Chişinău City
The city of Chisinau is the capital of Moldova, as well as its economical and cultural centre. It lies in the heart of the country between the districts of Straseni and Criuleni to the north, Anenii Noi and Dubasari to the east and Ialoveni to the south and west. The biggest Moldovan city is picturesquely situated in the valley of the Bic River and is crossed by all major roads and thoroughfares running through the country. Modern Chisinau is a heavily industrialised city, but at the same time it possesses more green areas, parks and gardens than any other big city in Europe. On the outskirts of the city wine production has a rich tradition. Among the few impressive landmarks in this new city, dominated by the uniform communist architecture, are the 170-year-old cathedral and the beautifully ornamented Russian Orthodox church, Ciuflea. An interesting feature of the capital is the fact that it is seat of 23 universities, which makes it one of the intellectual centres in this part of the continent.