On the main square of Balti is the National Theater. Vasile Alexandri. The theater building has two halls (large and small), and a circular stage.
The theater hosts performances for adults and children - classical and modern, national and international repertoire. Theater named after Vasile Alexandri is one of the main art theaters in the country engaged in staging national drama.
The founding date of this national theater is May 16, 1957. Initially, it was a Moldovan troupe that complemented the Russian theater, which had been working in the city of Balti since 1947.
In May 1990, the theater received a new name and became the Vasile Alexandria National Theater. The building was opened on May 16 of the same year, it housed two halls, divided into small and large, as well as a circular stage. The project was developed by architect Ioannina Halperin.
For all the time the theater showed about 190 performances, which covered both adult and children's audiences. The theater has national and international repertoires covering both classical and modern productions. This theater is one of the leaders involved in staging national drama. The entire repertoire of the theater is based on texts written by authors from Moldova and Romania. All artists of the troupe are graduates of the University of Arts of Moldova
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Balti-Gorod Airport is one of the two airports in the city of Balti, which, unlike the international Balti-Lyadovena, was a regional airport. To date, the airport does not work, and in its place is a special economic zone (limited territory with special legal status).
Previously, the airport with its sites was used for domestic flights between the city and neighboring Moldavian cities. During World War II, it was the most important airport in the region. At that time, he took small planes, performing economic and public functions.
The airport is located directly in the city of Balti, so it is easy to get to it from the city center by trolley bus (travel time - 10 minutes).
The most popular sights in Balti with descriptions and photos for every taste. Choose the best places to visit famous places in Balti on our website.
Balti (original name Bălţi) is an amazing city, as well as a municipality in Moldova. The presented city is located on the famous Reut River, 127 km from Chisinau. The city of Balti is the second largest of Moldova. It was founded in 1421.
It should be noted that Balti is the third largest country in terms of population after cities such as Tiraspol and Chisinau. Also, the city of Balti in Moldova is the cultural and economic center of the country. The locals call this city the "northern capital." On the territory of the city there are several artificial lakes, for example, such as Brick, City and Komsomol.
Such rivers as Flaminde and Kopachanka flow through the city of Balti (Moldova). The area of \u200b\u200bthe presented city of Balti is 55 square kilometers, and together with the suburbs - about 78 square kilometers. The climate in the city is favorable, moderately continental. The name of the city means “swamps” or “puddles”. Many believe that this city received its name due to the marshland.
Balti is one of the main centers of development of the national as well as local society in the country. The population of the city is about 148.2 thousand people. It is worth noting that this city is a fairly large industrial center. On its territory there are more than 40 enterprises of agricultural and electrical engineering, light and food industries.
The main attractions of the city of Balti are the National Theater. Vasile Alexandri, picture gallery. Antioch Cantemir, Municipal Palace of Culture, Regional Museum of History and Ethnography, Flaker Palace of Culture, St. Nicholas Cathedral, which was built in 1975, Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, Cathedral of St. Constantine and Helena, monument to Taras Shevchenko, monument to Stephen the Great , the building of the Balti diocesan administration, a monument to M. Eminescu, etc. Find out in detail where these attractions are located, you will see on the map of the city of Balti. It is also worth noting that in the city of Balti there are two modern airports, one of which is international. Thanks to this, this city is visited by a huge number of tourists.
He proudly bears the unofficial name of the Northern capital of Moldova. This is a major transport hub, the center of the processing and food industry of the republic. After Chisinau, it is the most densely populated and richest city in Moldova.
If you look at the map of Balti, you will see that the city is located in a beautiful, hilly and rich in wetlands area. From the top of the hill occupied by Balti, a peaceful landscape opens up overlooking the lakes, manicured fields and pastures. But the culture of the city is not inferior in terms of richness of interesting places to nature: modern theaters and art galleries compete with ancient churches. And the Orthodox Cathedral of St. Constantine and Helen and the Bishop's Palace with an adjoining park stand out particularly.
The absence of an influx of tourists allows you to calmly and measuredly enjoy your stay in a wonderful quiet, spiritual place.
