O sută de movile, the hundred hills by the Prut

O sută de movile is a landscape of more than 3,500 small hills on the terraces of the Prut, between the villages of Braniște and Avrămeni in Rîșcani district. The name means 'a hundred hills', though there are clearly far more. Geologists still disagree on how they came about.

What you see

South of Braniște, flat farmland suddenly gives way to a rolling field of hills. Most are elongated, with steep sides. They stand one to three metres high, the largest reaching around thirty metres; the tallest is called Movila Țiganului. Together they form a strip about eight kilometres long and some two kilometres wide, in rows that run parallel to the Prut floodplain.

Between the hills lie dozens of small lakes and springs. Steppe grass and low scrub give the whole area a bare, almost lunar look in summer. Cows graze on the slopes, plum and apricot trees grow around the villages, and wheat fields cover the lower terraces.

Origins and history

There is no generally accepted explanation for the hills. One theory sees them as the remains of underwater reefs from the seas that covered this area 10 to 20 million years ago, related to the limestone reefs (toltre) found elsewhere along the middle Prut. A second theory points to landslides and the washing away of soft sedimentary rock. Excavations have not settled the debate, and no traces of graves have been found.

Popular imagination chose a different story. After a great battle, the victors are said to have buried their dead here: ordinary soldiers under small hills, commanders under large ones. Another tale makes Movila Țiganului the grave of a Scythian chieftain. Dimitrie Cantemir mentioned the landscape in 1716 in his Descriptio Moldaviae as Centum monticuli. Today it is protected as a natural monument.

Tips for your visit

O sută de movile is a long way from Chișinău, about 170 kilometres by road, and is best combined with the Butești gorge, a few kilometres to the east, and the Pădurea Domnească reserve further downstream. Bălți, just under an hour's drive away, is the obvious base for an overnight stay. A car is the practical choice; there are no facilities on site and no marked paths. Sturdy shoes and water are therefore a good idea. The best light comes late in the afternoon, when the hills cast long shadows. The land around the hills is farmed, so keep off the fields and out of pastures with livestock.