The Museum of Medieval Archaeology Butuceni, Orheiul Vechi

In the village of Butuceni, in the valley of the Răut River, the Museum of Medieval Archaeology opens one of the most important gateways into the history of the “Orheiul Vechi” Cultural-Natural Reserve. Founded in 1968, the reserve preserves traces of several historical periods, while the museum focuses especially on the Tatar-Mongol period and the Moldavian medieval period, two essential layers for understanding this place.

One distinctive feature is the museum building itself, designed as a semi-underground structure inside Medieval Defensive Rampart no. 2, covered with earth and discreetly integrated into the landscape. Its exterior recreates the image of a defensive rampart from the time of Stephen the Great, while the exhibition follows the story of Shehr al-Djedid, “the new city”, founded during the Golden Horde period. Palaces, caravanserais, mosques, public baths, workshops, and roads used by merchants show that, in the Middle Ages, Orheiul Vechi was a place of trade and crafts.

Visitors can discover more than 300 exhibits: Tatar-Mongol and Moldavian ceramics, simple or glazed vessels, coins, tools, ornaments, weapons, lapidary inscriptions, and old inscriptions in Arabic. The museum also speaks about the strategic importance of the place during medieval Moldavia, through the cliffs, the Răut Valley, and the defensive ramparts. The objects on display and the building hidden within the rampart lead visitors toward the deep layers of Orheiul Vechi, where the landscape still preserves the memory of a medieval city of great importance.