German Embassy begins construction in Chișinău, with plans to restore a historic former girls’ school
Reconstruction work started on a historic building in the center of Chisinau, which is set to house the new premises of the German Embassy. The building is the former Girls' Gymnasium at 85 Alexei Mateevici Street—a 139-year-old structure listed as a historic monument of national importance.
The building, constructed between 1886 and 1887, has two levels and has fallen into advanced disrepair after the 1977 and 1986 earthquakes.
According to the Ministry of Culture, the building became unusable following the seismic events and has remained vacant since 1986.
In December 2009, the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova approved the sale of the property and the associated land to the German side, for the construction of the new premises for the German Embassy in Chișinău.
The building and the associated land were sold to the German side in 2010 for the construction of the new embassy premises. The transaction was valued at 1.5 million euros—equivalent to approximately 24.6 million lei, based on the average annual exchange rate for that year.
Before the actual work began, the Ministry of Culture (MC) contributed by granting approval—through the National Council for Historical Monuments (CNMI)—for several projects included in the building's documentation.
These include the restoration, structural reinforcement, and revitalization of the historical monument; temporary structural stabilization; the demolition of non-listed (non-monument) buildings; and the routing of the electrical line.
"We wish to clarify that the Ministry of Culture’s mandate, exercised through the CNMI, involves reviewing and approving project documentation to ensure compliance with cultural heritage protection requirements," the Ministry of Culture stated in a comment to Teleradio-Moldova.
The project entails the restoration and structural reinforcement of the historical building—including the repair of facades and damaged decorative elements—as well as its integration into an architectural complex that will house the new diplomatic mission.
Currently, a metal fence encloses the site, and construction crews are working on the premises.
"This is a challenging construction project, and we are fully aware of our responsibility toward such an iconic historical building. This is one reason the preparatory phase is so time-consuming. At present, stone restoration specialists are working on rehabilitating a section of the historical facade to determine the most appropriate methodology and the final costs for the construction project," representatives of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Chisinau told Teleradio-Moldova.
History of the monument at 85 Alexei Mateevici str.
The building was constructed between 1886 and 1887 and originally belonged to Victor Schmidt, a nobleman and lawyer.
In 1914, seven years after his death, the building became the premises of a girls' gymnasium (secondary school) founded by Baroness Iulia von Heyking, who rented the property from the former owner's widow.
According to the Chișinău tourism portal, the gymnasium operated there until 1931. It later housed the "Alecu Donici" Romanian-language high school, and by the late 1930s, the building was converted into an industrial high school.
During the Soviet era, the property served as the seat of the Council of People's Commissars of the Moldovan SSR, and later housed Secondary School No. 5.
Between 1951 and 1956, the building also housed an office of the Moldovan branch of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR.
The building has two levels and an angular plan, with one wing extending deep into the site. The main façade is symmetrical and designed in the architectural style characteristic of educational buildings from that period.
The building’s main façade is dominated by a portico featuring four Doric columns. Above it lies a balcony that, during school festivities, also served as a podium.
The building's architecture is eclectic, with neoclassical influences.
