Rezervația științifică Pădurea Domnească
The Prince's Forest on the Prut
Moldova's largest reserve, with European bison, heron colonies and centuries-old oaks
47.6224° N · 27.4170° E151 km from Chișinău
Photo: SerKo Photography, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Pădurea Domnească (the Prince's Forest) is, at around 6,000 hectares, Moldova's largest scientific nature reserve. Since 1993 it has protected the floodplain forests along the middle course of the Prut, on the border with Romania in Glodeni district. It is the only place in the country where European bison live.
Nature and landscape
The reserve stretches along the Prut, from Braniște in the north to Pruteni in the south. About 86 per cent of it is floodplain forest, one of the oldest of its kind in Europe according to the national tourism office. Near the village of Moara Domnească, oaks more than 250 years old stand on 123 hectares, some of them up to 35 metres tall.
According to the national tourism office, 159 bird species live here, 107 of them resident. Near Balatina lies Țara Bâtlanilor, the Land of the Herons: a colony of more than a thousand grey herons, night herons and great egrets that nest in the tops of the oaks.
The best-known residents are the European bison (wisent). On 19 August 2005 a bull and two cows arrived from Poland, from the Kampinos and Białowieża national parks. According to the 2025 tourism brochure, five animals live here, in a 32-hectare forest plot.
History
The reserve was established by government decision on 2 July 1993 to protect the floodplain forests and their rare plants and animals. Nearby lies the O sută de movile landscape reserve, with more than 3,500 mounds whose origin has still not been explained.
According to the state news agency Moldpres, 6,000 to 7,000 people visit each year, mainly schoolchildren, students and researchers in geography, biology and forestry. Together with the Glodeni district council, the reserve has developed a tourist route.
Tips for your visit
- Contact the reserve administration to arrange a visit or guided tour; it is a scientific reserve with restricted access.
- The area lies along the state border with Romania: keep your identity card or passport to hand.
- Bring binoculars for the heron colony, at its best during the spring breeding season.
- Combine your visit with O sută de movile and the Butești gorge in the same district.
Highlights
- Moldova's largest scientific reserve (about 6,000 ha)
- The country's only European bison, since 2005
- Heron colony of more than a thousand birds near Balatina
- Oaks more than 250 years old near Moara Domnească
