Edineț

Why go

Edineț is not a destination in its own right, but if you explore Moldova's northern edge, between the Prut and the Dniester, you will pass through it. The town has a well-kept centre, two small museums and a history that says a great deal about the former society of Bessarabia. It is also a convenient place to spend the night on the way.

History and character

The first mention appears in a charter of 15 July 1431, in which Prince Alexandru cel Bun granted fourteen villages and their lands to his nobleman Ivan Cupcici. In the nineteenth century Edineț grew into a market town with a large Jewish community: in 1897, 72 per cent of the inhabitants were Jewish.

That community was destroyed in 1941. On 5 July 1941 German and Romanian troops entered the town; within a few weeks about 1,000 of the 5,000 Jewish inhabitants had been murdered. A ghetto was set up in mid-August, and on 16 September 1941 the survivors were deported to Transnistria, where most of them died. As in many Moldovan provincial towns, the population also fell sharply after 1991: from 15,520 in 2014 to 12,369 in 2024.

What to see and do

• The centre with the town hall, the house of culture and a park.
• Saint Basil's Church and the monument to Ștefan cel Mare.
• The natural history museum and the museum of folk artists, with crafts from the region.
• Excursions to the northern reserves and monasteries along the Prut and the Dniester.

Eating, drinking and sleeping

The choice is modest: a few hotels and guesthouses, cafés and restaurants serving Moldovan and Russian classics, and a market with produce from the surrounding villages. The north is farming country, growing grain and sugar beet, and the market shows what the villages produce. Do not count on wine bars or extensive menus.

Practical information and tips

Edineț lies about 206 kilometres north of Chișinău, roughly three hours' drive via Bălți. Buses and minibuses leave from Gara de Nord in Chișinău; expect a long journey. Combine the town with Bălți, Drochia or Soroca on a tour of the north, and plan a night in the region rather than a there-and-back trip in one day. If you want to follow the Jewish history of Bessarabia, you can combine Edineț with Soroca and Orhei, where traces of that community have also survived.