The Great National Assembly Square ( ro, Piața Marii Adunări Naționale), formerly known as Victory Square ( ro, Piața Biruinței) is the central square in Chișinău, the capital of

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 ...

. It is surrounded by the following buildings and monuments: * Stephen the Great Monument * Monument to the Victims of the Soviet Occupation *

Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and the remaining colonies of the British Empire. The name is also used in some other countries. Gover ...

* Triumphal Arch, Chișinău *

Nativity Cathedral, Chișinău The Cathedral of Christ's Nativity ( ro, Catedrala Mitropolitană Nașterea Domnului, russian: Собор Рождества Христова) is the main cathedral of the Moldovan Orthodox Church in Sectorul Centru, Moldova. It was commissioned by ...

* Cathedral Park

History

In the 19th century, the space of several hundred square meters from the perimeter of the current Stefan cel Mare Avenue. In 1812, became a permanent center for government business. It had the same type of urban planning done in 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. ...

. At the beginning of the 20th century, many working demonstrations were held here, and after 1924, when the street already bore the name of King

Carol II Carol II (4 April 1953) was King of Romania from 8 June 1930 until his forced abdication on 6 September 1940. The eldest son of Ferdinand I, he became crown prince upon the death of his grand-uncle, King Carol I in 1914. He was the first of th ...

Boulevard, a series of demonstrations and strikes took place on its main square. August 1, 1929, when a one-day political rally was announced. In 1944, the street became a square, with the new authorities naming it Victory Square. In its present form, the square has existed since December 1951. In 1987-1988, it was enlarged by the Soviets after they removed the ruins of the old Eparchial House. In April 2003, the Government of Moldova rejected the request of the Council of Veterans of the

Soviet Army uk, Радянська армія , image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg , alt = , caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army , start_date ...

to revert the name of the square back to Victory Square. Prime Minister

Vasile Tarlev Vasile Tarlev (born October 6, 1963) is a Moldovan politician. Background and earlier life He studied engineering and became a member of assorted economic councils. After 2001 Moldovan parliamentary election, He was appointed Prime Minister on A ...

called the proposal a "challenge", adding that the name is inappropriate and that such a decision can only be taken by

Chișinău City Hall Chișinău City Hall ( ro, Primăria Municipiului Chișinău) is a historical and architectural monument built in Italian Gothic architecture, Italian Gothic style located in Central Chișinău, Moldova. Originally constructed to house the city Du ...

, which later rejected the veterans proposal.

Massed events

Parade of the May 1 demonstrations (70-ies)

Under government legislation, anyone can stage public events in the square with consent from the Chisinau City Hall.

Parades

During the Soviet Moldovan era, parades were held on this square in honor of the

Great October Socialist Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...

May Day May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Festivities may also be held the night before, known as May Eve. Tr ...

, and

Victory Day Victory Day is a commonly used name for public holidays in various countries, where it commemorates a nation's triumph over a hostile force in a war or the liberation of a country from hostile occupation. In many cases, multiple countries may ob ...

, until the 1989 Moldovan civil unrest during which the

military parade A military parade is a formation of soldiers whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as drilling or marching. The military parade is now almost entirely ceremonial, though soldiers from time immemorial up until the la ...

of the Kishinev Garrison in honor of the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mome ...

was interrupted by demonstrators. On the morning of 7 November, a group of 100 people took candles and stood in front of Soviet tanks preparing for the parade. Once supporters of the

Popular Front of Moldova The Popular Front of Moldova ( ro, Frontul Popular din Moldova) was a political movement in the Moldavian SSR, one of the 15 union republics of the former Soviet Union, and in the newly independent Republic of Moldova. Formally, the Front existe ...

arrived at Victory Square, the leaders of

Communist Party of Moldova The Communist Party of Moldavia ( ro, Partidul Comunist al Moldovei, PCM; Moldovan Cyrillic: Партидул Комунист ал Молдовей; russian: Коммунистическая партия Молдавии) was the ruling and the ...

