The clock
Lit at night.
Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 4.0 · John Pavelka from Austin, TX, USA — CC BY 2.0 · Baptiste Dauphin — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Andrew Iurciuc — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Baptiste Dauphin — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Triumphal Arch of Chișinău is a sand-coloured stone arch in the city centre, at the entrance to Cathedral Park on the main boulevard. A large clock sits at the top, and it is one of the best-known images of the capital. It is also called the Holy Gates, as it belongs to the cathedral ensemble. The arch was built in 1840 and 1841 to mark the Russian army's victory in the Russo-Turkish war of 1828 to 1829. Inside it hangs a huge bell weighing 6.4 tonnes, cast from the metal of cannon captured in that war. The first clock went up in 1842, brought from Odesa, and was later replaced by a mechanism from Austria. The arch is square in plan, with two levels, and 13 m high. Its four piers have Corinthian capitals, and the upper level has classical decoration. The clock is lit at night but does not strike the hour. From under the arch you see the cathedral and bell tower on one side and the large square on the other. The arch is in central Chișinău, 200 m from the Nativity Cathedral. It is always open and free. The best photos come in the evening when the clock is lit. In the busy square, keep your belongings safe from pickpockets.
Lit at night.
6.4 tonnes of cannon metal.
The bell tower behind.
Great National Assembly Square, Stephen the Great Boulevard, central Chișinău
Nativity CathedralThe Cathedral of Christ's Nativity is the main Orthodox cathedral of Moldova, in3 minutes walk
Stephen the Great Central ParkStephen the Great Central Park is the main park in central Chișinău and the olde4 minutes walk
Old Water TowerThe Chișinău Water Tower is a 19th-century stone tower with many-sided storeys a12 minutes walkNo, you see it from the square and park.
In the evening when the clock is lit.