Capitoline Wolf, Chișinău

Capitoline Wolf
Lupoaica Capitolină
	Current statue
Location	Central Chișinău
Designer	Alexandru Plămădeală
Material	bronze, stone
Length	1.14 metres (3.7 ft) (bronze)
Height	0.75 metres (2.5 ft) (without the pedestal)
Beginning date	1921
Completion date	1923
Opening date	September 20, 1926
Dedicated to	Union of Bessarabia with Romania

47°01′22.53″N 28°49′42.75″E / 47.0229250°N 28.8285417°E / 47.0229250; 28.8285417 The Capitoline Wolf (Romanian: Lupoaica Capitolină) is a monument in Central Chișinău, Moldova. It is located in front of the National History Museum of Moldova.

Overview

During the first decades of the 20th century, Kingdom of Italy donated to Kingdom of Romania five copies of the Capitoline Wolf, which were installed in Chişinău (1921), Bucharest (1906), Cluj-Napoca (1921), Târgu Mureş (1924) and Timișoara (1926). In Chişinău, the monument was completed in 1923 and placed in front of Sfatul Țării Palace. In 1940, at the beginning of the Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina, the copy from Chişinău was destroyed.

In 1990, Romania donated a new copy of Capitoline Wolf to Moldova. This statue was unveiled in front of the National History Museum of Moldova on December 1, 1990.

Restoration 2005–2009

Soon after the 2005 election, the bronze statue was removed from its pedestal for restoration in April 2005. The monument was stored in the basement of the National History Museum and the restoration depended on the political context. The monument was re-unveiled just on December 1, 2009, a few months after July 2009 election, when the Alliance For European Integration pushed the Party of Communists into opposition.