Life in villages across Nistru River

The village of Crocmaz is situated on the bank of the river Nistru, in the south-east of the former county of Tighina, which has an area of 47.8 km². The village has been on record since 1595, and is proud of its artisans of hand-crafted folk art, amongst which one can find objects of a singular beauty: traditional carpets, towels, items woven from willow twigs, and others. The idea of opening some kind of winery was a long-time wish of Alexandru Luchianov. It is an enterprise at the start of a journey in which just 3 people are hitherto involved, but which will lead, Alexandru hopes, to good things. The winery was set up in partnership with a business from abroad. All the technical equipment came from Italy, Germany, and other European countries. The final product is wine which appears under the brand-name ETC (‘et cetera’), and can already be sampled in some restaurants in Chisinau and elsewhere in the Republic. The main grape varieties from which the wine is produced are: Muscat, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Traminer and Sauvignon. The winery organizes excursions for those interested in its activities. learn more…

The village of Crocmaz is situated on the bank of the river Nistru, in the south-east of the former county of Tighina, which has an area of 47.8 km². The village has been on record since 1595, and is proud of its artisans of hand-crafted folk art, amongst which one can find objects of a singular beauty: traditional carpets, towels, and items woven from willow twigs. Elisei Taranenco is a much admired craftsman in the village. He builds houses, doors and decorative fences. His distinctive work can be seen on entering the village, on the village well, and in the form of many crucifixes, cemetery gates, frescoes on shop walls, and on the main altar of the village church. He celebrates his birthday on the 7th of January, at Christmas, and everyone celebrates with him. Here he talks about his work and reveals that he wants to make his home more attractive so that his children will not sell it and will return to live in their parents’ home in the village. learn more…

Purcari is located on the lower course of the Nistru River and it was certified on the 11th of April 1560. Purcari came to be one of the best zones for viticulture in the whole territory of the Republic of Moldova. According to Pavel Slobozeanu, who is an honorable citizen of that place, the village was named Purcari because previously it was home to many pig breeders. Last year its lands were flooded, but they survived without substantial damage. Pavel Slobozeanu is a very informed person, even if his TV only has channels from Ukraine and the left bank of the Nistru River. He told us that he wishes also to have Moldova 1 - the reason why he is going to buy a satellite dish. He likes to cook a lot, especially fish, and has a lot of recipes that he loves to share. He doesn’t go to the left bank of the Nistru River, but he has a lot of friends and relatives that travel there to visit someone or to shop. learn more…

The village Dubasarii Vechi, in the Criuleni district, situated 35 km from Chisinau, and with a population approximately of 6000 people, is a place with ancient historical traditions, differing from other places on account of its favorable geographical position and the way of life of the people who live there. It is situated in the North-Eastern part of the Lower Field of the River Nistru, a bit farther on from Vadul lui Voda. In the old days the crossing of big rivers was made through fords, where the water was lower, and on moving bridges. The boats were made from oak trees and lubricated with pitch. Hence the name of the village, since the workers that used to make these bridges were called “dubasar” in Romanian. After the city of Dubasari came to be called by its current name, the village came to be Dubasarii Vechi. The landscape that can be seen from the entrance of the village never fails to please people, both guests and visitors. This place, people tell us, is well-known for growing tomatoes. In every farm this occupation is present. In the following material you can see 2 interviews with people from the village, whom we met on the road. They told us about their daily life, and about their concerns, talking for the first time in front of a camera. Here we also saw a lot of carts - the most often used form of transport around here. learn more…

The village of Cosnita was registered in 1683. During the 80s, a bridge was built over the river Nistru, below Dubasari, used by a Chisinau – Tiraspol bus service, becoming the main car route through the hub of Voda, bringing Cosnita much closer to Chisinau and making it, in a way, a suburb of the capital. Cosnita is situated on the broad plains, extending some kilometers from the north-east to the south-west, and is crossed by the highway which runs towards Grigoriopol. The history of the village’s appearance is closely related with the appearance and development of the Moldovan Village. The head of the Civil Status Office in the Dubasari raion [an administrative district] talked to us about the activities of the office and the difficulties it has drawing up documents requested by inhabitants of the district on both sides of the Nistru. She also showed us the archives and the ceremony room. Much more information can be found in the video. learn more…

