#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

Roundtable „Annexation of Bessarabia to the Russian Empire in 1812 and disintegration of the Metropolis of Moldova: Developments and consequences”

September 4, 2013

On September 4, 2013, at the National Museum of History of Moldova the roundtable „Annexation of Bessarabia to the Russian Empire in 1812 and disintegration of the Metropolis of Moldova: Developments and consequences" had place, being organized on the occasion of the sad 200^th anniversary of the breakup of the Metropolis of Moldavia (in 1812 military occupation becomes canonical occupation by creating a new diocese in annexed territory: that of Chisinau and Hotin).

Roundtable „Annexation of Bessarabia to the Russian Empire in 1812 and disintegration of the Metropolis of Moldova: Developments and consequences”

The scientific discussion touched upon a number of issues concerning the status of the Moldovan Church in medieval times, interference of the Russian Orthodox Church in the affairs of the Moldavian Orthodox Church (18^th century - early 20^th century), historiographical controversies regarding the church of Bessarabia during Czarist rule (1812-1917), canonical problem regarding the Archdiocese of Hotin and Chisinau within the Russian Orthodox Church, and others. A special emphasis in the debates was put on the issue of the Diocese of Chisinau and Hotin within the Russian Orthodox Church (1813-1818). It was pointed out that with the creation of new administrative ecclesiastical unit in the annexed territory (Synodal Decree of August 21, 1813) there were violated several canons of the Ecumenical Councils, and the Russian Church became an accomplice and the main actor in the denationalization of the region.

The discussion was attended by Dr. Alexandru Mosanu, honorary member of the Romanian Academy, Honorary President of the Association of Historians of the Republic of Moldova, Academician Andrei Esanu, honorary member of the Romanian Academy, Prof. Demir Dragnev, corresponding member of the ASM, Prof. Pavel Parasca, Dr. Alexei Agachi, Institute of History of ASM, Prof. Gheorghe Palade, MSU, Archpriest Petru Buburuz, parish priest of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, Metropolis of Bessarabia, Dr. Gheorghe Negru, Institute of History of ASM, Dr. Maria Danilov, National Museum of History of Moldova, Dr. Ion Negrei, Institute of History of ASM, Valeriu Matei, Director of the Romanian Cultural Institute „Mihai Eminescu", Chisinau, honorary member of the Romanian Academy.

The event was organized by the Association of Historians of the Republic of Moldova in collaboration with the Institute of History of the ASM, Romanian Cultural Institute „Mihai Eminescu", Chisinau, and the National Museum of History of Moldova.