Wandering through Moldova - Soroki

With the sad reputation of the poorest country in Europe, Moldova is slowly being discovered by tourists. It fully deserves attention, repaying it with wonderful landscapes in the silence of the fields.

Moldova is not only a country of grapevines, but also an attractive tourist country, despite its poverty. The landscape consists of vineyards, hectares of fields stretching gently to the horizon and colorfully decorated wells standing by the roads. Driving from Ukraine towards Romania, we can stop for a moment in several places worth visiting.

The symbol of Moldova

One of the most visited cities in Moldova is Soroka (Soroka). The Dniester, which flows on the eastern side, looks exceptionally beautiful here, and just across the river is Ukraine. The city is an extremely important center for all citizens, and its most valuable monument is the stone fortress, which is the symbol of the country. This is what decorates Moldovan ID cards.

The stronghold is inextricably linked with the person of Nicolae Bulata, who has been taking care of the monument for several decades. Guides tourists, and also conducts research and archaeological excavations. Visitors from Poland have the opportunity to listen to a kind of lecture on Polish-Moldavian history and learn many interesting things about John III Sobieski, Władysław Jagiello and Jan Olbracht. They will also learn the opinion of the custodian about the creators of the fortress - according to Bulat, it was built by Moldovans, not Genoese, which is somewhat contradictory to the officially accepted historical theory.

If someone gets hungry during the tour, he can visit a restaurant located near the building. The menu includes, among others broth with natural leaven and sarmale (stuffed cabbage).

Gypsy capital

The largest percentage of Moldovan Roma lives in Soroki. One of the main attractions of the city, the Gypsy Quarter, arouses great interest among tourists. It is perfectly understandable when you look at the opulent villas behind equally rich fences along the winding alley that runs up the hill. The higher the houses are, the more decorated and developed. Actually, they are not houses, but residences with 3 or 4 floors. Some of them resemble castles - they have pyramidal superstructures, huge balconies and fancy turrets. Not everyone will like this lush construction, but there is no denying that the villas are eye-catching with their bold combination (not to say confusion) of architectural styles. The district itself is located on a hill overlooking the city.

It is worth mentioning that Arthur Cherar, a gypsy king with the title of baron, lives in the Soroki. As a representative of Moldovan Roma, he is often present at various types of conferences. In his garden there is an old vehicle - a limousine, which was driven by one of the leaders of the USSR, Yuri Andropov.

Towards Romania

Leaving the city known as the capital of the Moldavian Roma, we head west. Approx. 80 km from Sorok there is Bielce, a small town where, apart from the Romanian language, we can often hear Russian and Polish - there is quite a large Polish diaspora here. Bielce has two faces: one typically post-Soviet, gray and weary, and the other, filled with old houses with gardens and atmospheric narrow streets.

According to legends, the city was founded thanks to the Duchess of Mazovia, Ryngalle, who settled in this place after being expelled from Poland for her love for the bishop. The oldest building in Bielce is the Nikolaev Cathedral from the end of the 18th century. It is also worth seeing the Armenian church of St. Gregory, the Orthodox Cathedral of Constantine and Helena and the Polish House at Paci 31.

Little Warsaw

Approx. The famous "little Warsaw" is situated 35 km from Bielce. This is the village of Styrcza , the most Polish of all villages in Moldova. Nearby there is a great tourist attraction, i.e. the Butesti gorge, carved in the coral reef, which is a trace of the Sarmatian Sea stretching here in the distant past.

We move on towards Romania, passing more vineyards and vast fields on the way. We are leaving the vine country to visit its western neighbor.