Carol Schmidt (german: Karl-Ferdinand Alexander Schmidt; born 25 June 1846, Bălți – died 9 March 1928, Chișinău) was an
Imperial Russian
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. The ...
politician in what is now
Moldova
Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised state of Transnistr ...
. He was the longest serving
mayor of Chișinău
The Mayor of Chișinău, officially the General Mayor of the Municipality of Chișinău ( ro, Primar general al municipiul Chișinău), is the head of the executive branch of Chișinău's government and a member of the city's Municipal Counci ...
, being the mayor of the capital from 1877 by 1903, with a special contribution to the modernization of the city. He was a
Bessarabian German
The Bessarabia Germans (german: Bessarabiendeutsche, ro, Germani basarabeni, uk, Бессарабські німці) were an ethnic group who lived in Bessarabia (today part of the Republic of Moldova and south-western Ukraine) between 1814 ...
and is considered one of the best mayors Chișinău ever had.
[ ] He was the father of
Alexander Schmidt, also mayor of Chișinău, between 1917 and 1918.
Biography
Born in Bălți, in the family of Alexander Schmidt Senior,
German Bessarabian, surgeon at the Medical Directorate of
Bessarabia. Carol Schmidt's mother was of Polish origin. He was mentioned in the Russian documents as ''Карл Александрович Шмидт'', transliterated ''Karl Alexandrovici Șmidt''.
Career
![Primaria_Chisinau_vechi-2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Primaria_Chisinau_vechi-2.jpg)
In 1857–1863 he studied at the Regional Gymnasium of Chișinău, in 1863–1864 he studied at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of St. Vladimir University in Kiev. In 1865 he was admitted at the Faculty of Law of the
University of Odessa
Odesa I. I. Mechnykov National University ( uk, Одеський національний університет Iмені І. І. Мечникова, translit=Odeskyi natsionalnyi universytet imeni I. I. Mechnykova), located in Odesa, Ukraine, i ...
, which he graduated with the degree of doctor in legal sciences.
He becomes a candidate, then an assistant of the investigator from
Bender (Tighina), then head of the investigation sector from Chișinău. Criminal investigator of the District Court of Chișinău (1870). Honorary peace judge of Chișinău District (1872–1908). Mayor of Chișinău (elected in 1877 and then, re-elected successively by 1901). In 1903, after the
pogrom
A pogrom () is a violent riot incited with the aim of massacring or expelling an ethnic or religious group, particularly Jews. The term entered the English language from Russian to describe 19th- and 20th-century attacks on Jews in the Russia ...
against the
Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
, he resigned from the position of mayor.
"''The pogrom against the Jews in Chișinău in April 1903 was the last drop that filled the glass and caused Carol Schmidt to resign. He, who had done so much for the europeanization of the city, could not conceive that here the inhabitants can have such a wild mentality. This was the reason for his resignation. A sensitive and cultured man like him was incompatible with the Black Hundreds that dictated the political fashion of the day. Another lesson could be given to the town citizens except the resignation ...''"—
Pantelimon V. Sinadino, "''Our Chișinău''" (
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
, ''Наш Кишинев''), 1903–04.
Activity and reforms
He contributed to the construction of the chapel in the Râșcani district and several houses for the people with disabilities (1877–81). With his contribution the streets were paved, an asylum was opened (1899), the popular Amphitheater with the performance space was built (1900), the bust of
Pushkin
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...
was unveiled, the first tram lines were opened (1881–95), the first aqueduct was built and the city's sewerage network, street lighting was introduced, numerous buildings were built (Royal School (1886), Princess Natalia Dadiani's Girls' Gymnasium (1900), County History Museum (1889), the current headquarters of the City Hall (1901), etc.).
He was a member of the Bessarabian Committee for the Protection of Orphanages, president of the Chisinau Directorate of the Young Students Aid Society, epitropist of the High School of Commerce and of the Royal School.
He initiated to open a museum of schools, of the Harmony Music Society and of the city school of Fine Arts (1894, today – the College of fine arts
Alexandru Plămădeală).
The family
He was married to Maria Cristi, the daughter of the landlord Ioan V. Cristi, ruler of the Bessarabian nobility and president of the governmental Zemstvo, and of Alexandra Nelidov (her father was Alexandru Nelidov, a Bessarabian who became as ambassador of the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
to
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
). Carol Schmidt and Maria Cristi had 5 children, including Alexander (1879–1954), mayor of Chișinău in 1917–1918.
Schmidt and posterity
![Placa_C](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Placa_C.Schmidt.jpg)
Carol Schmidt was the only mayor to whom the citizens requested to be called in his behalf while he was still alive.
It happened in 1902, when Schmidt was at 25 anniversary of being the mayor of the city. The former Gostinnaia street (Russian, ''Гостинная''), on which Schmidt lived, became Carol Schmidt street (Russian, ''Шмидтовская''). At present, one part of the street is called
Mitropolit Varlaam street, and the other part is called
Metropolitan Dosoftei. The house in which Carol Schmidt lived has survived until today and is located on Mitropolit Varlaam street no. 84 (at the intersection with
Mihai Eminescu
Mihai Eminescu (; born Mihail Eminovici; 15 January 1850 – 15 June 1889) was a Romanian Romantic poet from Moldavia, novelist, and journalist, generally regarded as the most famous and influential Romanian poet. Eminescu was an active memb ...
str.). A memorial plaque installed on that building reminds, in Romanian and German, of the former resident.
On 10 May 2014 the bust of Carol Schmidt was inaugurated in front of the National Philharmonic in Chișinău, near the house where the former mayor of Chișinău lived. All expenses were covered by the embassy of
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
. As for the mayor's grave, it is unknown. In 1937, a decade after Schmidt's death, Gheorghe Bezviconi wrote in the magazine ''From our past'' that the grave of the great mayor remains shabby and only a modest wooden cross is guarding him. After years, the wood rotting, the grave can no longer be identified.
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schmidt, Carol
1846 births
1928 deaths
People from Bălți
People from Beletsky Uyezd
Bessarabia-German people
Moldovan people of Polish descent
People from the Russian Empire of Polish descent
Mayors of Chișinău
Odesa University alumni