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About us

The Cultural-Natural Reserve "Orheiul Vechi" is located in the eastern part of the Republic of Moldova, in the rocky gorge of the river Raut, in a fascinating place of strategic importance, close to the Dniester River, in an area of confluence of civilizations ancient and medieval, sedentary and nomadic, Eastern and Western, Christian and Muslim. The central part of the Reserve is an amphitheater of rare beauty, formed by the high banks of the winding course of the Evil, which meets remarkable conditions of defense. The landscape of Orheiul Vechi is an exceptional work of adaptation and human transformation of the natural environment, which made possible the creation in this place, in various periods, of regional centers of political, military and economic power.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ORHEIUL VECHI RESERVATION

The Cultural-Natural Reserve "Orheiul Vechi" is a public law institution, subordinated to the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research. It occupies the territory of Trebujeni commune - the villages of Trebujeni, Butuceni and Morovaia, Orhei district and adjacent areas from the neighboring villages / communes, instead of the intersection of Orhei districts (Ivancea commune, Piatra commune, Susleni village), Criuleni (Mașcăuți village) and Dubăsari (Holercani village, Marcăuți village and Molovata village).

Orhei Monastery

The reservation has the status of a cultural-natural site of national importance, established by art. 6 of Law no. 251-XVI of December 4, 2008 on the establishment of the Orheiul Vechi Cultural-Natural Reserve. It includes historical and cultural heritage assets (archaeological sites, cave complexes, vernacular architecture complexes, ethnographic objectives), traditional settlements (Trebujeni, Butuceni, Morovaia villages), natural heritage assets (geological and landscape, flora and fauna ensembles), terrestrial and aquatic surfaces in which the regulated capitalization of the natural resources is carried out, agricultural, industrial and tourist activities are practiced. The reservation is a component part of the Orhei National Park, being an autonomous unit with its own administration. Orhei National Park is located in the central part of the Republic of Moldova in the historical-geographical area of Codrii Orheiului, 46 km north of the town. Chisinau.

The total area of the Park is 33792.09 ha, including: 19509.51 ha of state-owned land (18551.4 ha of state forest fund), 4404.87 ha of land owned by local public authorities and 9877.71 ha of land owned private. In the central part of the Reserve is delimited the Orheiul Vechi Archaeological Landscape, nominated in 2015 for inscription in the UNESCO World Heritage List.