What is the capital of Moldova?

The capital of Moldova is Chișinău. It is also the country’s largest city, main transport hub, and leading political, economic, and cultural centre.

Chișinău stands on the Bîc River in central Moldova. Its first written mention dates to 1436, when it was described as a monastic settlement. The town later grew substantially after the region became part of the Russian Empire in 1812, when Chișinău became the administrative capital of Bessarabia.

The city suffered severe disruption during the twentieth century. A powerful earthquake struck in 1940, and much of Chișinău was damaged or destroyed during the Second World War. After the war, Soviet planners rebuilt large sections of the city, leaving a mixture of older churches, nineteenth-century buildings, Socialist Realist structures, and Brutalist architecture.

The spelling can cause confusion. Chișinău is the Romanian form and the standard English name today; Kishinev is the older Russian-based form. Moldova restored its independence in 1991, and Chișinău has remained the national capital.