#Exhibit of the Month

The great ruler Stephen the Great, outstanding army commander and diplomat, was also concerned during his life with the economic prosperity of the country, supporting the development of crafts, trade and fairs. During his reign, groși and half groși minted in the dinar system were issued, a monetary system introduced in Moldova during the last reign of Petru Aron (1455-1457).

The coins were minted from silver of superior title, those that reflect stability in the economic life of the country at that time. Their masterful execution at the Suceava mint is among the beautiful artistic achievements during the reign of Stephen the Great.

During his reign, two types of issues were minted, for the two denominations: groși and half groși.

Type I issues have a split shield on the obverse; in the first quarter appears a rose surmounted by a cross and three fascias, in the second quarter. For the epigraph issues (groși), the image is accompanied by the circular legend with the name of the issuer: + STEFANVS VOIEVODA. On the other side appears the bour's head with a star between the horns accompanied by the heraldic furniture - the rose and the contoured crescent, placed to the right and left of the bour's head; circular legend: MOLDAVIE COIN.

On type II coins in the shield on the obverse appears a patriarchal cross (double) and the legend STEFANVSVOIEVOD or abbreviated STEFANVSVOIE. On the reverse, as in type I, the bour's head with heraldic attributes is preserved: rose right/crescent left and crescent right/rose left. A star or rose appears between the ox's horns. The legend accompanying the face with the bour head is MONETAMOLDAVI or abbreviated MONETAMOLDA.

The dating of Stephen the Great's coins is still under discussion. According to one opinion, type I issues were minted between 1457-1476, and type II between 1480/1481-1505 (Octavian Iliescu), and another 1465/1467-1475/1476 for type I and 1476/1479-1497 for type II (Ernest Oberländer-Târnoveanu).

The coins in this showcase were discovered during the archaeological excavations at Orheiul Vechi (Trebujeni, Orhei district) in the 6th and 7th decades of the 20th century:

1. Type I money issues, groși, silver
2. Type II money issues, groși, silver
3. Type II coin issue, half groși, silver

Virtual Tour

Exhibitions

"The Bessarabian Bulgarians and the Liberation of Bulgaria"

The House of Culture in Taraclia

March 4 – May 4, 2023

The photo-documentary exhibition "Bessarabian Bulgarians and the Liberation of Bulgaria", dedicated to the 145th anniversary of the liberation of Bulgaria from the domination of the Ottoman Empire, is made through the joint efforts of the National Museum of History of Moldova, the Taraclia District Council and the Scientific Society of Bulgarians from Republic of Moldova.

The exhibition is composed of 12 banners, which reflect the struggle of the Bulgarian people for national liberation. The images and documents present the main stages of the formation in Chisinau of the Bulgarian volunteer detachments. The number of Bessarabian Bulgarians (identified by their names), who entered these detachments, reaches the figure of 210 people. The participation of the Bessarabian Bulgarians as volunteers in the Liberation War of 1877-1878 is the result of preserving the Bulgarian national consciousness and the desire for Bulgaria, their ancestral homeland, to be free and independent.

The images capture the Bulgarian volunteers from Bessarabia in the fighting in the vicinity of Gabrovo, near Stara Zagora, Seinovo, Shipka and other Bulgarian settlements. A special place is dedicated to Major Olimpi Panov, originally from Taraclia. Being part of the first detachment of volunteers, he participated in the liberation of the town of Stara Zagora. He showed heroism in the battles of Šipka, Zeleno Dărvo, Şeinovo and Kotlenskia Balkan and was awarded the Military Order of the IV degree - a higher distinction, awarded exclusively for acts of heroism.

The images also show places of memory (monuments, commemorative plaques, obelisks, etc.), erected in honor of the Bessarabian Bulgarians, who contributed to the national liberation of their historical homeland - Bulgaria.

The exhibition "Bessarabian Bulgarians and the Liberation of Bulgaria" can be visited from March 4 to May 4, 2023, in the premises of the House of Culture in Taraclia, Karl Marx str.