Balti (Mold. Bălţi [Balti]) - a city (municipality) in Moldova. Located 130 km northwest of Chisinau on the Reut River. The third most populated city in the country (after Chisinau and Tiraspol). Balti is the economic and cultural center of the northern region, which is why the city is often called the "northern capital". Geographical location and nature
Balti is located in the north of Moldova, 130 km northwest of Chisinau, on a hilly plain (Balti steppe), at the confluence of the Reutzel River in Reut.
Reut crosses the city from the north-east to the south-west, Reutzel - from the south-east to the north-west. The total length of these rivers in Balti is 17 km. The rivers Kopachanka and Flaminde - tributaries of Reut also flow through the city. All rivers belong to the Dniester basin. In Balti there are several artificial lakes: City, Komsomol, Brick.
The area of \u200b\u200bthe city is 55 km², with suburbs - 78 km². Balti are in the 7-point seismic zone. The soil structure consists of ordinary chernozem and clay loam.
Climate
The climate is temperate continental. Winters are mild, short, summers are hot, long. The average January temperature is −4.0 ° C, July +20.5 ° C. The absolute maximum temperature is +40 ° C, the absolute minimum is −32 ° C. The prevailing winds are northeast and northwest 2-5 m / s. The annual rainfall is 450-500 mm, the main share of precipitation falls on the warm season.
Title
The word “Balti” (unit part - balte) literally means “swamps” (another meaning is “puddles”). It is believed that the city received this name because it is located in a swampy area.
Coat of arms and flag
The modern coat of arms and flag of Balti were approved at a meeting of the Council of the municipality in April 2006. The designs of the coat of arms and flag were developed by a member of the State Commission on Heraldry Silviu Tabak.
Coat of arms
The main element of the coat of arms is a shield, on which twelve alternating horizontal stripes of silver and blue are applied. Silver color symbolizes water, blue - earth. The combination of these colors symbolizes the Moldavian name of the city, literally meaning “swamps” (ie, water and land).
The shield shows an archer in Moldavian armor from the time of Stephen the Great. This element was borrowed from the coat of arms of Balti in 1930, in which, as indicated in official materials, it symbolized “the ancient military guard and battles in this region of Moldova”. Archer's clothing is red, military equipment is golden.
Above the shield is a silver crown in the form of a fortress wall with seven towers (the so-called tower or wall crown). This element indicates that Balti has long had a city status. The number of towers symbolizes the significance of the settlement. In Moldova, in addition to Balti, only two other cities have the right to use the seven-headed crown in the coat of arms: Chisinau and Tiraspol. The emblems of other cities can only have three or five towers.
The shield is supported by two silver horses standing on their hind legs. The horse is an ancient symbol of this region. The first coat of arms of Balti (1826) was a shield depicting the head of this animal. Under the shield is a motto tape with an inscription in Latin: CEDANT ARMA TOGAE (Let the weapon give way to toga).
Flag
The flag is a canvas of two horizontal stripes: silver (top) and blue (bottom) color. In the center of the canvas is the main element of the coat of arms - a shield with an image of an archer.
History
The first documented mention of the existence of a settlement on the site of modern Balti dates from 1421. This year is considered to be the year the city was founded. At that time, the settlement was part of the possessions of Ringala, the wife of the Moldavian ruler Alexander the Good.
At the end of the 15th century it was completely burned by the troops of Khan Mengli I Gerai and until the beginning of the 18th century there was no information about the destroyed settlement.
In 1711, during the Prut campaign of Peter I, the settlement was again burned down (according to one version - by the Tatars, who sought to destroy the supply base of the Russian troops, according to another - by the Russian troops during the retreat).
In 1766, the Moldavian ruler Alexander Gika donated land along the Reut River to the Jasius Monastery of St. Spyridon and to large merchants - brothers Alexander, Konstantin and Iordakia Panaite. In the estate of Panaite, the village of Balti begins to be built, which at the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th centuries becomes a small trading town.
In 1779, at the invitation of the Turkish Pasha, Jewish merchants settled in Balti. Three years later, the rights and obligations of the Jewish community were approved by the authorities.
