Ralli manor in Dolna, Pushkin's country house museum

The Ralli family manor in Dolna, Strășeni district, is an early 19th-century boyar residence where Alexander Pushkin stayed for a few weeks in the summer of 1821. Since 1949 it has been a house museum devoted to the poet, now a branch of the Pushkin Museum in Chișinău. Around it lie a park and the Codri forests, home to the legend of Zemfira.

What you see

The manor house stands in a park on the edge of the village. Inside, the atmosphere of a Bessarabian noble interior from Pushkin's day has been preserved, with a permanent exhibition about the poet and his stay here. Since 1972 the park has had a statue of Pushkin by the Russian sculptor Oleg Komov.

In the woods around Dolna lie the Poiana Zamfirei, Zemfira's glade, and the Izvorul Zamfirei, Zemfira's spring. Both refer to the Roma girl who, according to tradition, inspired the poet. They turn a museum visit into a short forest walk as well.

History

Zamfirache Ralli (1769-1831) was a merchant of Greek origin who settled in Moldavia. Through his marriage to a woman from the Arbore family he entered the nobility, and by the early 19th century he owned six villages. In Dolna he had a summer residence built, where the family entertained poets, writers and other cultural figures.

Pushkin was exiled to Bessarabia between 1820 and 1823 and lived in Chișinău for most of that time. In the summer of 1821 he stayed with the Rallis for a few weeks. According to tradition, he met Zemfira, the daughter of the camp leader, in a Roma camp nearby; she became the main character of his poem The Gypsies (1824). The house was designated a house museum in 1946 and opened on 6 June 1949, Pushkin's 150th birthday. In the Soviet era the building also served as a library and music school. In 2018 the National Bank of Moldova issued a 50 lei silver coin featuring the manor, in a series on boyar manor houses.

Tips for your visit

Dolna lies about 52 kilometres west of Chișinău, just under an hour's drive, in the same forest area as the Codrii reserve near Lozova. That makes a day trip combining nature and culture easy: pair the museum with a walk to Zemfira's glade, with the reserve or with Căpriana Monastery. Opening hours at rural museums are not always predictable, so check them in advance with the Pushkin Museum in Chișinău, which manages the house. Sturdy shoes are a good idea for the woods.