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Old photos of Chisinau

14 photographs of Chisinau, from 1941 to 2025 — each pinned to the exact place it was taken.

Have an old photo of Chisinau? A family album, a postcard, a print from the attic. Pin it to the map and it becomes part of the record.
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What the photos show

The 14 photographs of Chisinau on PlaceWas span 3 decades, from 1941 to 2025. 8 of them were taken before 1980; the other 6 are recent views of the same streets and landmarks.2 spots were photographed more than once, so you can compare the same street, square or building across the years.14 of the photos carry a written caption explaining what is in the frame. Every picture is pinned to the place it was taken, so the map below shows where the photographers stood.

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Places in Chisinau through time

Spots photographed more than once — compare the same place across the years.

EU: Chisinau: Ruinen (1942), Chisinau — photos through time
EU: Chisinau: Ruinen (1942) 8 photos · 1941–1942
Monumentul a lui Grigore Kotovski, Chisinau, Republica Moldova Grigoriy Kotovskiy Monument, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, Chisinau — photos through time
Monumentul a lui Grigore Kotovski, Chisinau, Republica Moldova Grigoriy Kotovskiy Monument, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova 2 photos · 2020

Stories from Chisinau

What contributors wrote about these photographs.

EU: Chisinau: Straßenbahndepot (1941), Chisinau, 1941
EU: Chisinau: Straßenbahndepot (1941) 1941 A tram depot in Chisinau is pictured in 1941, the year the Bessarabian capital came under German and Romanian occupation during the opening months of the Second World War. The image documents the city's public transit…
EU: Chisinau: OSIN-Tankstelle (1941), Chisinau, 1941
EU: Chisinau: OSIN-Tankstelle (1941) 1941 An OSIN filling station in Chisinau is shown in this 1941 photograph, a glimpse of the city's commercial infrastructure at the moment Bessarabia passed from Soviet into Romanian and German control during the Second World…
EU: Chisinau: Metropolie (1941), Chisinau, 1941
EU: Chisinau: Metropolie (1941) 1941 The Nativity Cathedral, known locally as the Metropolie, stood at the center of Chisinau's civic life; this 1941 photograph captures the building amid the upheaval that followed the Axis occupation of Bessarabia that…
EU: Chisinau: Straße mit Polizist (1942), Chisinau, 1942
EU: Chisinau: Straße mit Polizist (1942) 1942 A policeman stands watch on a Chisinau street in this 1942 photograph, part of a series recording conditions in the city during the German and Romanian occupation of Bessarabia in the Second World War.
EU: Chisinau: Zerstörter Marktplatz (1942), Chisinau, 1942
EU: Chisinau: Zerstörter Marktplatz (1942) 1942 This 1942 photograph shows Chisinau's marketplace in ruins, a record of the destruction the city's commercial center suffered during the fighting and occupation of the Second World War.
Kishinev morning, Chisinau, 2014
Kishinev morning 2014 An early-morning scene in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, formerly known by its Russian name Kishinev, captured in 2014. The city was largely rebuilt in a Soviet architectural style after suffering heavy damage in the…
Monumentul a lui Grigore Kotovski, Chisinau, Republica Moldova Grigoriy Kotovskiy Monument, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, Chisinau, 2020
Monumentul a lui Grigore Kotovski, Chisinau, Republica Moldova Grigoriy Kotovskiy Monument, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova 2020 A monument to Grigore Kotovski, a Soviet-era military commander and revolutionary figure, stands in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, as recorded in this 2020 photograph of one of the city's remaining Soviet-period…
Palatul de cultură al feroviarilor, Chisinau, 2023
Palatul de cultură al feroviarilor 2023 The Palace of Culture of the Railway Workers is a cultural venue in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, built to serve employees of the national rail network. This photograph was taken in 2023.
1940s · 8 photos
2010s · 1 photo
2020s · 5 photos