In 1812, Bessarabia came under Russian jurisdiction, and in 1818, with the formation of the Bessarabian region, which entered the Pale of Settlement, Balti was appointed the county town of Iasi district. In the same year, Emperor Alexander I visited Balti. It is believed that during his stay in Balti the emperor received the news of the birth of his nephew (future emperor Alexander II) and, in honor of this event, ordered Balti to be given city status.
In 1856, Beltsy was honored with a visit by Empress Maria Alexandrovna.
In 1887, the Iasi district was renamed Beletsky (i.e. Beltsky). At this time, approx. 10 thousand people, mostly Jews - 70%, in the city there were 72 synagogues
Located at the crossroads of large roads (it connected Chernivtsi, Khotin, Soroki with Chisinau, Bender, Ackerman, Izmail), the city gradually became a significant trading center of Bessarabia. The main subject of trade was cattle.
The importance of Balti grew even more when the Balti-Ungheni-Chisinau and Rybnitsa-Balti-Ocnita railroads were built in 1894. By the beginning of the 20th century, Beltsy turned into an industrial city with widely developed trade, many factories and factories.
The economic development of Balti continued after the accession of Bessarabia to Romania in 1918.
Jews made up the majority of the city’s population. According to the Romanian census of 1930, out of 35,000 inhabitants, about 20,000 were Jews, 10,000 Romanians (Moldovans), and 5,000 Ukrainians and Russians.
The king of Romania, Carol II, visited Beltsy twice: in 1924 (still being the crown prince) and in 1935 (together with his son, the future king Mihai I).
Like most Moldovan cities, Balti suffered greatly during the Second World War. Most of the Jewish population remaining in the city was destroyed.
In Soviet times, Balti became a large industrial center with the status of a city of republican subordination.
In 1991, the independence of Moldova was proclaimed. In the context of the economic crisis caused by the collapse of the USSR, most of the city’s enterprises were on the brink of survival. Unemployment and a sharp decline in living standards led to the fact that a significant part of the population left the city. From 1989 to 2004, the population of Balti decreased by 20%. Most Jews repatriate to Israel and immigrate to other countries.
In 1994, Balti was given the status of a municipality.
In 1998, as a result of the administrative-territorial reform, the Balti district was formed with its center in the city of Balti. However, after the reverse reform of 2003 (the abolition of counties and a return to division into districts), Balti regained the status of a separate administrative unit that is not included in any of the districts.
Administrative device
The municipality of Balti is an independent administrative-territorial unit. The municipality includes the villages of Elizavetovka and Sadovoye.
The governing bodies of the municipality are the municipal council and the mayor, who heads the city hall.
The Council consists of 35 advisers, elected for a term of 4 years. According to the results of the 2007 elections, the majority of seats in the Balti Municipal Council belong to the Party of Communists (PCRM) - 21 seats; 11 seats belong to representatives of other parties, 3 seats - to independent candidates. There are two fractions in the council: the PCRM fraction (21 advisers) and the Meleag fraction (“Krai”), which includes 2 independent advisers and 4 representatives of different parties.
The mayor of the municipality is also elected for a 4-year term. Since 2001, Vasily Panchuk has been holding the post of mayor, having been re-elected twice: in 2003 - in early elections (in connection with the reform of the administrative-territorial structure), and in 2007.
Public organizations
Balti is one of the important centers for the development of local and national civil society of Moldova. Many independent and apolitical organizations were founded in Balti, such as the NGO Second Breath - one of the most important Moldovan organizations for caring for vulnerable people, a youth organization, Tinerii pentru Dreptul la Viaţă - “Youth for the Right to Life”, an organization dedicated to the development of youth policy in mun. Balti Prosperitatea Viitorului - The Prosperous Future, non-governmental non-governmental organization of people without psychological problems “Soul Movement” - “Mishkara Soufletului” - “Movement of Soul” and others.
Population
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, as of January 1, 2010, the resident population of the Balti municipality amounted to 148.2 thousand Of this number, the urban population is 143.3 thousand, the rural - 4.9 thousand.
