Orheiul Vechi Museum complex in the open air Hearth of old civilizations and millenary history tourist guide 1, 2 – The Walls of medieval Fortress, second half of the 14th – mid 16th centuries 11a, b, c, d – The Thraco-Geto-Dacian Fortifications Walls, 10th-2nd centuries BC 3 – The medieval Citadel, second half of the 14th – mid 16th centuries 12 – The PESTERA Monastery, 15th-19th centuries 4 – The Palace of Pircalab, second half of 14th-mid of 16th centuries 13 – The Geto-Dacian Citadel, 4th-3rd century BC 5 – The Medieval Dwelling, 15th century 14 – The Geto-Dacian Sanctuary, 4th-3rd centuries BC 6 – The Mosque, 14th century 15 – The Traditional Peasant House, 19th-20th centuries 7 – The Caravanserai, 14th century 16 – The Traditional Gates, 19th-20th centuries 8 – The Medieval Church, second half of the 14th-16th centuries 17 – The Hermitages of PESTERA Monastery, 15th-18th centuries 9a, b, c – The Tatar Bath, 14th century 18 – The Monastery of Bosie, 15th-18th centuries 10 – The Orheiul Vechi Visitors Center 19 – The Hermitage of Rafail, 15th-19th centuries Orheiul Vechi is a museum complex in the open air, formed of natural and man-made sites. The micro- UNDP is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and zone of Orheiul Vechi represents a miraculous connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people combination of geographic framework and hu- build a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries, working with them man habitat, where the primary landscape orga- on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. nically harmonizes with the cultural one. As they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and our The originality of Orheiul Vechi’s landscape is wide range of partners. due to the defile of the Raut River, dug under the form of a canyon in the limestone strata of the former Sarmatian Sea, about 14 million years ago. Within the museum complex, the meandered course of the Raut forms two fascinating promontories that represent two veritable natural fortresses. These places, traditionally called by the locals “Pestera” (Cave) and “Butuceni” were capitalized from the oldest times; this conditioned the perpetuation of some durable fortified Author: Gheorghe POSTICĂ The Complex Museum settlements in the area, including some towns Design and computer processing: and cave complexes with a religious character. Alexandru Macovei, Alexandru Ermurache, Vlad Afanasiu As a result, in Orheiul Vechi’s perimeter, Map: Gheorghe Postică, Alexandru Ermurache Graphic design: Gheorghe Smirnov, Tamara Nesterov, alongside with the singular presence of the Gheorghe Postică, Ion Niculiţă, Timur Bobrovschii, Sergius Ciocanu particular natural landscape, were conserved Photographs: Gheorghe Postică, Lilia Palii, Gheorghe Smirnov, Nicolae Constantinescu exceptional historical and archaeological Translation: Iulia Postică vestiges and traditional peasantry architecture form within the actual Butuceni and Trebujeni © UNDP Moldova, 2004 villages, which gives an allure of uniqueness “Sustainable Tourism Development” Project to the whole complex. The route of Orheiul Vechi The medieval town of starts in the west, from the di- Orheiul Vechi was built ap- rection of Branesti village, hav- proximately in 1330, during ing an impressive opening towards the the reign of the Golden Horde. The set- panorama of the Raut defile. The pas- tlement named “Sehr al-Cedid”, (in trans- sionate visitor will find great excitement lation – The New Town) denotes in the in discovering the remarkable vestiges of first stage a typical oriental character. The the medieval towns: Sehr al-Cedid (14th c.) town occupied the whole territory of the and Orhei (15th-16th c.) situated on the “Pestere” promontory including, as well, “Pestere” promontory. Then comes the the older habitat of the natives. Thraco-Geto-Dacian relics (10th-2ⁿd c. After the Mongols had abandoned the BC) on the „Butuceni” promontory, the Prut-Dniestrian region in 1369, the stone cave complexes (15th-19th c.) and area from the bank of the Raut, named the ethnographic objectives from the by the autochthons “Orhei”, became hearth of the actual villages. The repar- the most important fortification at tition of these veritable monuments of the eastern border of the Country of heritage is a retrospective over the past. It Moldova. Orheiul Vechi’s prosperity centuries h is a gradual opening of the history, from and heyday in that period chronologi- t -16 cally corresponds with the years under h present to the faraway times, and it is a t The Route of Orheiul Vechi of The Route meeting and a revival of civilizations from the great reigns of Alexander the Kind The Medieval Town 14 medieval ages into antiquity. Within the (1400-1431) and Stephen the Great exhibition