Struve Geodetic Arc

Location of UNESCO World Heritage Site in Moldova.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites are places of importance to cultural or natural heritage as described in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972.^[1] Cultural heritage consists of monuments (such as architectural works, monumental sculptures, or inscriptions), groups of buildings, and sites (including archaeological sites). Natural features (consisting of physical and biological formations), geological and physiographical formations (including habitats of threatened species of animals and plants), and natural sites which are important from the point of view of science, conservation or natural beauty, are defined as natural heritage.^[2] The Republic of Moldova ratified the convention on 23 September 2002.^[3] As of 2021^[update], Moldova has one World Heritage Site listed, the Struve Geodetic Arc, which was listed in 2005. It is a transnational site, shared with nine other countries. There are also two sites on the tentative list.^[3]

World Heritage Sites

UNESCO lists sites under ten criteria; each entry must meet at least one of the criteria. Criteria i through vi are cultural, and vii through x are natural.^[4]

Site	Image	Location	Year listed	UNESCO data	Description
Struve Geodetic Arc*		Rudi	2005	1187; ii, iii, vi (cultural)	The Struve Geodetic Arc is a series of triangulation points, stretching over a distance of 2,820 kilometres (1,750 mi) from Hammerfest in Norway to the Black Sea. The points were set up in a survey by the astronomer Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve who first carried out an accurate measurement of a long segment of a meridian, which helped to establish the size and shape of the Earth. Originally, there were 265 station points. The World Heritage Site includes 34 points in ten countries (North to South: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine), one of which is in Moldova (station point in Rudi pictured).[5]

Tentative list

In addition to sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, member states can maintain a list of tentative sites that they may consider for nomination. Nominations for the World Heritage List are only accepted if the site was previously listed on the tentative list.^[6] As of 2021^[update], Moldova lists two properties on its tentative list.^[3]

Tentative Sites

Site	Image	Location	Year listed	UNESCO criteria	Description
The Typical Chernozem Soils of the Bălți Steppe		Bălți	2011	v, ix, x (mixed)	Chernozem is one of the most fertile soils. The tentative site comprises five locations around Bălți where long-time field experiments have been carried out for up to 50 years in order to study the impact of different agricultural practices, such as the use of crop rotations or monoculture, as well as different systems of tillage, fertilization, and irrigation on crop yields and soil fertility. The Bălți Steppe was important in the development of the soil science in the 19th century.[7]
Orheiul Vechi Archaeological Landscape		Trebujeni	2017	ii, v (cultural)	Old Orhei is located on the bank of the Răut river. The area was already settled in the Paleolithic. Remains of a settlement from the Chalcolithic period (Cucuteni–Trypillia culture) have been found, as well as settlements from the Iron Age. In the 13th and 14th century, it was the site of an important Golden Horde town. Following the departure of the Mongols, Orhei developed into one of the most important Moldovan medieval towns. It was abandoned in the 18th century when the inhabitants moved to the nearby village Trebujeni.[8]