Hîncești

Why go

Hîncești is close enough to Chișinău for a short outing, and in the Manuc Bei estate it has one of the most striking aristocratic ensembles in Bessarabia. The town also lies on the road to the Leușeni border crossing and on the route to Leova and Cahul, so it combines easily with a tour of the south-west and the monasteries of the Codru area.

History and character

In 1774 the village of Hîncești had 72 households. After the Russo-Turkish War of 1806-1812, Manuc Bei Mârzaian (1769-1817), an Armenian merchant and dragoman who had mediated for the Russians in the peace negotiations, bought Princess Dolgoruky's estate and palace and settled there with his family. His son later had a new palace built. The town's coat of arms still combines the axe of the Hîncu family with the lion of Manuc Bei.

The twentieth century left other traces. Grigory Kotovsky, a Soviet commander in the Russian Civil War, was born here; after the Second World War the place was therefore called Kotovskoye and from 1965 Kotovsk, until the old name returned in 1990. Between 1998 and 2003 Hîncești was the capital of Lăpușna district.

What to see and do

• The Manuc Bei estate, with the palace and outbuildings set in a park.
• The local history museum and the quiet centre.
• Excursions to Hîncu Monastery and the forests of the Codru area north of the town.

Eating, drinking and sleeping

In Hîncești you will find simple restaurants and cafés for a lunch on the way. Most visitors stay overnight in Chișinău, or in a rural guesthouse near the monasteries, where the hosts often cook with their own produce. When you visit the estate, bring a picnic for the park.

Practical information and tips

Hîncești lies about 35 kilometres from Chișinău, roughly a forty-minute drive on the R3. Buses and minibuses leave from Gara de Sud. If you are heading on to Romania, drive via Hîncești to the Leușeni-Albița border crossing. Half a day is enough for the town and the estate. To fill the day, carry on north, where some of Moldova's best-known monasteries lie among the hills and forests of the Codru area.