MOLDOVA
Information : Entry : Chisinau : Nature : History and culture : Monasteries and churches : Wine roads : Treatment

Nature monuments

Travelers to Moldova have for centuires been impressed by the beautiful landscapes, which stretch over enormous territories between the Nistru and Prut rivers. The varied relief of the country allows one to enjoy the river canyons, imposing forest-covered hills, and ancient coral reefs standed on virgin stepes.

Moldova is located basically at the area with a picturesque relief between Dnestr and Prut. Along the basic river arteries has run set of deep rocky gorges. The biggest are located in the center of the country and covered, basically, woods. In the north are kept the rocks formed by ancient corals, and , down to the Black sea in the south is stretched the Budzhak steppe. Natural landscapes, so various, are kept untouched the whole centuries. The careful relation of inhabitants to the nature of native edge has forced to take in first half XVI century under protection the woody territory located lengthways р. Dnestr, lower than fortress Tighina, and stretched down to the Black sea. Since then was kept its name - " the Turkish garden " , and it is considered one of the oldest protected zones in Europe. In XIX century the first geopaleontologic reserve of Russian empire has been based on territory of present Moldova. Similar examples are still much more possible.

Today the system of natural protected zones of Republic Moldova is coordinated according to requirements of the International Union of Wildlife management and consists of 12 well designated categories. They include 178 reserves of various types and 130 nature sanctuaries. The highest degree of protection is applied concerning scientific reserves:

Picturesque landscapes consist of 41 landscape reserves, among which are allocated:

Landscape reserves are subdevided into: wood, herbs and mixed. To the most popularnatural monuments concern:

Wonderful landscapes can be seen everywhere in Moldova - the country named in Middle Ages for its beauty as "heavenly spot".

Taul park

Approximately 200км to the north of Chisinau, in the center of Taul is located the biggest park in Moldova. It has been based in the beginning of the XX century around of family Pommer's manor.

Prut toltres

The name "Toltres" refer to the rocks formed as coral adjournment of the ancient seas which covered territory of modern Moldova hundred millions years ago. They calls also as the "islands of the missed seas" and they, towering in open steppe, form somewhere the real coral atolls, for example at villages Brynzen, Feteshti or Trinka in the Edinets district (220 - 250 kms to the north from Chisinau).

In the various periods of time in toltres were formed karstic emptiness: grottoes and caves. They are met everywhere where toltres are kept. In a lot of them lived primitive people (300 - 10 thousand years ago) as, for example, in Duruitoarea, Buteshti, Brynzeni, Feteshti and other villages.

Padurea Domneasca

The biggest scientific reserve in Moldova is situated approximately 185 kms from Chisinau near to the Middle Prut, in a zone known under the name "Padurea Domneasca". At the big territory along the river stretches the representative wood where grows plants, characteristic for this zone: a poplar, oaks, beeches, etc.
Only few people knows, that in Padurea Domneasca the herons live not in canes, but on the trees, occupying significant territory. Local residents name this place "The Country of Herons ", real paradise for these birds brought into the Red Book. At the other end of reserve is located its other feature named " Hundred barrows ".
Till now is not opened the secret of several thousand barrows extended by parallel lines along the left coast of Prut. Probably, it is the burial place of the soldiers who were lost in numerous fights, having places here during the ancient times. Or barrows are the coral adjournment covered with the ground. Probably, it is that case when there was a selective subsidence of ground in Prut.
The reserve's administration invite tourists to visit neighboring toltres with their ancient caves, the biggest lake in Moldova Kosteshti-Stynka, some old rural settlements and some wooden churches kept during 2-3 centuries.

Trajan's Walls

The romes' presence at the territory of the modern Moldova was kept as the rests of strong defensive system of linear strengthenings from earthen shaft and a wooden palings. Their local name - Trayanov Val. Seems that this is the continuation of uniform infinite defensive system of Roman empire's borders, in other modern European countries they are known as "Adrian Shaft" (France, Spain, England, etc.).
At the Moldavian territory are known two such fragments: "Top" and "Bottom".
It is supposed, that the Bottom Trajan Wall has been constructed in III c.b.c. It is stretched approximately on 126 kms from Prut (village Vadul-luj-Isak, Moldova) up to lake Sasyk (near Tatarbunary, Ukraine). According to some hypotheses, the Top Trajan Wallal has been constructed in IV century by local population at the border of two militant tribes which have strengthened their possession from Dnestr (Kitkani) up to Prut (Ljova, 2 km to the north) with length of 138 kms.

Codrii

The oldest scientific reserve of Moldova "Codrii" is situated in 50 kms from Chisinau, and has been based in 1971.
The reserve's nature amazes with an abundance of forms and kinds, some of which are ranked as a category rare or disappearing. In reserve "Codrii" under the protection are about 1000 kinds of plants, a part of flora, characteristic for Moldova, 43 kinds of mammal, 145 kinds of birds, 7 kinds of kowtowing, 10 kinds amphibious and more than 10 thousand kinds of insects. The oak and a beech concern to the basic kinds of trees in a reserved wood. In territory of reserve there is a picturesque zone more smoothly and works "the Museum of the Nature".