Religious composition: Orthodox - 110 961, Baptists - 2609, Catholics - 990, Seventh-day Adventists - 576, Pentecostals - 487, evanghelică sinodo prestbiter - 296, сreştină după evahghelie - 166, Muslims - 106, evanghelică de confesiune - 77, 47, reformates - 44, adherents of other religions - 2161, atheists - 544 people who do not profess any religion - 3304, refused to indicate their religion - 5193.
Economy
Industry
Balti is a large industrial center. There are 40 enterprises in the city: food and light industry, electrical and agricultural machinery, building materials, etc. The annual volume of industrial production in average prices is 2.2 billion lei (2004).
Balti Free Economic Zone
On the basis of Law No. 26 of March 4, 2010, adopted by the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, a free economic zone “Bălţi” was created in Balti. The free economic zone includes two sections with an area of \u200b\u200babout 12 hectares and has access to the railway and highways of international importance. The intended duration of the SEZ “Bălţi” is 25 years.
Urban economy
The Balti Housing Fund has 12,800 houses and 65 dormitories.
There are 376 streets and 11 automobile bridges in Balti. The total length of all streets, driveways and embankments is 220.7 km, area - 1478.5 thousand km². The total length of sidewalks is 218.4 km, storm water networks - 31.2 km. The service life of municipal roads is 10 years or more, which affects the state of their coverage.
Water supply to Balti is carried out from the Dniester River through the Soroksky water conduit, as well as from artesian wells. There are 89 wells in total, most of them are mothballed. In addition, the municipality has 36 clean water tanks, 14 pumping stations, 667 mine wells. Depreciation of the city's water supply network exceeds 70%.
Sanitary cleaning and cleaning of municipal territories, sanitary services of the municipality, removal, storage and recycling of garbage (MSW) are carried out by the Municipal Enterprise Special Automotive Economy.
Transport
Passenger transportation in Balti is carried out by trolleybus and bus departments, private buses, minibuses and cars. The total volume of traffic for the year is 35.4 million passengers (2004). The public transport tariffs are regulated by the municipal council (2 MDL on the bus and 1.5 MDL on the trolley, 2.5 MDL on the minibus).
Buses and taxis
10 bus routes are serviced by private transport enterprises that are not regulated by the Balti Bus Administration; since 1996, the Balti Bus Depot has not been servicing intercity routes, specializing mainly in suburban and intercity routes. There are also about 25 minibus lines in Balti and nearby towns.
Trolleybuses
In Balti, the operational length of the trolleybus line is 39.6 kilometers. Maintenance is carried out by four traction converting electrical substations with a total installed capacity of 82.41 kilowatts. The source of supply is the general energy system of the municipality by supplying a direct current of 600 volts through traction converter substations TP-1; TP-2; TP-3; TP-4.
Currently, the municipality has three trolleybus routes. The average operational speed of trolley buses on routes is 16 kilometers per hour. Most trolleybuses used by the Balti trolleybus management (MPTU) are various modifications of the Russian ZiU (the newest ones of 1992), Czech Skoda 14trM (2002), three ACSM 20101 (2003-2004 years of release), and family VMZ-5298.01 (VMZ-375) of the company Trans-Alpha OJSC (produced in 2008) Line Length In operation with Number of stops
Taxi
In Balti there is a large selection of taxi services (more than 7 companies), most of which practice a fixed tariff within the city. Two services are branches of Chisinau Moldavian republican companies, four are Balti companies.
The tariff “2.50 lei km / 1.00 lei minute of downtime” is currently being introduced by the government and is the subject of difficult negotiations by taxi service unions.
Motorways
Balti has always been at the intersection of important routes and today is an important transmodal transport hub, namely at the intersection of the European main highway E583 (class B roads).
Bus service is an effective way to travel between cities in Moldova, as well as fixed-route taxis (public or private services). Balti is connected with Chisinau 127 km of the highway constructed in Soviet times (part of the road is in good condition). In 2 hours from Balti, by road you can reach Ukraine in the north or west direction and in 1 hour to Romania in the south-west direction through the customs checkpoint Skulyany-Skulyany or in the west direction through Stynka-Costesti, which allows you to get to the important Romanian city of Iasi (104 km from Balti).
