#Exhibit of the Month

One of the great technical achievements that revolutionized the idea of time and space, opening a new era in the history of communication, is telegraphy. It is based on the transmission of electrical signals through a cable over long distances, allowing people to communicate instantly. The telegraph spread very quickly and a network of wires stretched around the world.

In 1837, the American painter and physicist Samuel Morse invented the first electromagnetic device for telegraphy, patented in 1840. To send messages by wire, Morse developed in 1838 a simple code of dots and dashes, which represented the letters of the alphabet, known as "Morse code ".

Both Morse code and the telegraph machine were improved over time, with the telegraph becoming the most widespread system of communication and information transmission for more than a century, until the advent of the Internet. The telegraph system consisted of a series of stations repeaters along the transmission line route. Each station had an operator who received and transmitted messages by telegraph. The Morse machine transmitted about 25 words per minute, which were recorded in code on a paper tape. The operator in charge of transmitting the message would decode it and write it on paper using a special typewriter.

In Bessarabia, the telegraph entered in 1860: on April 8, the Bender telegraph station began its activity, and on April 24, the one in Chisinau, following the construction of the first Odesa-Chisinau-Leova telegraph line. Currently, telegraph services have been discontinued. The only ones who still use coded communication are radio amateurs.

The Morse telegraph machine shown comes from the Osinoostrovsky electrotechnical plant, Soviet Union, and dates back to 1934. The exhibit was restored by Mihail Culașco.

Virtual Tour

Exhibitions

"Russo-Turkish War of 1806-1812 and the Annexation of Bessarabia: Memory of the East and the West"

In commemoration of 200 years since the annexation of Bessarabia to the Russian Empire (by the Treaty of Bucharest from 16/28 May 1812) the National Museum of Archaeology and History of Moldova organizes the exhibition "Russo-Turkish War of 1806-1812 and the Annexation of Bessarabia: Memory of the East and the West".

The exhibition is of national significance; it exposes some valuable pieces of museum property: a collection of weapons related to Russo-Turkish wars, collection of maps of the time, books with maps, battle plans, lithographs, etc. The National Archives of the Republic of Moldova also participate in the exhibition with an impressive collection of authentic documents presented to the public for the first time - Archives of Russian Senators, 1806-1812. Various types of items are united in order to highlight the impact of the war on Bessarabia. The context of war is presented in the exhibition in terms of imperial interests pursued by the Great Powers: Russia, Turkey, France, Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire.

The exhibition opens with a series of museum objects, which gives the public an overview of the phenomenon of war, presented in four distinct thematic sections. The first section, entitled Prelude to the Annexation, reflects the stages of the war, military occupation of the Romanian Principalities including the territory between the Prut and Dniester. War events are presented by genuine objects, including the remarkable collection of weapons, books with maps, war plans, and pieces of military clothing. The second thematic section entitled Imperial Projects reflects diplomatic battles between the Western Powers for division and / or redistribution of Romanian territories. These are reflected in the exhibition by diplomatic reports, correspondence between representatives of European powers, war notes, memos, etc. The third thematic section includes Boyars' Letters from the Time of Russian Occupation and presents various reports, complaints and letters, showing the hardships and sufferings of war borne by various social groups in the occupied territories of the Romanian Principalities in 1806-1812. The exhibition ends with the section Annexation of Bessarabia, which presents the final act of war - Peace Treaty of Bucharest (16/28 May 1812) signed at the inn of the Russian agent Manuc-Bey - the event reflected in the picture Treaty of Bucharest (author: L. Grigorashenco) and on the Map of Europe in 1812. The exhibition is completed with some war reconstructions: Turkish tent, two Turkish flags (war trophies), and military clothing (copies). A clock of the time complements the exhibition as a symbol of historical time. Through the exhibits the visitors will discover a new chapter in the history of space between the Prut and Dniester 200 years ago.