău]}}
• {{JewishGen-LocalityPage|2276223|Chișinău, Moldova}}
• [http://insecam.org/en/view/824511/ Chisinau online camera]
• [https://www.rtrfoundation.org/webart/KISHINEV.pdf Kishinev/Chisinau] (pp. 364–371) at Miriam Weiner's Routes to Roots Foundation

{{Municipality of Chișinău, Moldova}}

{{AdminCitiesMoldova}}

{{Administrative divisions of Moldova}}

{{List of European capitals by region}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chisinau}}

Category:Capitals in Europe

Category:Cities and towns in Moldova

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Category:Populated places established in the 1430s

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Category:Kishinyovsky Uyezd

Category:Lăpușna County (Romania)

Category:Capitals of the counties of Bessarabia

Category:Ținutul Nistru

Category:Holocaust locations in Moldova

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Category:Historic Jewish communities in Moldova

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