EN RO















#Exhibit of the Month

>>>

Christmas bells entered the Romanian cultural space through a long process in which archaic traditions blended with Christian belief and European influences. Long before the holiday of Christmas developed as we know it, metallic sounds played an important ritual role in old communities: they were used to drive away evil spirits, to purify spaces, and to protect people during transitional moments at the turn of the year. These beliefs have been preserved in winter customs such as caroling, the Plugușor, and masked dances, where bells and jingles were indispensable.
With the spread of Christianity, the sound of the bell also acquired a profound religious meaning, becoming an announcer of major feasts and a symbol of the Nativity. Small bells, however, were not originally used as decorations but primarily as functional or ritual objects.
The first decorated Christmas tree in the Romanian lands was the one at the palace of Prince Carol I of Hohenzollern, following his arrival in the Romanian Principalities in 1866. From that moment the tradition took root, and on Christmas Eve princes and princesses invited to the palace would take part in decorating the tree. Among the ornaments used were small metal bells, symbolizing joy, the good news, and divine protection for the home.
In the twentieth century, Christmas bells spread across all Romanian provinces and became a visual emblem of the holiday, appearing in both decorations and carols. Even during periods when religious expression was curtailed, bells remained in people's homes as signs of joy and the continuity of tradition. Today they retain this dual meaning: the echo of ancient beliefs and, at the same time, the announcement of the Birth of Christ - a symbol of hope, light, and the link between past and present.
These tinkling pieces are part of a generous heritage collection at the National Museum of History of Moldova (NMHM), which includes more than 200 cultural items. A substantial contribution to the museum's collection of decorative bells was made by Dorina Raischi, a teacher at School No. 94 in Chișinău, who donated 174 bells, of which around 30 are winter-themed. Made of ceramic, porcelain, glass, and metal, they were brought from different parts of the world and together offer a succinct picture of the global culture of bells. They add a festive note to the home and even to a gift, and it is hard to imagine Christmas without their cheerful tinkling.

Virtual Tour


Exhibitions

“The Warsaw Rising (1944) - a dramatic battle against the German occupation”

February 2-28, 2019

 
Photodocumentary exhibition "The Warsaw Rising (1944) - a dramatic battle against the German occupation" is organized by The Warsaw Rising Museum in collaboration with the Polish Institute in Bucharest and the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in the Republic of Moldova. The exhibition is on display in the upper lobby of the National Museum of History of Moldova and can be visited between 2nd and 28th February, 2019.

Testimonies of the 1944 events in Warsaw are the subject of 20 stands that present to the public documents, photographs and descriptions of the Polish people's efforts to gain freedom.

80 years have passed since the outbreak of the Second World War - the largest armed conflict in the history of mankind, involving almost all European countries along with their colonies, North and South American countries, as well countries in Asia.

The Second World War began on September 1, 1939, with the invasion of Germany over Poland. On September 17, 1939, the Soviet Union also attacked the Polish territories.
Attacked from the West and East, the country was under occupation. The Polish authorities left the country on the night form September 17 to 18 (their members fled originally in Romania) and continued their activity in emigration.

On September 30, 1939, the Government of the Republic of Poland in exile officially had protested against the attacks on its territory, saying it will never recognize these acts of violence and will not stop fighting for the total liberation of the country from invaders.

Unfortunately, due to a very large number of enemies, the last troops of the Polish Army deploy weapons on October 5. After the September defeat, the foundations of a secret organization set up by the military began to be established in Poland.

Although in different occupied European countries existed more or less numerous secret organizations, only the Poles have created an unprecedented underground state with very developed military and civilian structures.

The Polish underground state was not just a conspiratorial organization, but a continuation of the pre-war statehood. Administrative structures covering the entire pre-war area of the country, including, for example, a secret judicial and educational system were created. There was an underground representation of all the political forces in the country, and the soldiers of the secret Home Army were part of the Polish Armed Forces. The Home Army and the huge desire of the Poles to regain their freedom led to numerous liberation actions against both occupiers.

The main theme of the exhibition presented in Chișinău is the Warsaw Rising (1944), whose 75th anniversary is celebrated in 2019.

It was the largest military rising in the German occupied Europe. The Warsaw Rising began on August 1, 1944, at 5 pm (the so-called "W hour"), with the armed intervention of the Home Army troops.

