Chitcani, Moldova
Encyclopedia
Chiţcani
Chiţcani (Romanian
: Kitskany; ) is a commune in Căuşeni district, Moldova
. It consists of the village Chiţcani and two small villages (hamlets), Mereneşti and Zahorna. Chiţcani is situated to the south-east of the city of Tighina (Bender)
. The locality, although situated on the right (western) bank of the river Dniester
, is under the control of the breakaway Transnistria
n authorities. On the opposite side of the river lies the city of Tiraspol
.
Chiţcani is one of the oldest recorded villages in Moldova
, its history dating back to 1367. The name of the village means "shrew
s" in Romanian language
.
The village is also well-known as the home of the Noul Neamţ Monastery. The monastery was closed when Moldova was under the Soviet Union
. It was then used as a hospital, a storehouse, then as a makeshift museum.
Official data for the present population of the commune are not available. Estimates appreciate the current population at ca. 9,000 people, of which ca. 4,800 ethnic Russians
, ca. 3,100 ethnic Moldovans
(Romanians
), ca. 900 ethnic Ukrainians
, and ca. 200 other. This data, however, is not reliable.
At the 1930 Romanian Census, there were 4,744 inhabitants in Chiţcani, including the 2,456 Romanians, 2,146 Russians, 71 Ruthenians
and Ukrainians
, 35 Jews
, 16 Gypsies, 7 Poles
, 3 Bulgarians
, 2 Gagauzians, and 8 unclear. 2,426 people named Romanian
as native language, 2,245 named Russian
, 35 named Yiddish, 27 named Ukrainian
, 5 named Gypsy
, 3 named Bulgarian
, 2 named Turkish
, and 1 non-declared.
At the time, the village was part of Plasa Căuşani of Tighina County
.
During the 1992 War of Transnistria
, especially during the months of June and July, Chiţcani was the scene of several gun-battles between the Moldovan police and army on one side, and Transnistrian separatists and Russia's 14th Army
on the other side. After the Moldovans have retreated when the war ended, the village was the scene of human rights abuses perpetrated by the Transnistrians, who took revenge on the locals that supported the Moldovan police. According to the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights
in Moldova, there were some alleged 20 killings between 1996 and 2000. Moldovan authorities have stated that they have no access to the village to investigate these cases, while Transnistrian authorities denied the allegations and refused to investigate.
Chiţcani (Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
: Kitskany; ) is a commune in Căuşeni district, Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
. It consists of the village Chiţcani and two small villages (hamlets), Mereneşti and Zahorna. Chiţcani is situated to the south-east of the city of Tighina (Bender)
Bender, Moldova
Bender or Bendery, also known as Tighina is a city within the internationally recognized borders of Moldova under de facto control of the unrecognized Transnistria Republic since 1992...
. The locality, although situated on the right (western) bank of the river Dniester
Dniester
The Dniester is a river in Eastern Europe. It runs through Ukraine and Moldova and separates most of Moldova's territory from the breakaway de facto state of Transnistria.-Names:...
, is under the control of the breakaway Transnistria
Transnistria
Transnistria is a breakaway territory located mostly on a strip of land between the Dniester River and the eastern Moldovan border to Ukraine...
n authorities. On the opposite side of the river lies the city of Tiraspol
Tiraspol
Tiraspol is the second largest city in Moldova and is the capital and administrative centre of the unrecognized Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic . The city is located on the eastern bank of the Dniester River...
.
Chiţcani is one of the oldest recorded villages in Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
, its history dating back to 1367. The name of the village means "shrew
Shrew
A shrew or shrew mouse is a small molelike mammal classified in the order Soricomorpha. True shrews are also not to be confused with West Indies shrews, treeshrews, otter shrews, or elephant shrews, which belong to different families or orders.Although its external appearance is generally that of...
s" in Romanian language
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
.
The village is also well-known as the home of the Noul Neamţ Monastery. The monastery was closed when Moldova was under the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. It was then used as a hospital, a storehouse, then as a makeshift museum.
Official data for the present population of the commune are not available. Estimates appreciate the current population at ca. 9,000 people, of which ca. 4,800 ethnic Russians
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
, ca. 3,100 ethnic Moldovans
Moldovans
Moldovans or Moldavians are the largest population group of Moldova...
(Romanians
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
), ca. 900 ethnic Ukrainians
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
, and ca. 200 other. This data, however, is not reliable.
At the 1930 Romanian Census, there were 4,744 inhabitants in Chiţcani, including the 2,456 Romanians, 2,146 Russians, 71 Ruthenians
Ruthenians
The name Ruthenian |Rus']]) is a culturally loaded term and has different meanings according to the context in which it is used. Initially, it was the ethnonym used for the East Slavic peoples who lived in Rus'. Later it was used predominantly for Ukrainians...
and Ukrainians
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
, 35 Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, 16 Gypsies, 7 Poles
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
, 3 Bulgarians
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
, 2 Gagauzians, and 8 unclear. 2,426 people named Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
as native language, 2,245 named Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, 35 named Yiddish, 27 named Ukrainian
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
, 5 named Gypsy
Romani language
Romani or Romany, Gypsy or Gipsy is any of several languages of the Romani people. They are Indic, sometimes classified in the "Central" or "Northwestern" zone, and sometimes treated as a branch of their own....
, 3 named Bulgarian
Bulgarian language
Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian, along with the closely related Macedonian language, demonstrates several linguistic characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages such as the elimination of case declension, the...
, 2 named Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
, and 1 non-declared.
At the time, the village was part of Plasa Căuşani of Tighina County
Tighina County
Tighina County was, until February 2003, a major subdivision of Moldova with its capital at Căuşeni. It bordered Ukraine, Transnistria, Lăpuşna County and Chişinău County....
.
During the 1992 War of Transnistria
War of Transnistria
The War of Transnistria was a limited conflict that broke out in November 1990 at Dubăsari between pro-Transnistria forces, including the Transnistrian Republican Guard, militia and Cossack units, and supported by elements of the Russian 14th army, and pro-Moldovan forces, including Moldovan...
, especially during the months of June and July, Chiţcani was the scene of several gun-battles between the Moldovan police and army on one side, and Transnistrian separatists and Russia's 14th Army
14th Army (Soviet Union)
The 14th Army was formed in October 1939 in the Leningrad Military District. It participated in the Soviet-Finnish war, during which its 52nd and 104th Rifle Divisions fought in the Battle of Petsamo.From 24 June 1941 the Army included...
on the other side. After the Moldovans have retreated when the war ended, the village was the scene of human rights abuses perpetrated by the Transnistrians, who took revenge on the locals that supported the Moldovan police. According to the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights
Helsinki Committee for Human Rights
The Helsinki Committees for Human Rights exist in many European countries as volunteer, non-profit organizations devoted to human rights and presumably named after the Helsinki Accords...
in Moldova, there were some alleged 20 killings between 1996 and 2000. Moldovan authorities have stated that they have no access to the village to investigate these cases, while Transnistrian authorities denied the allegations and refused to investigate.