#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.

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Exhibitions

„Tadeusz Kościuszko - the Price of Freedom”

November 1-15, 2017

The National Museum of History of Moldova and the Polish Institute in Bucharest invite you to the photo exhibition "Tadeusz Kościuszko - the Price of Freedom", which was opened on November 1, 2017 in the lobby of the museum.

Poland evokes the personality of Tadeusz Kościuszko, a renowned commander and freedom fighter for his own country and for America, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of his death. The Polish and American General Tadeusz Kościuszko (1746-1817) fought for the freedom of both peoples, he demanded the liberation of peasants and slaves and, as a very capable military engineer, he built remarkable fortifications, designing, among others, the West Point Fort which is today the seat of the renowned American Military Academy.

Owing to his exceptional achievements and his extremely modern way of thinking, the leader of one of the Polish national rebellions (the so-called Kościuszko insurrection of 1794), he is today a hero of Poland and of the United States. There are monuments erected in his honor in many countries of the world, and his name is borne by the very highest mountain peak in Australia - Mount Kościuszko (Mount Kosciuszko).

On the occasion of the declaration of the Tadeusz Kościuszko Year 2017 by the Polish Parliament, numerous events are planned around the world to evoke the personality of the famous commander.

The exhibition, which will be presented in Chișinău on the eve of the Independence Day of Poland, celebrated on November 11, speaks about the famous Polish man through 24 stands. Besides the most important information about Tadeusz Kościuszko's life, are presented memories of this remarkable commander and military engineer, as well as photographs and paintings presenting both Tadeuszo Kościuszko himself at different moments of his life and important places and events in history linked to his name. The exhibition depicts Tadeusz Kościuszko not only as a military and politician. From the exhibition one can discover where he was formed, how he came to be crowned with glory, what passions and weaknesses he had and whom he befriended and loved.

The exhibition will be open at the National Museum of History of Moldova until 15 November 2017.