The city budget allocated 25 million lei for the project’s realization out of the necessary 33 million lei, calculated according to preliminary estimates.
According to Culture Minister Cristian Jardan, the ministry issued all the necessary authorizations to start the works in March this year, fulfilling the necessary obligations on its part. “This segment has received all the mandatory conclusions of the National Council of Historical Monuments,” the minister said.
He also added that the project is completed, coordinated and ready for realization, and the only remaining step is the allocation of the necessary funds by the Chisinau Municipality.
“We are not talking about a large sum. The project looks very good and has all the required authorizations. The Ministry of Culture is directly interested in completing the works on this site, as most of the institutions located on this street, the National Museum of History and the National Museum of Arts, are subordinate to the ministry. Currently, access to them is practically blocked,” the Minister emphasized.
The historical paving stone on the street of August 31, 1989 in Chisinau was discovered in March 2023 during the works on the restoration of the roadbed. Specialists found that the paving dates back to the second half of the XIX century (1869-1870) and is one of the oldest structures of this type preserved in the capital. In this regard, the repair works were temporarily suspended, and the National Agency of Archaeology conducted a study for two weeks.
Subsequently, the opinion of the National Council of Historic Monuments was requested and obtained, which is one of the prerequisites for the work to continue. But nothing has progressed since then. The historic site has turned into an unauthorized parking lot, despite the authorities’ efforts to limit the entry of cars.
Initially, the controversy centered around the approval of the project. Officials from the Chisinau City Hall claimed that they had a detailed project, while representatives of the Ministry of Culture said that they had only been presented with a preliminary sketch version, which was not sufficient for the development of working documentation. At the same time, Chisinau Mayor General Ion Ceban claims that the delay in the works was caused solely by political, not technical reasons.
Today, the culture minister believes that the specialists from the ministry and the mayor’s office have reached an agreement. Moreover, he says that if the difficulties with financing persist, the Ministry of Culture or the government may consider taking control of this segment of the road in order to finish the job.