The Balti bus station is one of the largest in Moldova and provides bus communication with literally any settlement in Moldova, as well as European (Eurolines) and international bus services.
Train stations
Balti is the most important transport hub in the north of Moldova, which includes two railway stations: Balti-Slobodzeya and Balti-Gorod of the Moldovan railways. Both stations serve passenger and freight trains of local and international traffic. Regular commuter trains include such directions as: Ocnita (north), Rezina (east), Ungeni (southwest), as well as Chisinau. The train ride to Chisinau takes 6 hours (200 km from Balti by rail).
The railway lines are single-track, not electrified.
Summer train timetable (rus.).
Airports
There are two functioning airports in the city, one of which is international - Balti-Lyadovena International Airport, a few kilometers north (near the village of Korleteni, formerly called Lyadovena), modern by Soviet standards, built in the 80s, where they can produce landing large jet airliners (one runway with a length of 2,200 meters). There is currently no information on scheduled flights.
The second airport for small aircraft is Balti-Gorod Airport, located on the eastern border of the city. This airport was the most important airport in the surrounding region during World War II.
The city of Balti is located on the Reut River, 130 kilometers from Chisinau. By the number of inhabitants is the third in Moldova. Balti is the economic and cultural center of the northern region, often called the "northern capital". can see here.
Balti are the birthplace of the famous Moldavian cognac "White Stork". And in this city lives the famous actor Mihai Volontir - beloved by many viewers, gypsies Budulai.
Tourists coming to Balti can stay at one of several hotels.
In the area of \u200b\u200bthe city bus station, not far from entertainment and shopping centers, the Tineretea Hotel is located. Its doors are always hospitably opened for those who prefer quality service and comfort. The hotel has 35 rooms (luxury, standard and two-room), which have air conditioning, minibars, flat-screen TVs, wireless Internet. Cost from 30 to 95 dollars.
You can stay in comfort and get quality service at Hotel Balti. From the hotel to the airport 20 minutes by car, next to the hotel there are many shopping centers and restaurants.
There are other hotels in the city where you can rent rooms. This hotel "Besarabia", Hotel "Tineretsya-Modern", Hotel "Lido", etc.
Beltsy loves guests, so there are all conditions in the city so that tourists do not feel hungry. As in any modern city, there are many cafes, coffee houses, restaurants and bars where you can taste both Moldavian national dishes and dishes of other cuisines.
In particular, in the center of the city there is the Oscar cafe - a fashionable establishment with a peaceful atmosphere in which guests can enjoy exotic cuisine accompanied by intelligent music.
Moldavian national cuisine is a real paradise for vegetarians, because it is characterized by an abundance of a variety of vegetables that can be used as independent dishes or as an addition to meat. If you find yourself in an institution serving Moldavian food, then do not miss the opportunity to try dishes such as givech, stuffed eggplant, sheep cheese, pest of husbands, mamalyga, mitite.
Beltsy can rightfully be called the cultural capital of Moldova. The city has a lot of memorial sites and monuments. Klassikov Alley is one of the youngest complexes in the form of busts of cultural figures mounted on pedestals. The complex was opened recently, in 2010.
In 1944, an Alley was laid for the soldiers who fell during World War II.
There are many interesting monuments in the city, including a monument to Tank T-34, N. Ostrovsky, the Young Guard B. Glavan, M. Eminescu, a monument to Stefan the Great, victims of Chernobyl, a monument to railway workers in the form of a Steam Locomotive, etc.
The real pearl of Balti is their holy places: the Cathedral of Saints Equal to the Apostles Constantine and Helen, built in the style of national romanticism, the ancient Armenian church of St. Gregory the Illuminator of Armenia, the cathedral and bell tower of St. Nicholas, which were restored in 1975, the Catholic Church of the Holy Archangels, the Church of Saints Apostles Peter and Paul and St. Rev. Paraskeva. In the park "Selection" is the Balti diocesan administration.
