Rașcov on left bank of Nistru River develops tourism potential with EU and UNDP support

Chisinau, Oct. 26 /MOLDPRES/- A team of researchers from the Archaeological Laboratory of the Taras Shevchenko University in Tiraspol has carried out a series of archaeological investigations at the ruins of the church of Rașcov on the left bank of the Nistru.

According to the EU Delegation to Moldova, these efforts were included in an ambitious project, "Historic Rașcov: research and conservation to improve tourism potential together". The project was supported by the European Union’s "Confidence Building Measures" programme, implemented by UNDP. 

The archaeological research was carried out from 9 October to 15 November 2022. Subsequently, archaeologists, historians and architects combined field and office work to document the research in a monograph. On the occasion of the launch of this monograph, a scientific conference was organised on 28 September 2023, bringing together experts from both sides of the Nistru River. 

"During the research project, a new archaeological site belonging to the Cucuteni-Tripolia archaeological community and the oldest Christian necropolis in the region dating from the 17th-18th centuries were discovered unexpectedly. In addition, remains were discovered - several teeth and small fragments of the lower jaw of an animal. They belonged to a young elephant of the genus Mammuthus, which lived in these parts about 100,000 years ago," the EU Delegation said.

Previously, within the framework of the EU Confidence Building Measures programme implemented by UNDP, two local cultural heritage sites, namely the synagogue and the ruins of the church of Rașcov, were conserved and partially restored.

Photo: EU Delegation