Durlești
Town in Chișinău, Moldova
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Durlești (Romanian pronunciation: [durˈleʃtʲ]) is a town in Chișinău municipality, Moldova. Located on the northwestern outskirts of the capital, contiguous with the Buiucani sector, it is the largest of Chișinău’s suburbs.
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Durlești | |
|---|---|
Town | |
St. Nicholas Church in Durlești | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Durlești Location in Moldova | |
| Coordinates: 47°02′N 28°57′E | |
| Country | Moldova |
| Municipality | Chișinău |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Eleonora Șaran (CUB) |
| Population | |
• Total | 26,308 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal code | MD-2003 |
| Website | Official website= |
History
Archaeological excavations indicate that the area of present-day Durlești has been inhabited since the early centuries of the 2nd millennium CE, with evidence of stable medieval settlements. The locality as known today developed from two earlier settlements — Cartușa and Durlești.
An early reference dates to 7 April 1636, mentioning a land grant held by Magda, daughter of a certain Drulea-Spătar, from Voivode Ștefan. The village, originally called Drulești, shared its name with another settlement in the Romanian lands — for example, a document by Voivode Ștefan Tomșa mentions “Ionașco from Drulești” in Roman County — which can complicate interpretation of historical sources. While the settlement was previously believed to exist since 1721, during Mihai Racoviță’s reign (Statistical Dictionary of Bessarabia, 1923), the earliest confirmed record dates to 1 June 1656, when Voivode Gheorghe Ștefan issued a charter confirming land purchases by Onofrei and Ionașcu Bucșan.
Demographics
According to the 2024 census, 26,308 inhabitants lived in Durlești, an increase compared to the previous census in 2014, when 17,210 inhabitants were registered.[2][3]
- Moldovans[a] (77.3%)
- Romanians (17.7%)
- Russians (1.70%)
- Ukrainians (1.70%)
- Others (1.50%)
- There is an ongoing controversy regarding the ethnic identification of Moldovans and Romanians.
- In March 2023, the Parliament of Moldova passed a law updating all legislative texts and the constitution to refer to the national language as Romanian, effectively rendering the term "Moldovan" obsolete.[4][5]
Notable people
- Vladimir Bodescu (1868–1941), Bessarabian politician and lawyer who voted for the Union of Bessarabia with Romania
- Petru Buburuz (born 1937), Orthodox parish priest and politician, served in the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union and officiated the blessing of the Grand National Assembly in 1989
