{"id":449747,"date":"2021-11-13T18:00:07","date_gmt":"2021-11-13T18:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/?p=449747"},"modified":"2021-11-17T09:01:08","modified_gmt":"2021-11-17T09:01:08","slug":"climautii-de-jos-an-untouched-treasure-on-the-banks-of-nistru-river","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/climautii-de-jos-an-untouched-treasure-on-the-banks-of-nistru-river\/","title":{"rendered":"Clim\u0103u\u021bii de Jos \u2013 an untouched treasure on the banks of Nistru river"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 8<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

Grandma Ana cuts down the corn stalks. She throws the sere corn stalks in the pile on the ground, and the green ones are left standing. In the garden you can also see some pumpkins, a few pepper plants that never gave any fruits and some green tomatoes. The grapes were already picked and pressed, and the tub with must is covered with plastic and a few rugs.<\/p>\n

The old woman is accompanied by Ursulic\u0103 (Little Bear), a small black dog who follows her everywhere. Her daughters live abroad and she was left all alone since her partner died a few years back. This is when she moved to a small annex to the house, where she has a bathroom, a toilet and a small kitchen. She doesn’t need anything more. She only goes into the main house from time to time to check out if everything is alright.<\/p>\n

In the small yard you can also find a bed next to a wall, a dog house for Ursulic\u0103 and a few freshly washed head scarfs hanging out to dry. Ana takes a seat on the bed and tries to get the paint off her fingers after painting the small gate to the garden.<\/p>\n[aesop_image img=”https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/2.jpg” panorama=”off” align=”center” lightbox=”on” captionsrc=”custom” captionposition=”left” revealfx=”off” overlay_revealfx=”off”]\n

Houses from the past<\/b><\/h2>\n

The house she left uninhabited was built in 1962. She built it with great trouble, because they didn\u2019t have money or materials. \u201cWe got rocks from the hills up there, we brought them by cart. We carried them, we built the foundation. And then we built up. Then we put up the ceiling. We had people helping out, we put the roof on. Then, little by little, we started with one room, and then the other. And going on like this till we got old,\u201d tells us Ana. The 78 years old woman likes the new houses better. \u201cBecause they\u2019re new!,\u201d she says enthusiastically.<\/p>\n

Actually, Ana\u2019s house, the outside plaster aside, is built in a traditional style, representative for Moldovans. It consists of two to three rooms, an entryway, verandah, gable, and an oriel.<\/p>\n[aesop_image img=”https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/3m.jpg” panorama=”off” align=”center” lightbox=”on” captionsrc=”custom” captionposition=”left” revealfx=”off” overlay_revealfx=”off”]\n\n[aesop_content color=”#000000″ background=”#a3a4a4″ columns=”1″ position=”none” imgrepeat=”no-repeat” disable_bgshading=”off” floaterposition=”left” floaterdirection=”up” revealfx=”off” overlay_revealfx=”off” aesop-generator-content=”The traditional Moldovan house also has a \u201cgallery\u201d. It is actually the facade of the rustic house and marks the passage from the larger, outside area, to the smaller one within the house. The gallery consists of a few classic elements: the porch, the railing and the columns. The porch is the part supporting the gallery. It can be built from wood or stone and placed alongside the main side of the house.<\/p>
\n<p>Another important element of the rustic house is the oriel. Similar to the porch, it can be built from wood or stone. The oriel can be closed or open.<\/p>
\n<p>”]The traditional Moldovan house also has a \u201cgallery\u201d. It is actually the facade of the rustic house and marks the passage from the larger, outside area, to the smaller one within the house. The gallery consists of a few classic elements: the porch, the railing and the columns. The porch is the part supporting the gallery. It can be built from wood or stone and placed alongside the main side of the house.<\/p>\n

