Chisinau

Not sure how some days ago I ended up watching a non professional short video about Moldova (I'm not much into this kind of amateur, partially funny, kind of videos), the poorest country in Europe. It hardly talked about the sad facts that I'm familiar with about this failed country: massive emigration of the young locals, the maphias, the young girls exported as sex slaves, the poverty... but offered a simple approach to some basic facts.

Out of curiosity I did search in Emporis for the tallest buildings in the capital city, Chisinau (in Eastern Europe almost any interesting building built in the last century will be a high-rise). The city (and the country I guess) tops at 90 metres, and most high-rise buildings were built in the 70's and 80's when it was a Soviet Republic. Hum, massive Soviet high-rise blocks... one of those things that almost everybody hates but that I find charming, captivating and sometimes even beautiful! so I searched for some of the buildings... and I was shocked!

This is a dream!. Really, I find this high-rise "chamomile" building really amazing. If they had some money for a restoration it could really shine. Also, thanks to this piece of architectonic wisdom I've found this very interesting site about brutalism.

A google search for Chisinau Soviet Blocks brings up really mesmerizing images.

I think it's common to try to create some architectural signals at the entrance of a city. For example in Xixón (that is full of 14-16 stories "towers" from the 60's-70's) the only high-rise buildings done in the current century are in locations that mark an entry to the city. In Chisinau one of those entry points, city gates, is Portile Orasului. Wow, that is massive!

I've found this drone footage that shows some good views of the Moldovan capital.
Also, while searching about some of the buildigns I came across this excellent articleabout Soviet era architecture in Chisnau.