In the vicinity of Balti are absolutely unique medieval monasteries Tsypovo and Saharna. Thanks to their excellent preservation, they are still valid today. In Tsypovo there is the Orthodox Assumption Monastery, one of the largest of its kind in Europe, and in Saharna - the Holy Trinity rock monastery. Monasteries are open to visitors, both faithful pilgrims and ordinary tourists who are interested in the unique location and beauty of local nature can come here. It is in such places that people take a break from worldly fuss and find peace of mind.
Among the cultural attractions of Balti include the Vasile Alexandri National Theater, the Municipal Palace of Culture, the Antioch Cantemir Art Gallery, the Flacare Palace of Culture, the Regional Historical and Ethnographic Museum, libraries and reading rooms.
The city has parks and squares (Victory Park, Park "Selection", children's park "Andriyosh"). There are several lakes in the Balti area - Gorodskoye, Komsomolskoe, Ivanesco. Each of them has its own recreational area where you can relax.
Balti can be reached by train from many regions of Moldova, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine (91 stations in total). These are such areas as Moscow, Gomel, Kiev, Kaluga, Zhytomyr, Bryansk, etc. The journey from the capital of Moldova by train takes about 6 hours.
There is a bus station in Balti, one of the largest in the country. From here you can take a bus to any city in Moldova. There are buses and international connections.
With Chisinau, Balti is connected by a highway built in Soviet times. In two hours by car you can get from Balti to Ukraine, and just an hour - to neighboring Romania.
The city has a Balti-Lyadovena airport that accepts both domestic and international flights.
Balti in Moldova is called the "Northern Capital" - after the separation of Transnistria, the city with a population of 149 thousand people became the second in the country with a very large margin from the third (in fact, the following Cahul, Ungheni and Soroka are inferior to Balti about three times each). The history of Balti for Moldova is super-typical: as the village has been known since 1421, since 1620 - the possession of the Iasi monastery of St. Spyridon, and since 1766 - the merchant brothers Alexander, Konstantin and Jordan Panaite. The latter invited Jews here in 1779, turning the village into a trading place, elevated to a county town near Russia ... and the county until 1887 was called Yassky. In 1894, the railway came here, and most importantly - unlike Chisinau, the city also developed under the Romanians, having grown three times during the interwar period (up to 35 thousand people) ... and therefore, with a quite ordinary history, the architecture of Balti for the former The USSR is nontrivial - perhaps this is the second reserve after the Chernivtsi Romanian interwar, and according to churches - I would even say that the first. Moldovan history and Romanian architecture here are combined with Slavic modernity: Moldovans in the northern capital of the country are slightly more than half (54%), and another 42% are Ukrainians and Russians. And in general, in some places Beltsy subtly reminded me of the regional centers of Kazakhstan ... at least the historical environment is organized in the same way: several dozens of interesting buildings, sprayed in general grayness. However, I still got enough material about Balti in 2 large posts - in the first we will examine a large part of the center, and in the second - a university and two railway suburbs.
Although Balti is a railway through and through, it takes about 6 hours to travel from here to Chisinau, and there are no direct diesel engines at all - only through the border Ungheni. But there are no buses between the two capitals: and official minibuses every 15-30 minutes from the Northern bus station (including express trains that travel without stops, breaking 130km in 2 hours - the speed is almost cosmic on broken Moldovan roads), and one more hello To Kazakhstan! - Private traders for filling in minivans and cars. In Balti, the bus station is located on the eastern outskirts, at the exit to Floreshty, and is densely overgrown with a bazaar. Actually, there is no bus station here now - a few small box-office pavilions on the covered platform, and now they sell furniture in the bus station itself:
Please note that the inscription outside the window is in Russian - Balti in this sense very sharply contrast even with Chisinau, not to mention small towns. Here you hear Russian speech on the streets much more often than Moldavian.
