Discover Moldova with #MOLDPRES: Crihana Veche Museum, haven for people fond of history, archaeology, traditions

Opened in 2018, the Crihana Veche Museum of History and Ethnography annually attracts hundreds of visitors, both children and adults, keen on discovering local history.

Housed in a traditional village house, the museum shelters over three hundred exhibits, most of which have been donated by locals.

The museum's collection is organized into four themed rooms. One of them, called 'Casa Mare,' (Big House), evokes local traditions through the display of rugs, folk costumes and a weaving loom. The other rooms offer admiration of ceramic, metal objects and various religious or household artifacts.

The museum is part of the VIA Cahul tourist cluster and, starting from 2024, benefits from a tourist indicator and an informative panel placed at the entrance.

These improvements have been carried out with the support of the 'EU4Moldova: Focal Regions' programme, funded by the European Union and implemented by the United nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The museum of history and ethnography preserves relics discovered at the archaeological site in the Crihana Veche settlement.

There is a funerary mound specific to the Sarmatian culture on the hill where the relics displayed in the museum were discovered. Archaeologists have found several graves from different periods here.

In one of them, the skeleton of a man from the 1st-2nd century BC was discovered, with several cranial deformations. This is by far one of the most impressive exhibits of the museum. The crouched position or the fetal position, in which most skeletons were found, reminds us of a rite related to rebirth.

The Greek amphora, found in one of the graves and dating from the 2nd century BC, is another relic that catches the eyes of the curious.

Annually, the museum is visited by many groups of children and adults eager to discover local history and take on the role of little archaeologists.

Correspondent: Lilia Grubii