Nestled in a bend of the Nistru, below Dubasari, Dorotcaia, along with other some villages on the right bank of the river Nistru, leads a life of worries, joys and accomplishments from one season to the next, year after year. Situated right next to the Dubasari-Grigoriopol highway, Dorotcaia benefits from both cities in equal measure. The village was recorded for the first time in 1768 as ‘Dorotcoie’, in the Tiraspol district. Currently about 4000 people live in the village, which has a community centre, high-school [liceu], hospital, post office, library, and several repair workshops and other shops. The interview shows here features Valentina Ctitor, deputy head at the ‘Stefan cel Mare’ liceu, from Grigoriopol. Now, obviously, the question arises, “Why do we mention a school from Grigoriopol whilst describing Dorotcaia?”. And the answer is as follows: The ‘Stefan cel Mare’ highschool from Grigoriopol is currently located in the village of Dorotcaia. It is a high-school that, despite many problems, teaches in the state language of Moldova, using the Latin script. From the video we learn that, every day, 4 buses carrying 199 children plus the staff of the school travel from Grigoriopol to Dorotcaia, We also learn about the working schedule of the school, and the general problems which both the teachers and students face. The video, furthermore, teaches us about the attitude of the authorities regarding the current situation, about how the Ministry of Education got involved, and about the troubling experiences of the parents and students. learn more…

The village of Cosnita appears in history in the period when Moldovans from the principality of Moldavia, downtrodden by the Turkish and the local feudal exploiters, started to populate the left bank of the Nistru River. At the end of the XVII century these refugees created the village of Cosnita. There are 3 versions of the origin of this name [the Romanian for ‘basket’ is ‘cos’]: (1) that it is related to the location of the village - in a deep curve of the Nistru River that looks like a basket; (2) that in the past a lot of reeds used to grow here, from which plaited baskets were made; (3) that the first fishermen to fish on the Nistru used to leave empty baskets on high places along the bank, in order to navigate. It is said that the first inhabitants of these places were basket knitters. In this video we meet the President of the Youth Association of the left bank of the Nistru, Petru Bondari, whom we asked to tell us about activities with the youth from both banks of the Nistru River. They are very active, and have succeeded in organizing many cultural and sport events -and also events of an educational nature- thanks to the civic spirit of the youth. More details in the video. learn more…

Maxim Jeredi is originally from the village of Harmatca, on the left bank of the Nistru, a territory controlled by the Transnistrian authorities. He is resident in Cosnita to avoid the compulsory military service which is imposed by the Transnistrian authorities. This, being resident in Cosnita, constantly creates problems for him. Recently he went to see a doctor because of some medical problems. He should have been admitted to hospital, but because of problems with his documents the treatment will have to be postponed. Now he is forced to walk on the roads so as to solve, first of all, the problems with his documents – He needs also a medical insurance policy to pay for the treatment, since only then can he benefit from the medical service which is due. From Harmacta he was sent to Cosnita, but from Cosnita to Chisinau, to sort out his documents. After all this, Maxim Jeredi talked to us, outraged, about the situation. More details in the video. learn more…

Mihai Cojusea is president of the Football Association of the Dubasari Raion, which is part of the Football Association of Moldova. He is responsible for five villages on the right bank of the Nistru, (Ustia, Oxentea, Holercani, Molovata Veche, Marcauti) and seven on the left (Cosnita, Pohrebea, Dorotcaia, Pirita, Corjova, Cocieri, Molovata Noua). He talked to us about the football championship “Sport for Peace”, which took place in collaboration with the ‘Left Bank Youth Association’, and in which all the villages mentioned above participated, as well as some others controlled by the Transnistrian authorities. The championship took place in the town of Harmatca. Over the course of a few days, the championship unfolded in a very civil and even adventurous spirit – both players and spectators, and others, were involved. He said to us that he would like to make the championship a regular thing, and to have it take place every year on both sides of the Nistru, but that this is impossible for the time being due to a lack of funds. Nevertheless, with the help of the NGOs from the region, he hopes that it will be possible in the near future. learn more…

A town making an appearance in the history books on the 23rd of September, 1607: A document belonging to the prince Mihail Movila, dated September 23, 1607, establishes the boundary of the village of Zolonceni , by the mouth of the river Raut, as being “above Criveni”, the old name for what is now Criuleni. The town has an area of 14.6 km2. Criueleni is home to the ‘Hope’ day center for children, which was initially created as an NGO, and subsequently came under the administration of the Ministry for Social Protection, Families and Children. Stela Sitnicov, the interim director of the center, told us that the center is primarily meant for the use of people from four places: Slobozia Dusca, Onitcani, Cosernita and Zolonceni. Victor Secu, co-ordinator of the early intervention program, and Ina Cazacu, talked to us about the common projects that the center implements with the localities of Cocieri, Dorotcaia, Cosnita and Oxentea. The center is currently frequented by 44 children aged between 4 and 18. The center also works actively with parents. More information can be found by watching the video. learn more…

