#Exhibit of the Month

The main parts of the camera include the body, bellows, lens, and viewfinder system. The body consists of two lacquered walnut wood frames, joined by a folding black textile bellows that allows the necessary extension for focusing. On the front panel is the Agfa anastigmat lens, mounted in a Compur-type shutter produced by F. Deckel in Munich. It features a foldable "brilliant" viewfinder for both portrait and landscape orientation. It uses glass photographic plates coated with a photographic emulsion, mounted in walnut wood holders, with a frame size of 9x12 cm.
The walnut wood model, considered the flagship "Agfa Isolar Luxus," was designed by the A.H. Rietzschel factory in Munich, acquired by AGFA in 1925, which continued producing this type of camera under its own name until the late 1920s.
The piece was restored by Mihail Culașco, Restoration Department of NMHM.
Brief History of the Camera
The history of the camera spans 200 years, evolving from the camera obscura to today's digital devices. Key milestones include: the first permanent photograph in 1826 by French physicist Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, using a wooden box and a plate coated with bitumen of Judea; the invention of the first photographic process - daguerreotype - in 1839 by Frenchman Louis Daguerre, marking the official birth of photography; the invention of calotype, based on the negative/positive principle, by British physicist and chemist Fox Talbot; the invention of wet collodion plates by Englishman Frederick Scott Archer and dry glass plates by Richard Leach Maddox and John Huds Bennet; the introduction of flexible roll film and the launch of the first Kodak camera by American inventor George Eastman; the release of the first 35 mm film camera by German company "Leica"; the launch of the first instant camera "Polaroid," invented by American Edwin Land. Finally, starting in 1975, this path led to the digital photography revolution. Each successive step made cameras smaller and faster, significantly improving image quality.
The first photographic studio in Chișinău was opened in 1854 by Eduard Glewski, and before World War I, there were already about 100 photography studios in Bessarabia.
The collection of the National Museum of History of Moldova includes over 30 cameras, made in Austria, Germany, France, USSR, Japan, and China, dating from the late 19th century to the 2000s. Among them are folding bellows cameras, BOX-type cameras, single-lens reflex (SLR) and twin-lens reflex (TLR) cameras, as well as digital (DSLR) cameras.

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Events Archive

Official Launch of the Tourist Guide of the Republic of Moldova

May 7, 2026

On May 7, 2026, the Blue Hall of the National Museum of History of Moldova hosted the official launch of the Tourist Guide of the Republic of Moldova. This landmark event was organized by the National Tourism Office of the Republic of Moldova in close partnership with the Ministry of Culture, the National Inbound and Domestic Tourism Association (ANTRIM), and the General Directorate for Economy, Trade, and Tourism.

The ceremony was opened by a series of distinguished speakers, including Andrian Gurdiș, the founder of Guide Moldova, and Corneliu Cirimpei, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Culture. They were joined by Valentin Ceban, Head of the Tourism Product Development and Infrastructure Department, Roman Vitiuc, Head of the General Directorate for Economy, Trade, and Tourism (CMC), and Elena Stepanov, Executive Director of ANTRIM.

This project was born in a context where interest in Moldova as a travel destination is steadily rising, yet available information often remains fragmented, inconsistent, or difficult to navigate for those planning a visit. Guide Moldova aims to fill this gap by providing a clear and credible alternative: a guide that brings together curated recommendations, deep cultural context, and practical information specifically tailored for an international audience.

The guide offers a comprehensive look at the country, covering every district, relevant travel experiences, wine regions, and local gastronomy, alongside essential logistics for organizing a trip-from general orientation to practical details. As an independent editorial project, it is built upon extensive field research and direct experience in hosting international visitors.

Through the release of this guide, the project's initiators hope to improve the way Moldova is perceived and understood as a tourism destination, both globally and locally. The author, Andrian Gurdiș, is a specialist in inbound tourism and the founder of the Voyages Moldova agency, bringing years of firsthand expertise in organizing high-quality travel experiences for international tourists. This initiative is proudly supported by the Ministry of Culture, the National Tourism Office, ANTRIM, and the General Directorate for Economy, Trade, and Tourism through the "Visit Chișinău" platform.