The place where urban life and nature meet best – “Valea Morilor” park. Part 1

If you’ve been to Chisinau without visiting the “Valea Morilor” park, then you’ve missed a great place. Let us tell you more about it, so that you include it in the To Do list of your next visit.

According to some reviews Tripadvisor, “Chisinau is quite a small city anyway but it also has lots of green space and this park is really nice. It’s quite large with a lake in the middle. We were there in September 2019 so it was fairly quiet, with a few joggers etc. It’s amazing how the sound of the traffic and city just disappears when you step into the park.”

Another review mentiones: “Valea Morilor Park is to the west of the city in Buiucani sector. The park is around the shores of Lake Valea Morilor, a creation by an initiative of Leonid Brezhnev in 1950. I visited in July 2021. The sheer scale of the place came to my suprise, it has been fully restored to its original condition and looks fantastic. I walked around the lake’s shoreline and by the beach which was already busy. However, it was still relatively early. The lake is definitely worth a visit whilst in Chisinau, it is worth seeking out.”

We did some research and found out that the history of this park is much more complex and interesting than it seems!

During 1951-1952, the young Komsomolists, almost with empty hands dug the pit, which was then filled with the water of the spring from Durleşti (the right tributary of the Bâc river). The lake has become the scenic and practical center of the park. The park area was about 114 hectares, the lake having an area of 34 hectares. Authorities also built a 2.5 km ring around the lake.

Now, the name of the park is Valea Morilor, but in Soviet times they were calling the park the Central Park of Culture and Recreation of the “Leninist Komsomol”. A Summer Theater with 5,000 seats, the daytime cinema, the children’s town “Andrieş”, the beach, the boat station operated near the lake.

Also, there was a dance floor or even two. One of them was “Zîmbet”. People could hear the music even at Malina Mică, so they could dance in the yard or on the balcony.

The lake park served as a base for various water sports. Three rowing schools operated on the territory of the park. Sports fields and fishing spots for amateurs were also there. During the winter, people were skating on the ice. There was also a skydiving tower from which anyone could jump. There was even a parachuting section.

Alleys branched off along the stairs with landscaped grounds, winding the entire descent down the hill. This staircase, like the entire park, was very well conceived and designed. Everything in order to maximize the comfort of visitors. Up to restaurants and toilets.

In front of the cascading stairs, to the right, a summer cinema – a simple summer construction in the form of a tent. Rows of benches were present inside, on which the public could chew sunflower or corn seeds together, drink kvass, must, wine.

In 1972, Vladimir Vîsoţki sang at the Green Theatre.

In July 2006, an ecological disaster occurred on the lake – all the fish perished and were floating on the surface. The causes remain unclear, but in October the authorities began to drain the lake. The plan was to clean the lake and then to fill it with water. Not surprisingly, the process regarding any renovation was delayed until 2012.

Do you want to know what happened after 2012? Follow our website to be the first who reads the second part of the story!

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