„Stephen the Great and Saint” Public Garden in Chișinău

Abstract

The expansion of Chisinau to the west, where there were uncultivated lands, was produced with rectangular neighborhoods, their parametric mode serving the square with a side of 130 fathoms, land provided for the construction complex of the Metropolis of Bessarabia, by the Galata Monastery in Iaşi, the then owner of the locality. The first public garden in Chisinau, designed in the style of French classicism, was laid out on the square neibouring the Metropolis. The idea boils down to a ground floor divided by alleys into sectors according to the “divine grid” - a graphic technique used in the artisanal and professional environment of builders, easy to memorize and use, but accessible only to connoisseurs. The style of the garden did not involve the planting of trees and the construction of buildings, but due to climatic conditions and the lifestyle of the population, the tradition of the classic French garden was violated. Tall trees were planted in the garden, and the area was built up with recreational and entertainment buildings, under which the original rigid geometric structure of the park disappeared. The fence of the park made of cast iron sections was preserved along Mitropolit G. Bănulescu-Bodoni Street and 31 August 1989 Street, being completely lost on the side facing Ştefan cel Mare Boulevard and partially on Maria Cebotari Street. Interventions in the architecture of the park occurred gradually and in separate pieces led to the loss of the original structure of the park alleys, which were not appreciated as a significant part of the integrity of the park architecture.