The rising had Germany as military target and the USSR and Polish Communists subordinated to the Soviets as political target.

The command of Home Army was planning to liberate the capital of Poland without any help before the Red Army would advance, hoping that it would be able to strengthen the international position of the Polish government in exile and stop Stalin's sovietization of Poland.

After the outbreak of the rising, the Red Army stopped its offensive in Warsaw, and the Soviet dictator refused constantly to provide insurgents with more consistent help. The support given to the Poles by the United States and the United Kingdom was limited and did not significantly influence the fate of Warsaw and its inhabitants.

Despite the extremely difficult situation, for 63 days, the low-armed insurgent troops led a solitary battle with the overwhelming German forces, which ended with surrender on October 3, 1944.

During the heroic battles in Warsaw, about 18 thousand insurgents have died and 25 thousand were injured. About 2.3 thousand soldiers from the First Polish Army under the command of General Zygmunt Berling, which was established in the USSR and which tried to help the capital during the rising, have died or disappeared.

The casualties among civilians were huge and amounted to about 180,000 deaths. About 500,000 survivors, residents of Warsaw, were cast out of the city which, after the uprising, was almost completely destroyed. Using dynamite and heavy equipment, German troops destroyed the last remains of the standing buildings during more than three months. The tragic consequences of the Warsaw Rising can be seen in the Polish capital even today.


 




Independent Moldova
Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic
Bessarabia and MASSR between the Two World Wars
Bessarabia and Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in the Period between the Two World Wars
Revival of National Movement
Time of Reforms and their Consequences
Abolition of Autonomy. Bessarabia – a New Tsarist Colony
Period of Relative Autonomy of Bessarabia within the Russian Empire
Phanariot Regime
Golden Age of the Romanian Culture
Struggle for Maintaining of Independence of Moldova
Formation of Independent Medieval State of Moldova
Era of the
Great Nomad Migrations
Early Middle Ages
Iron Age and Antiquity
Bronze Age
Aeneolithic Age
Neolithic Age
Palaeolithic Age
  
  

Come to Museum! Discover the History!
  
Visit museum
Visit museum
Summer schedule: daily
10am – 6pm.

Winter schedule: daily
10am – 5pm.
Closed on Mondays.
Entrance fees:  adults - 50 MDL, Pensioners, students - 20 lei, pupils - 10 MDL. Free access: enlisted men (...)

WiFi Free Wi-Fi Zone in the museum: In the courtyard of the National History Museum of Moldova there is Wi-Fi Internet access for visitors.


#Exhibit of the Month

Christmas bells entered the Romanian cultural space through a long process in which archaic traditions blended with Christian belief and European influences. Long before the holiday of Christmas developed as we know it, metallic sounds played an important ritual role in old communities: they were used to drive away evil spirits, to purify spaces, and to protect people during transitional moments at the turn of the year...

Read More >>

































The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
©2006-2026 National Museum of History of Moldova
Visit museum 31 August 1989 St., 121 A, MD 2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
Phones:
Secretariat: +373 (22) 24-43-25
Department of Public Relations and Museum Education: +373 (22) 24-04-26
Fax: +373 (22) 24-43-69
E-mail: office@nationalmuseum.md
Technical Support: info@nationalmuseum.md
Web site administration and maintenance: Andrei EMILCIUC

 



The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
©2006-2026 National Museum of History of Moldova
Visit museum 31 August 1989 St., 121 A, MD 2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
Phones:
Secretariat: +373 (22) 24-43-25
Department of Public Relations and Museum Education: +373 (22) 24-04-26
Fax: +373 (22) 24-43-69
E-mail: office@nationalmuseum.md
Technical Support: info@nationalmuseum.md
Web site administration and maintenance: Andrei EMILCIUC

menu
The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
©2006-2026 National Museum of History of Moldova
Visit museum 31 August 1989 St., 121 A, MD 2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
Phones:
Secretariat: +373 (22) 24-43-25
Department of Public Relations and Museum Education: +373 (22) 24-04-26
Fax: +373 (22) 24-43-69
E-mail: office@nationalmuseum.md
Technical Support: info@nationalmuseum.md
Web site administration and maintenance: Andrei EMILCIUC