Restoring Memory: A Proposal for the Recovery of the Lutheran Cemetery in Chișinău

Introduction

During a recent urban planning workshop focused on developing the historic-architectural reference plan for Chișinău, Vice Mayor Ilie Ceban posed a meaningful and seemingly rhetorical question:

“Is there a park or public space in the city that we’ve lost but could restore?”

No clear answer was given at the time. But such a place does exist. Moreover, its restoration could become a symbolic gesture through which the city rediscovers a vital part of its cultural and spiritual identity.

This place is the former Lutheran cemetery of Chișinău — completely destroyed, nearly erased from memory, but still present in underground layers, old aerial photographs, and family recollections.

---

Historical Context

The German Community and the Lutheran Cemetery

Starting in the 19th century, a vibrant German Evangelical community developed in Chișinău, significantly contributing to the city’s culture, architecture, engineering, and governance. Germans and Baltic Lutherans designed, built, taught, traded, and introduced a tradition of order, transparency, and professional ethics.

A central spiritual and cultural landmark for this community was the Lutheran cemetery, located southwest of today’s Central Orthodox Cemetery. It included:

• a Lutheran chapel, used for prayer and burial services;
  
  

Реконструкция по аналогу

• and family crypts of several prominent figures, including:
  
  

• Alexander Bernardazzi, the renowned architect;
  
  

• Karl Schmidt, reformer and mayor during the city’s modernization;
  
  

• and Baron von Stuart, a representative of Baltic nobility.
  
  

Реконструкция по аналогу

In the Soviet period, especially after World War II, the cemetery was completely demolished. A portion of the land was turned into a park, another into buildings. In the 1950s, a cinema named "Gaudeamus" was constructed at the cemetery's center, later closed and partially demolished. Today, new construction work is underway on that very site.

---

Why It Matters

Losing Memory Is Losing Identity

Chișinău has always been a multiethnic, multiconfessional, and multicultural city. The Lutheran cemetery is a key to understanding a missing layer of urban identity. It was not just a burial ground — it was a symbolic place of architecture, belief, and societal structure.

Its destruction left an open wound. Today, the city has a unique chance not only to recall that space but to weave it back into the urban present — respectfully, tactfully, and professionally.

---

Testimonies and Evidence

A Family Account

An especially valuable piece of evidence comes from a descendant of Baron von Stuart, who personally shared with the author that the graves of Bernardazzi, Schmidt, and Stuart were located directly beneath the building of the Gaudeamus cinema, more precisely under the stage area. This family memory adds an intimate and trustworthy layer to the historical narrative and strengthens the rationale for archaeological investigation.

1944 Aerial Photography

Analysis of WWII-era aerial photography from 1944 confirms that the main cemetery avenue led directly to the Lutheran chapel, with large burial structures situated to the right of that axis — exactly where the cinema’s stage was later built. These structural forms correspond to the likely placement of the three prominent crypts.

---

A Two-Part Memorial Proposal

1. Archaeological Excavation

There are two key areas that should be the focus of archaeological investigation:

🕍 Chapel Location

The site of the chapel is precisely known and remains undeveloped. It offers an opportunity to:

• carry out archaeological excavations;
  
  

• preserve the foundation as an open archaeological window;
  
  

• install a vertical memorial marker with inscriptions in Romanian and German;
  
  

• possibly uncover liturgical objects, original floor fragments, or grave markers.
  
  

🪦 Stage Area of the Former Cinema

The location under the former cinema stage is highly likely to contain the remains of the three family crypts. A temporary halt in ongoing construction would allow for archaeological sounding and documentation.

Возможность раскопок в районе сцены уже потеряна окончательно

---

Memorial Structure Proposal

🔸 Monument at the Chapel Site

• A stone stele symbolically shaped like a chapel gable;
  
  

• Bilingual plaque (Romanian and German) and QR code leading to a digital archive;
  
  

• Optionally, a preserved archaeological foundation or glass-covered floor segment;
  
  

• Due to low visibility and limited access, this site is not suitable for a full public park.
  
  

---

🔸 Public Memorial Garden along Alexandri Street

On the public green strip along Alexandri Street, located in municipal ownership, the following is proposed:

• Installation of three individual memorial stones honoring:
  
  

• Alexander Bernardazzi;
  
  

• Karl Schmidt;
  
  

• Baron von Stuart;
  
  

• Creation of a public memorial garden with paths and benches;
  
  

• A contextual plaque that references the archaeological site:
  
  

“The Lutheran chapel and family crypts stood behind this building. The main memorial is located there and can be visited.”

This two-location approach balances historical authenticity with contemporary urban visibility, allowing passersby and residents to engage with the memory.

---

International Collaboration

The project lends itself to international support and diplomatic participation:

• Germany’s Embassy – as cultural heirs of the Lutheran German community of Bessarabia;
  
  

• Italy’s Embassy – in honor of Bernardazzi’s Italian origins;
  
  

• The British Embassy – in recognition of Baron von Stuart and as a cultural heritage partner.
  
  

Such involvement would elevate the project’s diplomatic and symbolic significance.

---

Implementation Steps

1. Municipal approval and temporary suspension of ongoing construction;
   
   

2. Historical and archaeological assessments and excavations;
   
   

3. Public consultations and memorial design;
   
   

4. Production and installation of memorials and garden layout;
   
   

5. Official inauguration with participation from the municipality and embassies.
   
   

---

Conclusion

This proposal is not merely about rebuilding a lost cemetery — it is about reclaiming memory and cultural integrity. It invites Chișinău to honor its past, not by idealizing it, but by integrating it into the present.

The Lutheran chapel and the crypts of Bernardazzi, Schmidt, and Stuart are more than forgotten burial sites. They are testimonies of an era when the city was open, progressive, and connected to Europe.

Now, as the city enters a new phase of planning and public responsibility, Chișinău has the opportunity to make a powerful gesture:
to bring memory into the present — and preserve it for the future.