The Presidency and Parliament buildings were under renovation for several years after they were vandalized during the protests on April 7, 2009. Tour guide Andrei Smântână mentions that during this period, the Parliament sessions and the President’s Office were relocated to other buildings.
"The Presidency and Parliament buildings were vandalized during the protests in April 2009. During that time, suspicious individuals, directed by obscure forces, infiltrated among the protesters and caused mass disorder and damage to both buildings. It took years to renovate them. Throughout this period, the Parliament sessions and the President's Office operated in other buildings. The Parliament building was constructed in 1976 and initially served as the headquarters of the Communist Party's Central Committee of the Soviet Union. After the proclamation of the Independence of the Republic of Moldova, it became the headquarters of the Parliament."
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Across from the Parliament, there used to be the Lutheran Church, which was demolished in the early 1960s. Later, between 1984 and 1989, the current Presidential Palace was constructed on that site. The project was designed by three architects.
Andrei Smântână explains, “The Church of the Transfiguration, completed in 1902 according to the plans of architect Mihail Seroținschi, was built in the Neo-Byzantine style. Initially, it served as the chapel of Boys’ Gymnasium No. 2, which was later reorganized into the Boys’ High School Mihai Viteazul.”
The Opera and Ballet Theatre Maria Bieșu was founded in 1957, and the building in which the theater operates today was constructed in 1980.
“For several decades, Maria Bieșu performed on the stage of this theater, which now bears her name. The theater has a spacious hall with a capacity of 1200 seats, and every autumn, the Invită Maria festival takes place here. The festival started during Maria Bieșu’s lifetime and continues to this day,” the guide narrates.
Furthermore, we invite you to watch the entire show.
This project is funded and implemented by the Municipality of Chișinău through the Civil Budget Program, 2023 edition.