The Museum of History and Ethnography Ungheni, the Table of Peter I from Semeni, but also the Chestnut Alley are among the tourist objectives, which can conquer any guest who came to Ungheni district. More details about these but also about other tourist attractions can be found in the following article.
1. „White House in Ungheni”
It was built around 1975, by the administration of the Soviet „Prut”, which at that time was considered a millionaire. He was led by a „hero of socialist labor” - Iacob Ciachir. A modest house for our times, flooded with greenery, still preserves the traces of those long gone times. A few steps that can barely stand the test of time „teleport” us to another century. We open the front door and find ourselves in a hall with traces of the luxury of the 80s of the last century. The playful rays of the sun penetrate through the tall, wooden windows, dancing briskly on the walls, on the floor. Wood, stone, ceramics - that's what reigns in this building. Leonid Brezhnev, the general secretary of the Communist Party of the former Soviet Union, was once here. Another communist activist passed through here - dictator Kim Ir-sen, who ruled North Korea for 46 years. He stopped at the „White House” in Ungheni and Alexei Kosighin, prime minister of the USSR from 1964 to 1980, and Ion Iliescu, president of Romania in the periods 1990-1996 and 2000-2004.
2. „Monument to Prince Grigory Potiomkin”
The monument was built in 1792 by Countess Branitskaia, the prince's niece and had, in the original version, a stone pillar in the form of a column. Later, when it was ruined, a 13-meter-high limestone obelisk was erected in its place (around the middle of the 19th century). Next to the obelisk there is a carved stone in the shape of a shield that contains the commemorative inscription aiming at the significance of the monument: „on this place the prince Grigorii Alexandrovici Potiomkin Tavriceskii passed away”. The monument is located on the outskirts of the village of Rădenii Vechi, about 24 km from the town of Ungheni and is nicknamed by locals „Sfetlici's Pillar” or „Potiomkin's Pillar” and historians - „Potiomkin's monument in Taurida”.
3. „Chestnut Alley”
One of the largest chestnut alleys in Europe. The two thousand chestnut trees that stretch along the city are a real tourist attraction. If some cities in Moldova are proud of rivers and boyar mansions, Ungheni has chosen a special tourist destination - the chestnut alley. It was planted in 1975 and has since become an emblem for the city's main street. Those who will come to Ungheni and walk on the famous alley will have the opportunity to see the most important buildings in Ungheni (IMSP Ungheni District Hospital, Ungheni Emergency Medical Substation, West Regional Directorate of Border Police, Ungheni Police Inspectorate, Prosecutor's Office, SIS, the Multifunctional Center, the „Grigore Vieru” Square, the Palace of Justice, the City Hall, etc.), but also sculptures, made within the International Sculpture Camps.
4. „Cathedral„ St. Alexandru Nevski from Ungheni”
It was built in 1903 in the city center. The project of the cathedral was designed by the Russian architect Alexandru Bernardazzi. On the site of the erection of the cathedral, in 1877, in front of the Russian army was read the imperial manifesto about the declaration of war on the Ottoman Empire. During the Soviet period, there was a museum and even a gym inside the cathedral. The church resumed its activity in 1991, after it was repaired and consecrated by a council of 12 priests.
5. „The table of Peter I”
It is located in the village of Semeni, Zagarancea commune, where centuries ago it is assumed that the ruler of Moldova Dimitrie Cantemir met with the Russian tsar Peter I. Here was buried a table where they sat and honored the boyars. The locals call him „Zamka”. Peter I's table is located 10 km from the town of Ungheni, more precisely in the village of Semeni. The newspaper „Unghiul” published an extensive material about the history of this more unusual construction „Zamka from Semeni, legend or history”, author Dorina Molea. Regardless of whether the two great historical personalities met there, the place is worth visiting.
6. „Movila Măgurii”
Movila Măgurii is located in Ungheni district, on the estate of Țâghira village, Negurenii Vechi commune. The hill is famous for its height. It is the second highest in the country, after the one in Bălănești. In ancient times, the inhabitants of the area used to organize holidays or religious rituals here.
The Măgurii mound can be seen tens of kilometers away and is like a mountain at the intersection of Ungheni, Fălești and Sângerei districts. Not coincidentally, the ancestors called it Magura, which means large, isolated hill. In 1995, archeological excavations were made here by the scientist Veaceslav Bicbaev. It was then discovered a settlement of our ancestors who lived on the territory of our country hundreds of years ago. One of the local legends says that inside the mound, the Turks hid valuable treasures. Curiously, in the 60's and 80's there was a pyramid at the top of Măguri, which was then replaced by a stone cross.
The road to Movila Măgurii is full of adventures, this fact, but it does not scare tourists. In the month of the oven, the „Celebrating at Movila Măgurii” festival is organized here, and the people from the 3 districts (Fălești, Sângerei and Ungheni), as well as guests who come to the festival, sing a huge chorus around it.
7. The Church „St. Nicolae”
The Church „St. Nicolae” is the oldest church in the city of Ungheni. The church was erected at the end of the century. XIX on the estate of Dănuţeni village, today a district of Ungheni municipality. Its main founder is Prince Constantin Moruzzi, a descendant of an influential Phanariot dynasty. He chose the highest place for the construction of the church, so that the holy place would be seen by all the villagers, and climbing the bell tower, to see Iasi, the city to which he had an eternal longing. The church was built in 1882 and has been active since 1887, when it was consecrated. The architecture of the building still impresses today, and the cross-shaped plan and the roof with 9 towers of different sizes are reminiscent of the Russian style, in vogue at the time.
8. „Ungheni Museum of History and Ethnography”
Here are over ten thousand exhibits, grouped in collections of archeology, folk costumes, barks and carpets, traditional fabrics, household utensils, numismatics, photographs, old books and documents, art. Some of them are in the museum's archives, being exhibited periodically. The museum is located in Ungheni, on Nicolae Bălcescu Street 9, in the headquarters of the Ungheni Palace of Culture.
9. The scientific reservation „Plaiul Fagului”
It is basically a natural deposit of a substantial number of species of plants, trees and animals, which have a strict protection regime. The „Plaiul Fagului” scientific reservation is a protected area located in Ungheni district, near the village of Rădenii Vechi, in the Republic of Moldova. The reserve was founded in 1992 and has an area of 5642 ha, representing an area with a protective role for a forest-representative ecosystem. The most widespread species of arboreal plants are: sessile oak - occupies about 31% of the forested area, ash - about 21%, hornbeam - about 19%. Although it has a share of only 5%, beech is the most widespread in this reservation, compared to the rest of the country.
10. „Prut River”
Prut River is considered the "border" between the Republic of Moldova and Romania. And it has a length of 8 km on the territory of Ungheni, which is the largest locality in the Republic of Moldova in its path. In the interwar period, the river was navigable to Ungheni, but during the communist period navigation on the river was gradually abandoned, the course no longer being maintained. The main tributaries on the right are Ceremuș, Bașeu and Jijia (with the main tributary Bahlui). On the Prut River there is a hydropower development (Stânca-Costești dam).
The source of information: unghiul.md
