Abandoned Buildings

One very noticeable thing in Moldova is the numerous abandoned buildings everywhere. Anywhere you go in Moldova, there are old, run-down buildings. There are both old abandoned buildings as well as buildings that were abandoned during construction. Apparently, a lot of the abandon buildings have some kind of tie with the Soviet Union. Many of them were used by the Soviet Union, and when the Soviet Union left, they took everything that was valuable from the building, leaving the building empty and in great need of repair.

Some businesses might use part of the building, but many of the buildings just sit there unused. The history associated with the buildings often is unpleasant, and no one wants to use it because of those memories. So the buildings stay there untouched.

The buildings that are in use are very simple, yet old and run-down looking on the outside. They tend to be made out of concrete blocks and constructed very block-like. It’s very Soviet looking. Many times, the inside of the building is pleasant looking.

I can’t look at the buildings without thinking about how much the Soviet still affects Moldova. Even with the celebration of 21 years of independence today, I can’t help but think about how much further they need to go to truly be independent of the Soviet.