left the central stage immediately. The independent

Armed Forces of Moldova The Armed Forces of the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Forțele Armate ale Republicii Moldova) consist of the National Army (which is divided into the Land Forces Command and the Air Forces Command) and the Trupele de Carabinieri under the Ministry ...

hosted

military parades A military parade is a formation of soldiers whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as drilling or marching. The military parade is now almost entirely ceremonial, though soldiers from time immemorial up until the lat ...

were dedicated to the independence of Moldova. These parades were held in 2001, 2011, and 2016.

Public demonstrations

In 1966, Soviet cosmonaut

Yuri Gagarin Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin; Gagarin's first name is sometimes transliterated as ''Yuriy'', ''Youri'', or ''Yury''. (9 March 1934 – 27 March 1968) was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut who became the first human to journey into outer space. T ...

visit the city, attending a mass demonstration on the square. It marked the 500th anniversary of the city's establishment. On August 31, 1989, the adoption of the

Romanian language Romanian (obsolete spellings: Rumanian or Roumanian; autonym: ''limba română'' , or ''românește'', ) is the official and main language of Romania and the Republic of Moldova. As a minority language it is spoken by stable communities in ...

as a state language occurred on the square. A 2018 rally supporting the reunification of

and

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

was held on the square. In the run up to the

2020 Moldovan presidential election Presidential elections were held in Moldova on 1 November. The fourth direct elections since independence in 1991, voters had the possibility to either elect a new president or re-elect the incumbent Igor Dodon. Because no candidate received a ma ...

, an organization affiliated with President Igor Dodon, the

Union of Officers of Moldova The Union of Officers of Moldova ( ro, Uniunea ofițerilor din Moldova, russian: Союз офицеров Молдовы) or SОRМ is a Moldovan non-governmental organisation based in the Moldovan capital of Chisinau. It serves as an organizati ...

, occupied the square.

Political activities

On 15 May 2000, after the Government's initiative to abolish benefits for veterans of the

Soviet–Afghan War The Soviet–Afghan War was a protracted armed conflict fought in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989. It saw extensive fighting between the Soviet Union and the Afghan mujahideen (alongside smaller groups of anti-Sovie ...

, sympathizers went to Great National Assembly Square. Protests against President

Vladimir Voronin Vladimir Voronin (; born 25 May 1941) is a Soviet and Moldovan politician. He was the third president of Moldova from 2001 until 2009 and has been the First Secretary of the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) since 1994. H ...

took place on the square during the April 2009 Moldovan parliamentary election protests. Many mass events during the 2015–2016 protests in Moldova took place in the square.

Gallery

File:ЛЕНИН (1980). (8683013186).jpg, Lenin Statue File:Triumph Ark and Cathedral in Chsinau.JPG, The Triumph Ark and Cathedral at night File:Lenin, Brezhnev, Bodiul etc. (1976). (14241235186).jpg,

Leonid Brezhnev Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev; uk, links= no, Леонід Ілліч Брежнєв, . (19 December 1906– 10 November 1982) was a Soviet politician who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union between 1964 and ...

and

Ivan Bodiul Ivan Ivanovich Bodiul (russian: Ива́н Ива́нович Бо́дюл; – 27 January 2013) was a Soviet and Moldovan politician prominent in the Moldavian SSR, particularly during the Brezhnev era. He was primarily responsible for the co ...

on a grandstand on the square during a parade in 1974. File:MD.C.Chișinău - Protest Platforma „Demnitate și Adevăr” (people) - jan 16, 2016.jpg, Mass protests in 2016. File:Chisinau riot 2009-04-07 23.jpg, Protests in 2009 File:08-27-2016 - Парад в Молдовы 05.jpg, Stephen the Great Monument

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Great National Assembly Square, Chișinău Chișinău National squares