of the complex, besides the and Saint (1457-1504). material from the mentioned periods, are The history of the town, and respec- shown vestiges from the Stone Age (cca. tively of the citadel “Orheiul Vechi”, 30-20 mill. BC), Eneolithic (4th-3rd mil- culminates at the middle of the 16th c. lennium BC), Bronze Age (II millennium and ends with the transfer to Orheiul BC) and from the early medieval period Nou, the old settlement becoming thus (5th-13th c.). an ordinary village that disappears at the dawn of the 18th c. The medieval Orhei repre- The stone citadel [no. 3] sented a town-citadel, pro- represents the central for- tected from the north, east tification of Orheiul Vechi. and south by the steep banks of the It was built at the end of the 1360’s Raut, and from the west by two im- (14th century) as a military-political mense ground walls with wooden pali- and administrative residence of the centuries sades and defensive moats. centuries Mongol governor. The construction th The first wall [see map: site no. 1] has th of typical oriental style possesses a an arc-shaped form that stretches from trapeze-shaped form with maximum the rock margin, in front of Butuceni dimensions of 127.0 x 92.0 m. Those village, up to the steep extremity in 4 circular towers, disposed at the cor- – mid 16 – mid 16 th front of Trebujeni village, totalizing a th ners, built into a special decorative length of about 570 m. The southern style, together with those 5 fortifica- segment of the wall has been preserved tions situated at the mid of the sides, with 2.5-3.0 m in height, and was pro- served as a contra-fort for the cita- vided with a defensive moat of 10-12 del’s wall. After the Golden Horde m in width from the west. In the man- had left the region in 1369, the cit- tle of the wall, traces of a carbonized adel waswas populated byby Moldavians,Moldavians, wooden fence were attested to during and during the reign of StephenStephen the The Fortifications of Orheiul Vechi Vechi Orheiul of Fortifications The half thesecond 14 of the archaeological excavations. Citadel The Orheiul Vechi half thesecond 14 of Great and Saint it waswas reconstructedreconstructed The second wall [no. 2] is positioned in and transformedtransformed into the residence the narrowest part at the bottom of the of the Orhei governor.governor. During the “Pestere” promontory. The fortifica- 15th-16th centuries the citadel shel- tion of 6-10 m in height, partially dete- tered concomitantly the palace of the riorated, stretches down south up to the local governorgovernor and the habitations of Raut waters having a length of 580 m. some townsmen. The Orheiul Vechi’s fortifications were destroyed by the Tatars from Crimea in 1510. In the central part of the cita- In the western corner of the citadel del, near the northern wall, are was found a stone dwelling [no. 5], the ruins of a monumental pal- arranged at the beginning of the 15th ace [no. 4], today under the ground, century and which functioned for approxi- century which once knew a stormy history. In th mately 100 years. The construction had two the first half of the 14th century on this 15 levels with a preserved lower level, dug in place was built a Muslim mausoleum the limestone rock at the depth of 3.20 m. that included also a crypt. Later (1366) The space at the basement is a rectangle of centuries th the construction was transformed into 10.60 x 6.40 m. The stone walls have been the Palace of the regional governor; preserved with a height of 2.0 m. The roof in the 15th century of the dwelling and the second level were it became an of- supported by 16 wooden pillars, of which -mid of 16 -mid of ficial residence of traces are visible in the stone works and on th the Orhei gover- the floor of the complex. nors (“Pircalab”). In the first half of the 15th century the ac- During the reign of cess inside was through a special entrance Stephen the Great preserved on the southern side, while dur- and Saint, the posi- ing the second half of the century the en- tion of Orhei gov- trance was from the north. On the floor of The Palace of PircalabThe Palace of half 14 second of ernor was held by The Medieval Dwelling the dwelling were depicted 8 fire hearths the most important and a brick furnace. noblemennoblemen ofof thethe CountryCountry ofof Moldova:Moldova: Inside the complex were discovered two RaduRadu Gangur,Gangur, Vlaicu,Vlaicu, Gales,Gales, GrozeaGrozea bronze cannons from Stephen the Great and Micotici,Micotici, IvancoIvanco andand Alexa.Alexa. TheThe pal-pal- Saint’s period that were hidden by the defend- ace,ace, mademade ofof bricks,bricks, hadhad 2626 compart-compart- ers of the Orhei citadel in 1510, during the mentsments andand anan undergroundunderground roomroom withwith invasion of the Tatars from Crimea.