Stefan cel Mare Blvd, Chisinau

Ștefan cel Mare Boulevard is, in many ways, the main street of Chișinău. Stretching for about 3.8 kilometers through the city center, it has long been the capital’s principal urban axis. As we walk along it today, we pass a number of government buildings, theaters and cultural institutions, not to mention numerous shops, cafés, and restaurants.

The story of this place goes back well before Chișinău became the city we know now. The boulevard is thought to have developed from a road running beside a Russian military camp established near the old town in 1789. Construction along the route began in the early 19th century and picked up pace after a new general plan for Chișinău was approved in 1834.

Around the same time, the city center was beginning to take shape nearby.

One detail I always find particularly interesting is how the boulevard’s changing names mirror the city’s complicated history. Throughout most of the Soviet era, it carried the name of “Lenin,” and it wasn't until 1990, during the final years of the Soviet Union, that the avenue received its current name: Ștefan cel Mare și Sfânt, honoring Ștefan the Great, ruler of Moldavia from 1457 to 1504.

As we continue along the boulevard, I can point out several buildings that you might want to photograph as examples of Chișinău's architectural history-from late-19th-century imperial architecture to interwar Romanian influences to monumental Soviet construction. One such is The Organ Hall, at No. 81. Originally designed as the City Bank, it became a concert hall during the Soviet era, fitted with the Czech-made, 4,000-pipe Rieger-Kloss organ. Immediately next door, at No. 83, is Chișinău City Hall (or Primaria, as we call it). Completed in 1902, this is yet another work by renowned architect Alexandru Bernardazzi, featuring a mix of Italian Renaissance and Gothic details. Also, inside this building you'll find the Souvenir Shop "Fantezie," selling traditional ceramics, textiles, handmade jewelry, local snacks, and Moldovan wines, just in case you need a memento to take home.

Indeed, Ștefan cel Mare Boulevard isn't just a busy lane, but a condensed timeline of Chișinău itself.