Another important element of the rustic house is the oriel. Similar to the porch, it can be built from wood or stone. The oriel can be closed or open.<\/p>\n[\/aesop_content]\n[aesop_image img=”https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/4.jpg” panorama=”off” align=”center” lightbox=”on” captionsrc=”custom” captionposition=”left” revealfx=”off” overlay_revealfx=”off”]\n[aesop_content color=”#000000″ background=”#a3a4a4″ columns=”1″ position=”none” imgrepeat=”no-repeat” disable_bgshading=”off” floaterposition=”left” floaterdirection=”up” revealfx=”off” overlay_revealfx=”off” aesop-generator-content=”Other essential elements are the doors and windows. There are a few categories of doors: single or double doors, with or without window frames.\u00a0 The old fashioned windows were usually double or triple framed and had shutters. They had a tilting sash called oberlicht.<\/p>\n

“]Other essential elements are the doors and windows. There are a few categories of doors: single or double doors, with or without window frames.<\/p>\n

The old fashioned windows were usually double or triple framed and had shutters. They had a tilting sash called oberlicht.<\/p>\n[\/aesop_content]\n

Source: <\/span>\u201dBuilding and decorative typologies in the vernacular architecture in Moldova\u201d<\/span><\/a> by Vitalie Malcoci, researcher, Institute of Cultural Patrimony. <\/span><\/p>\n

The wooden gable is still untouched, but in the attic you can see two small holes – for the pigeons, explains Ana. Today, pigeons don\u2019t go into the attic anymore, nor does the old woman. \u201cWhen I was young, I would climb into the attic and cry, but now…,\u201d Ana jokes. She is resting on her porch overwhelmed by memories. \u201cThis is my house, this is my table. What else do you want from me? A glass of wine?,\u201d she asks amused.<\/p>\n[aesop_image img=”https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/1-colaj.jpg” panorama=”off” align=”center” lightbox=”on” captionsrc=”custom” captionposition=”left” revealfx=”off” overlay_revealfx=”off”]\n

There are around 500 houses in Clim\u0103u\u021bii de Jos. Many of them still preserve the traditional rural architecture, which can be harnessed for local tourism, according to Tatiana Dudnicenco, PhD and lecturer at the Faculty of Biology and Pedology of the Moldovan State University. In 2015 she published the study <\/span>\u201cEcological tourism in the rayons of \u0218old\u0103ne\u0219ti, Republic of Moldova: problems and perspectives\u201d<\/span><\/a>, in which she also mentioned Clim\u0103u\u021bi village. The eco-touristic itinerary includes the following places: \u201cClim\u0103u\u021bii de Jos\u201d Landscape Reservation, Clim\u0103u\u021bii de Jos village, Vadul-Ra\u0219cov commune, Cu\u0219\u0103l\u0103uca village, Cu\u0219\u0103l\u0103uca monastery, \u201cDobru\u0219a\u201d Landscape Reservation and Dobru\u0219a monastery.<\/span><\/p>\n[aesop_image img=”https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/7.jpg” panorama=”off” align=”center” lightbox=”on” captionsrc=”custom” captionposition=”left” revealfx=”off” overlay_revealfx=”off”]\n\n[aesop_content color=”#000000″ background=”#a3a4a4″ columns=”1″ position=”none” imgrepeat=”no-repeat” disable_bgshading=”off” floaterposition=”left” floaterdirection=”up” revealfx=”off” overlay_revealfx=”off” aesop-generator-content=”\u201cIn Clim\u0103u\u021bii de Jos the archaic patterns of the Moldovan village still reigns over the life in the village. It can become one of the most representative localities due to its architecture. The peasant houses built in the most classic Moldovan style offer the village a medieval aspect: houses with attics and wide porches, with a central entryway and two rooms – one on the right and the other on the left, and a pantry at the other end of the entryway. Passing through the entangled streets bordered by the low stone walls creates the impression that you are in a real open air ethnographic museum.\u201d writes Tatiana Dudnicenco in her study.<\/p>\n

“]\u201cIn Clim\u0103u\u021bii de Jos the archaic patterns of the Moldovan village still reigns over the life in the village. It can become one of the most representative localities due to its architecture. The peasant houses built in the most classic Moldovan style offer the village a medieval aspect: houses with attics and wide porches, with a central entryway and two rooms – one on the right and the other on the left, and a pantry at the other end of the entryway. Passing through the entangled streets bordered by the low stone walls creates the impression that you are in a real open air ethnographic museum.\u201d writes Tatiana Dudnicenco in her study.[\/aesop_content]\n