The city from its end to end, from the north-east (bus station) to the south-west crosses its avenue Stefan cel Mare (Stefan the Great) - its length here is about 10 kilometers, that is, more than 2 times that of the Chisinau namesake. Most likely, this is the longest street in Moldova. It is necessary to go along it from the bus station to the center:
On the way, I accidentally turned onto May 1 Street, which (changing its name to Kievskaya) leads to the Slobodzeya forecourt, using the questioning method I found out that the latter was already very far away, and already went to the center with yards. Signs in Balti are generally a special topic - for example, throughout the city they have an arrow pointing to the Balti hotel, and according to these arrows, the Balti hotel is everywhere.
Balti courtyard:
Features of the decor of local stalinok:
Finally, I returned to Stephen the Great Avenue, which, entering the center, looks like this:
The bell tower in front belongs to the St. Nicholas Cathedral, and is albeit not authentic (demolished in 1965, recreated in the 1990s), but almost a unique example of post-war architecture in this genre - the original bell was destroyed during the war, and in the first years after The liberation of Balti here somehow managed to build a new one. However, this, of course, is not Stalinism, but the neobrynkovyansky style characteristic of pre-war Romania.
As for the temple itself, in architecture it is a typical Polish church of the 18th century, which, in truth, I did not expect at all. In fact, it was built as an Armenian Catholic Cathedral in 1791-95 - then Iordake Panaite decided to invite Armenians to Balti (apparently in order to create healthy competition for his Jews), but in the end, something did not work out, the Armenians didn’t they didn’t come, and in 1804 the church was consecrated as Orthodox. However, its impressive size predetermined the Balti architecture - until the 1920s, it accommodated all city parishioners, therefore in Balti (except Slobodzeya) there is not a single church of the Russian era.
The door was open, and inside it was completely empty. I uncovered the camera, leaving a few lei in the donation box. Here I already understood the third surprise - the painting:
Yes, in terms of art, they are blatantly weak, at the level of illustrations for children's books:
But this is not the main thing - the inscription at the entrance says that the cathedral was painted in 1942-43! In addition, it did not close, so the paintings were renewed in the 1970s.
And although I traveled to almost five hundred cities, I see the architectural heritage for the first time, created during the war. Although, I'm lying - there is still the Arbat-Pokrovskaya line of the Moscow metro. In general, a rare case. Balti Cathedral is perhaps the most interesting underground church in Moldova:
Independence Square adjoins the cathedral, which they clearly wanted to build in the Stalinist style, but Khrushchov prevented it. Nevertheless, the Stalin-City Hall (1958) is also atypical for Moldova. And here is a new monument to Stephen the Great in front of her (2004):
The five-story building on the right with one end looks at the St. Nicholas Cathedral, and with the other - at the completely not typical for Moldova church of St. Michael the Archangel - modern, but very beautiful and clearly the largest in the country. The inscriptions in the niches on the facade are in Polish, and in general one would think that the Poles in Balti are at least a few percent of the population, but in reality there are not more of them than in any other 100-thousandth city of the former USSR. As for the church, I really regretted being too lazy to get around it.
Here is the descent into the City Park:
And from the Independence Square, a long narrow square Vasile Alexandri branches off, more like a pedestrian street in some places:
It has a lot of things - a covered market, an unfinished office (?) Building, shopping malls, government offices, a cinema ... but primarily the Vasily Alexandri National Theater, built in 1990-91:
Including the composition on the facade ... Why can not I get rid of the feeling that they have weapons in their hands?
There is also a fountain and a passport desk with the Soviet Trinity:
And the REGISTRY OFFICE, which occupies the tsar’s rare house in Beltsy — most likely, it was some other gymnasium:
Next door is an abandoned cafe. Perhaps the Romanian era.
