Hostels in IVANCEA, MOLDOVA

Ivancea – A Village of Culture and Diversities

Ivancea, located in the Codry forest, is part of a commune in the Moldovan district of Orhei which also consists of the villages, Furceni and Branesti. The route between Chisinau and Ivancea is Moldova’s most loved tourist route. Here, we will just look at what the village of Ivancea has to offer to its visitors.

History
The region in which Ivancea is located has a history dating back to the 14th century when it was conquered by the Golden Horde. This is the very place where the ancient city of Shehr al-Cedid was constructed. The city got lost in the middle of 16th century. Ivancea and the region around it has a lot of remains of these early times, especially in the caves present in the region.

Popular Places and Attractions
The Museum of Popular Art is Ivancea’s most popular attraction. It is situated inside Karp Balioz’s house, who was an Armenian noble. It contains pottery and wooden representations of unique shapes and sizes, stonework such as columns, chimneys and stone-flowers, and expertise of local craftswomen at embroidery as well as carpet making. The museum also contains clothes belonging to different Moldovan ethnicities, horn and leather work and also certain musical instruments.

Some other interesting things to see in Ivancea village are its houses, cemeteries, the church and the village hall. The crosses in the cemeteries are blue in colour and one also gets curious at the sight of the tables and benches in these cemeteries. Blue seems to be the favourite colour here as even most of the houses sport that colour. There is a monument next to the Village Hall commemorating those who lost their lives between 1941 and 1945.

Getting Around
Buses, mini-buses and private or shared cabs are some of the ways of getting around Ivancea. But, as it’s just a village, one can easily enjoy the sightseeing by walking, a good guide to hassle free travel is to keep some change and small notes handy to pay your fares.

Places for Entertainment
The Ivancea region is full of big fields, surrounding lakes and large villages. There are more than seven lakes around Ivancea. These lakes are popular amongst locals as a swimming and fishing site. One of the lakes contains some abandoned summer resorts belonging to the Soviet times. The atmosphere makes it an ideal location for weekend barbecuing. The region is also well-known for its wine producing fields. Buy some quality local wine to go with the barbecue.