Comrat

Why go

Comrat shows a side of Moldova that many visitors do not expect: a Turkic-speaking community with its own government, its own symbols and a distinctly independent political voice. The streets look like those of a Soviet provincial town, with a Lenin statue still standing, but the language, the names and the food point to a different history. Vineyards and wineries surround the town.

History and character

The Gagauz settled in southern Bessarabia mainly in the first half of the nineteenth century, after the region came under Russian rule in 1812. Their language is related to Turkish and their religion is Orthodox: in the 2024 census, 95.9 per cent of Gagauzia's inhabitants described themselves as Orthodox. The name Comrat is often explained as "black horse" (kömür at).

After a period of tension around Moldovan independence, parliament passed the law on the special status of Gagauzia on 23 December 1994, and it came into force on 14 January 1995. The region has three official languages: Romanian, Gagauz and Russian. Russian dominates everyday life, although 63.8 per cent of Comrat's inhabitants gave Gagauz as their mother tongue in 2024. Gagauzia had 103,668 inhabitants in 2024.

What to see and do

• The Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, dating from 1820.
• The regional museum of history and local heritage, with collections on Gagauz culture.
• The Lenin statue, the memorial to the victims of Stalinist repression and the Alley of Gagauz Glory.
• Wine tastings at the wineries in and around the town; wine is the region's main export.

Eating, drinking and sleeping

Comrat has a limited but serviceable choice: a few hotels, restaurants and cafés along the main street, supermarkets and a central market. Feel free to ask in restaurants for local Gagauz dishes; the menu is often in Russian. Buy wine directly from the local producers.

Practical information and tips

The town lies about 101 kilometres south of Chișinău, roughly an hour and three quarters' drive via the R3. Buses leave from Gara de Sud in Chișinău; the railway station is in the village of Bugeac, about 7 kilometres north of the town. According to the Belgian travel advice (updated in July 2026), you can travel safely in Moldova, Transnistria excepted, with the usual precautions. Russian is more useful here than Romanian.