In addition, if you go a little out of the square - you can see the already mentioned Beltsy hotel - it seems that this is a late Soviet stylization under Romanian functionalism (!), Or, well, simply, the handwriting of Moldovan architects is this:
If you go further along the hotel, you will suddenly find the Armenian Church of St. George (1910-14) in the square, which is already quite Armenian-Orthodox. The peculiarity of the Balti churches is that they are all very small and hidden by the surrounding houses and trees, so it can be very difficult to search for them:
So that let's get back to the square, and again we will go to the Prospect: At the intersection - stands with names and short biographies of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War, like somewhere in Belarus, the place itself is very busy - a couple of dozen shops and tents and the main stop of trolleybuses and minibuses:
Opposite is a Romanian post office building. The second facade is also interesting for him, but it is not at all amenable to photography due to sticky stalls. And it’s not easy to take such a shot - usually there is, when picking up passengers, another trolleybus:
Along the avenue, I went southwest, moving away from the cathedral and bus station. This building was puzzled - most likely, a good stylization for the Romanian interwar (for which such a wide glazing was not typical):
And this house of the 1930s, on the contrary, is quite authentic. Look back:
The Peter and Paul Church (1915-29) is another example of the Romanian interwar. The prison surrounds the temple on three sides:
The house on the corner of Decebala street, along which we will return here in the next part - seems to be Romanian, and in the list of monuments of architecture appears under 1956. It is clear that the same architects built here before and after the war, but such a tolerance for national architecture is very unexpected for the post-war USSR (there is, of course, an “ethnic” version of Stalinism, but here it’s clearly not it, but something petty-bourgeois):
A couple more Romanian houses. The near one is remarkable for stucco platbands, the distant one (1934) - with this arrogant angel and the fact that he is busy with the directorate of the Dniester Institute of Economics and Law (1995), almost the first private university in Moldova:
But actually, there’s just enough - and captive German stalinkas lined with a cauldron:
And the royal barracks:
And high-rise buildings with decorative elements ... By the way, pay attention - even the country is the poorest in Europe, and there are a lot of double-glazed windows in the center of Balti:
I didn’t go further than the street of August 31 connecting the university with the Western station, which I will discuss in the next part. The last frame from the avenue is a monument to the victims of Chernobyl of apocalyptic colors:
To the right of the boulevard there is mainly a railroad industrial zone behind the facades of the first houses, and the center to the left. And the center here, as already mentioned, I associate with the cities of Kazakhstan of the type or - mostly extremely plain, consisting of high-rise buildings and the private sector, with separate interspersed old buildings rarely more than a few houses in a row.
At best, it looks like this:
Romanian houses in the Russian view are quite original, but somehow do not add up to ensembles:
“The Polish House” remained a mystery to me why in Balti such a tangible Polish influence:
But the Jewish past (after all, Jews accounted for up to 70% of the population) does not remind anything at all - except for the former Jewish Lyceum on Lepusnianu Street (now the Museum of Local Lore), which I never found. There is also a functioning synagogue here - but in a late Soviet house bought by the Jews in 1980. But for example, these ruins on Peace Street seemed to me like a former synagogue:
Although this building is even more similar, in some places it refers to the mansion of a certain Hadji Makaraov of the 19th century, and in others - as a former mayoralty of the interwar era.
In general, I wandered the streets of Balti for a long time and I did not find much. In most of the center, the landscape is frankly dull, and the streets are not picturesquely neglected at all, and if you do not prepare for a tour of Balti in advance, there is little chance of finding something.
For example, on Shchuseva Street - I knew for sure that there is another church, the farthest from the center, of the Archangel Michael (1929-33) of the Romanian era. I walked past the address a couple of times - the church is very small, hidden in the courtyard and almost invisible from the outside:
Meanwhile, one of the most interesting Balti churches: after all, the “national” branch of the inter-war Romanian architecture basically beat the motifs of medieval Wallachia. Here, the stylization is clearly under Moldova 15-16 centuries:
In addition, the church is now also an Old Believer. The Old Believers in Moldova love just such temples - small ones, away from busy places and with a cunningly hidden entrance: I found the gate only on the third attempt.
In the same area there is also the Emmanuelle Baptist Church - the Baptists in Balti are the second largest denomination (about 3,000 people), three times ahead of Catholics. However, Protestants in Moldova are generally very active:
Finally - a couple of sketches from the area between the Old Believer and Baptist churches:
Two more Romanian churches, as well as two stations and a university - in the next part.
