Chișinău
Chișinău (/ˌkɪʃɪˈnaʊ/ KISH-in-OW, US also /ˌkiːʃiːˈnaʊ/ kee-shee-NOW; Romanian: [kiʃiˈnəw] ⓘ), formerly known as Kishinev, is the capital and largest city of Moldova. 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 transportation hub. Nearly a third of Moldova's population lives in the metro area.
Chișinău | |
|---|---|
Capital city and municipality | |
Views of Chișinău: Chișinău City Hall, Triumphal Arch and Nativity Cathedral, Stephen the Great Monument, Chișinău State Circus and Valea Morilor Park, Endava Tower | |
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Flag Coat of arms | |
| Nickname(s): Orașul din piatră albă (lit. 'The city of white stone') | |
Chișinău Location of Chișinău in Moldova Chișinău Chișinău (Europe) | |
| Coordinates: 47°01′22″N 28°50′07″E | |
| Country | Moldova |
| First written mention | 14 October 1436 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–council government |
| • Mayor | Ion Ceban (National Alternative Movement) |
| Area | |
| • Capital city and municipality | 123 km2 (47 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 571.6 km2 (217.5 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 85 m (279 ft) |
| Population (2014 census) | |
| • Capital city and municipality | 532,513 |
| • Estimate (2019) | 639,000 |
| • Density | 4,329/km2 (11,210/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 702,300 |
| • Rural | 77,000 |
| • Metro | 779,300 |
| GDP | |
| • Capital city and municipality | €3.448 billion (2015) |
| • Per capita | €5,400 (2015) |
| 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 (2021) | 0.770 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) | |
Moldova has a history of winemaking dating back to at least 3,000 BCE, and as the capital city, Chișinău hosts the yearly national wine festival every October. Though the city's buildings were badly damaged during the Second World War and earthquakes, there remains a rich architectural heritage, especially in the form of Socialist realism and Brutalist architecture. The city's central railway station boasts a Russian-Imperial architectural style, and maintains direct rail links to Romania. The Swiss-Italian-Russian architect Alexander Bernardazzi designed many of the city's most impressive 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, the National Museum of History of Moldova with over 236,000 exhibits, and bustling markets in the north of the city, including the house where Alexander Pushkin once resided while in exile from Alexander I of Russia, and which has now been turned into a museum. The city's Nativity Cathedral, located at the centre of the city and constructed in the 1830s, has been described as a "masterpiece" of Neoclassical architecture.