Moldova: EU-funded programme supports study visits to historical sites for first class of restoration specialists

In May 2026, a group of 30 students from the Moldovan Centre of Excellence in Construction learned various restoration techniques directly from professionals, as part of a study visit organised with the support of the European Union’s Confidence Building Measures Programme, implemented by UNDP. 

The teams of construction workers and contractors the students met shared their professional experiences, including by encouraging them to continue their academic studies.

“This will be the first class of students specialising in restoration. We’re glad there’s a demand for this because in the Republic of Moldova we have a lot of heritage that needs to be saved,” explains Anastasia Mozgovaia-Mahnenco, a professor at the Center of Excellence in Construction.

In Chișinău, the students visited a woodworking workshop, where they saw how a piece of wood goes through all the technological processes to produce the elements needed to build the access path to the Horodiște cave monastery in Țipova. UNDP and the European Union are supporting the development of the access road from Țipova.

On another day, at the bell tower in Vadul Rașcov, currently undergoing restoration by UNDP with financial support from the European Union, the students were given an insight into the region’s history, helping them understand the cultural context.

“In the theoretical lessons, we mostly saw pictures: what it looks like, how it’s restored. But in real life, it wasn’t until today that I saw the entire restoration process unfold,” said one of the students, Daniel Bulmaga. “From what the specialists have told me, it seems like a pretty complicated process; from what I understand, some elements are very, very hard to find, but it’s an interesting field and very well-paid.”

Similar study visits are planned for students on the left bank as well, with these activities aimed at the professional development of young specialists in the restoration and conservation of cultural heritage on both banks of the Nistru River.

The European Union and UNDP are currently supporting the restoration of four historical cultural heritage sites on both banks of the Nistru River. Since 2020, another 12 cultural heritage sites have been preserved and partially restored, including two flagship projects: the Circus in Chișinău and the Tighina (Bender) Fortress.

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Press release