City Hall to install a memorial plaque on architect Bernardazzi’s 100th death anniversary

The City Hall will install on Tuesday, August 14, a plaque to commemorate the 100th death anniversary of architect Alexandru Bernardazzi, by whom some of the most beautiful buildings in Chisinau were designed. The plaque will be installed on the façade of a building where the architect lived, on 23 Sfatul Tarii Street. This will be the second memorial plaque dedicated to the great architect; the first one is installed on the façade of the Chisinau City Hall building (the former building of the City Duma built in 1902 according to Bernardazzi’s and architect Mitrofan Elladi’s design). Architect Bernardzzi designed over 30 buildings in Chisinau and other places of Bessarabia. Most characteristic buildings are the Greek Church in Chisinau, the City Duma, the District Court, the Popular School, Museum of Ethnography and Archaeology (Iamusevschi House), Manuc-Bey Estate in Hincesti, Church Nevski in Ungheni, and others. According to historian Iurie Colesnic, without the contribution of Bernardazzi Chisinau would have looked like a city without a face; the merit of the great architect was to give it a style. He demonstrated that architecture is not simply building construction, but a language. Alexandru Bernardazzi (1831-1907) completed his studies in St. Petersburg. In 1850 he comes to Bessarabia and is hired as architect in Bessarabian Committee of Constructions and Roads in Chisinau. He had a major role in developing the local architecture. He was the first one to use in Chisinau the refined stone, combining it with horizontal stripes of bricks. In 1856-1878 he was the chief architect of Chisinau. From 1878 Alexandru Bernardazzi also lived in Odessa. He died in 1907 in Fastov.