Museums

The collections of Moldova’s museums are an essential part of the nation’s cultural heritage. The wealth of the national culture is concentrated in collections of diverse museums throughout Moldova which form a network of over 65 museum facilities. The majority of Moldova’s museums are in its capital - Chisinau.

The wealth of the national culture can be witnessed through the exhibits and artifacts in the National History Museum (over 165,000 authentic items) and in the National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History - which shows archeological findings reflecting the development of the human society. They date back to the period from Paleolith to late Medieval ages. The above mentioned museums are the most representative ones in Chisinau.

The collection of Moldova’s National Museum of Fine Artsincludes around33 thousand items. It represents the Moldavian visual arts (paintings, graphics, sculptures, decorative applied arts) from the Medieval Age up to nowadays. Of particular interest is the collection of Moldovan medieval icons. The ancient icons, books and manuscripts give an idea of the development of Christianity in Moldova and its influence on the Moldavian culture.

You can learn more about the Romanian literature in M. Kogalniceanu Romanian Literature Museum where most of the exhibits are the works by the Romanian classics, starting from D. Cantemir. If you are keen on archeology, you can visit the Museum of Archeology and Ethnography located in the vicinity. The museum’s several picturesque panoramic presentations of diverse folk customs and traditions are quite impressive.

The great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin was sent by the Russian Tsar to a three-year exile in Moldova and arrived to Chisinau on September 21, 1820. The poet was staying in General Inzov’s house, which is currently A. Pushkin’s Memorial Museum. Do not miss your chance to see the place where the great poet wrote many of his lyrics, the frivolous “Gavriliade” and the first chapter of his well-known novel in verse “Eugene Onegin” as well as some other works, which form part of the global literary heritage.

Chisinau was a place of residence for well-known architects A. Schusev and A. Bernardazzi, whose personal effects, photos and documents are exhibited in A. Schusev House-Museum.