Exhibition, Queen Marie and Chisinau, opened at National Museum of History of Moldova

The National Museum of History of Moldova is hosting an exhibition titled, Queen Marie and Chisinau, created by artists Antonina and Vitalie Grisciuc. The event was organized on the occasion of the Day of the Union of Bessarabia with Romania and offers an artistic journey into the atmosphere of early 20th-century Chisinau, through the evocation of the personality of Queen Marie of Romania.

The exhibition brings together works that reconstruct, through color and line, the city of bygone days and moments from the visit of the Royal Family to Bessarabia, offering the public a sensitive perspective on a defining era.

The director of the institution, Eugen Sava, emphasized the historical importance of these events, noting that the visit by the Royal Family in the 1920s had had a major impact on Chisinau.

“This exhibition reflects the visit of the Romanian Royal Family. For Chisinau, that visit was something extraordinarily important. In the 1920s, because of the consequences of the First World War, as well as other social repercussions that were also felt in Bessarabia, it was quite difficult for such a delegation led by Queen Marie to visit Chisinau. These paintings represent something historically very important, especially since many buildings no longer exist, having been destroyed. We can reconstruct the traces of those visits through these historical events,” said the director of the National Museum of History, Eugen Sava.





For his part, Ambassador of Romania to Moldova Cristian-Leon Turcanu highlighted the strong connection between Queen Marie and Chisinau.

“Through this exhibition, we see the very close relation between Queen Marie and Chisinau and we recall the particularly important role played by Queen Marie in the act of Romania’s reunification. Queen Marie was a delicate, yet firm fighter for everything that meant laying the foundations of modern Romania. It is an extraordinary exhibition, a heartfelt exhibition that helps us gain a clearer view of the places visited by Queen Marie and of the beauties of Chisinau,” noted  Ambassador of Romania to Moldova Cristian-Leon Turcanu.





State Secretary at Culture Ministry Corneliu Cirimpei pointed out the importance of preserving the heritage associated with those times.

“It is very important to see those places that were visited by Queen Marie. The  Culture Ministry is striving to preserve the buildings that captured that historical moment; here, I am also referring to the Imperial Cellars, which were visited by the Queen on 8 September 1925. I encourage everyone to enjoy this heritage rendered in these paintings, which keep history alive,” specified State Secretary of the Culture Ministry Corneliu Cirimpei.





Romania’s support for cultural initiatives with Moldova was underlined by  President of the Romanian Cultural Institute Liviu Jicman.

“The Royal Family represents an institution around which Greater Romania was united, and I believe it is important to evoke the memory of this construction, so that even today, we may aim to build institutions and partnerships together,” said the director of the Romanian Cultural Institute.





Queen Marie played an essential role in the process of creation of the Greater Romania. Beyond royal symbolism, the Queen stood out through intense diplomatic activity, especially in the context of the Paris Peace Conference, where she firmly defended Romania’s cause, contributing to the international recognition of the Union acts of 1918. Her visits to Bessarabia also carried a powerful symbolic and emotional charge, strengthening the sense of belonging and the closeness between the Crown and the population of this region.