Comrat

Introducing Comrat

Gagauzia’s capital, 92km south of Chişinău, is no more than a dusty town with little of tourist interest apart from being an intriguing cultural and provincial oddity. In 1990 Comrat was the scene of clashes between Gagauz nationalists and Moldovan armed forces, pre-empted by calls from local leaders for the Moldovan government to hold a referendum on the issue of Gagauz sovereignty. Local protesters were joined by Transdniestran militia forces, who are always game for a bit of clashing.

Comrat is home to the world’s only Gagauz university – so what if nearly all courses are taught in Russian? Most street signs are in Russian; some older ones are in Gagauzi but in the Cyrillic script. Since 1989 Gagauzi, alongside Moldovan, has used the Latin alphabet.

From the bus station, walk south along the main street, Str Pobedy, past the market to ploshchad Pobedy (Victory Square). St John’s Church stands on the western side of the square, behind which lies the central park. Prospekt Lenina runs parallel to Str Pobedy, west of the park.

Change money at the Moldovan Agrobank (Str Pobedy 52; 8am-2pm Mon-Fri). A small currency exchange is inside the entrance to the market. You can make international calls at the post office (Str Pobedy 55; 8am-6pm Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm Sat). Surf the web at IATP (25 875; Str Lenina 160; per hr $0.40; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri).

The regional başkani (assembly) is on prospekt Lenina. The Gagauzi and Moldovan flags fly from the roof. Next to the assembly is the Gagauz Culture House, in front of which stands a statue of Lenin. West of prospekt Lenina at Str Galatsăna 17 is Gagauz University (Komrat Devlet Üniversitesi), founded in 1990. Four faculties (national culture, agronomy, economics and law) serve 1500 students. The main foreign languages taught are Romanian, English and Turkish. The university gets some funding from universities in Turkey.

On the eastern side of ploshchad Pobedy, Hotel Aina (22 841; Str Pobedy 127A; d ‘deluxe’ $23) is a fairly modern hotel. Its bar serves light meals, including delicious şaşlik (shish kebab) and salads. Nearby, Yunosti (24 447; Str Pobedy 52; mains $1-3; 9am-midnight) isn’t a bad place to grab a meal or hang out for a few drinks.

Five daily return buses run from Chişinău to Comrat ($3.90). From Comrat there are two buses daily via Bendery to Tiraspol, and one only as far as Bendery.

Last updated: Mar 2, 2009