Birte Sosna & Dirk Postel: Von Magdeburg über Bukarest nach Chişinău
The Republic of Moldova—a small country between Romania and Ukraine that is still relatively unknown in Saxony-Anhalt—faced a pivotal parliamentary election in September 2025. At the heart of the matter was not only the country’s political future, but also the question of its social identity and its place between East and West. The re-elected political leadership’s clear orientation toward the European Union is countered by a complex web of tensions: the unresolved Transnistria conflict, the difficult relationship with Russia, and the unique challenges posed by the autonomous region of Gagauzia. At the same time, the country was subjected to significant attempts at foreign influence in the run-up to the election.
But how do the people of Moldova view their past? What significance does it hold for their personal and social identity? And where does the desire to forge their own new paths begin? The photo exhibition takes visitors on a journey through the Republic of Moldova and its neighboring regions and countries. The images depict landscapes, architecture, and people’s daily lives—revealing the diversity and various facets of a region caught between history, the present, and a European future.
On display are photographs from Bucharest, Chișinău, Rîșcova, Butuceni, Comrat, and Tiraspol, as well as other stops along the journey. The photographs were taken during an educational trip by train from Bucharest to Chișinău in September 2025—immediately before the parliamentary elections in Moldova. They are personal snapshots of a country in transition and a journey through a region whose identity is as diverse as its landscapes and ways of life.
