#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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Events Archive

Opening of the anniversary exhibition "Academician Alexei Sciusev. Life and Opera" 150 years since the birth, dedicated to the European Heritage Days

September 28, 2023

On Thursday, September 28, 2023, the opening of the anniversary exhibition "Academician Alexei Shchusev. Life and Works" took place, organized in partnership with the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Moldova and the National Archives Agency on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the birth of the renowned architect, in the context of the European Heritage Days.

The event featured a welcoming speech from Ms. Livia Sîrbu, Deputy Director of the Museum, who spoke about the efforts made by the Museum to develop the holdings and popularize the activities of the Alexei Shchusev House Museum. Dr habil. Ion Gumenâi and Mr. Alexandru Corduneanu spoke about the biography of Alexei Shchusev, while Mr. Iurie Povar and Mr. Sergiu Tronciu focused on his role in the planning of the city of Chisinau, as well as in architecture at the international level. At the end, Mr. Anatol Povestca, head of the Alexei Shchusev House Museum, presented the exhibition concept to visitors, and then guided the guests through the exhibition. We were glad to see among us outstanding figures in the cultural, pedagogical and scientific life of the Republic of Moldova, representing the Technical University of Moldova, the National Archives Agency, the Union of Architects of the Republic of Moldova, and others.

This exhibition is an excellent example of the development of museum collections, as it presents a treasure trove of the work of the architect Alexei Shchusev, the works that highlight the memory of the place, the activities of the academician, but above all, highlight his artistic talent.

The exhibition can be visited from September 28 to October 15, 2023 at the National Museum of History of Moldova (31 August 1989 Street, no. 121 A), in the upstairs hall.