The Law Court which has its headquarters in the village of Ustia, like the Police Station with its headquarters in the same location, serves 11 locations from the Dubasari region. The borough of Dubasari, situated approximately 70 km from Chisinau, is, by size and infrastructure, the second largest after Tiraspol. According to some sources, Dubasari was certified in documents from 1523, and derives its name from 2 Turkish-Tartar words: ‘dubo’ (hillock) and ‘sari’ (yellow) – ‘The Yellow Hillock’. The population works mainly in light industry, and they are involved with agriculture. The Law Court is open for the population 5 days a week. The President of the Law Court is Veceaslav Suciu. With not such a long history, but with such a unique character, the Law Court of Dubasari, with headquarters in the village of Ustia, has at the moment 4 judges and serves the villages of Corjova, Cocieri, Cosnita, Molovata Noua, Molovata Veche, Pirita, Dorotcaia, Pohrebea, Ustia, Holearcani and Marcauti. Its ‘unique character’ consists in the difference between the civil and penal cases. What these are can be seen in the video. learn more…

The little village of Marcauti first appears in historical documents in the year 1602 and is situated in a water meadow below the village Molovata, where the Nistru turns south. It borders, on the other side of the valley, Holercani, and, on the left bank of the Nistru, Molovata Noua. It is located 65km from Chisinau and has 826 inhabitants, all ethnically Romanian. The village boasts a high school, community centre, medical point, kindergarten, library, post office and shop. Ina Porubin, a librarian at the Public Library in Marcauti, has been working there for five years. Recently the library got heating, and conditions have improved a little. Gradually the collection of books is changing in nature, with more latin script books being added. The library now has around 5,000 books, but, still, the majority are in cyrillic. The library’s main visitors and beneficiaries are children, and even students, who come from the area but study in Chisinau or elsewhere, because it is more convenient. Due to a lack of financial resources, the variety of journals and magazines available at the library isn’t very large, though the library receives some free. The library has been recognized twice for its activities, which you can learn about in the video. During the year, various cultural and educational events take place in the library, and there are prizes for the most talented children. There are themed exhibitions, exhibitions of authors, and events related to national festivals. learn more…

The little village of Marcauti first appears in historical documents in the year 1602 and is situated in a water meadow below the village Molovata, where the Nistru turns south. It borders, on the other side of the valley, Holercani, and, on the left bank of the Nistru, Molovata Noua. It is located 65km from Chisinau and has 826 inhabitants, all ethnically Romanian. The village boasts a high school, community centre, medical point, kindergarten, library, post office and shop. Ana Ignat, a local resident, told us that, in days past when the area was part of Moldova, the river Nistru used to be called “The Bouquet of the Romanians”. She remembers her mother saying that young men were not allowed to go walking with girls late at night. If they caught someone, they would take him ‘to the Bouquet’ and beat him because he had broken curfew. Now the youth is not so obedient - only some who have married recently and have listened to parents do good things in the village – for example, they have cleaned two local water sources. Ana Ignat talks about the monument honoring fallen soldiers of the Second World War, which is placed right in front of her house. It is a source of disturbance for her, and at times she becomes frightened, since young people gather there and make a lot of noise. Ana Ignat goes on to relate how, as a child, she was bitten by a ferret, and tells us more about her childhood and about the settlements in the area. learn more…

The village of Cocieri appears in historical documents dating back to 1769. It is mentioned in a church chronicle of 1772. During the 1992 conflict, the battle lines ran through the village. Many died as a result of the conflict, both local fighters defending the village, and other inhabitants. We found in Cocieri a rehabilitation centre, and talked with the assistant director Ilie Coica about its particular character. Zinaida Ceban, who works in the centre as a senior medical assistant, also told us about the services and care provided there. There are 250 elderly people in the centre, from both the right and left sides of the Nistru. They live in the centre permanently, the staff caring for them throughout their time there, and making the necessary arrangements when someone passes away. For the most part they are disabled people and veterans, often lonely people who have no-one else. In the Republic of Moldova there are only a few centers of this kind. Ilie Coica told us that the biggest problem is the transport of food, especially during winter when the Nistru is frozen and the ferry is not in operation. He told us that the transport is tricky, since food and other items necessary for the centre are often confiscated at the checkpoints of the self-proclaimed Transnistrian authorities. They still haven’t found a solution to this problem. Zinaida Ceban told us that, thus, when they have any kind of medical emergency and need to transport patients to another hospital nearby to assist them, they are often refused, since they do not belong to these other hospitals, and because some of the elderly patients do not have medical insurance. Nevertheless, the centre provides its patients with dental care free, as well as other forms of care. Patients at the centre also have access to a small improvised church, and a creative studio. learn more…

Nowadays, when in several villages the culture houses [a kind of community centre] are opened only on Saturdays for young people who come for discos, and sometimes on Sundays for different concerts or meetings with voters, the Culture House of Corjova is home to a full range of cultural activities for the whole Dubasari Region. Nelly Lupolov, the artistic leader from here, talks about the current activities and those that will take place with the citizens of the village and those neighboring it. We learn about the photo expositions, about crocheted objects, about the educative program “We choose life”, about the activity of the brass band that organized a concert on the occasion of the Day of Victory, and other interesting activities. All these and a lot more you can see in the video. learn more…