Orhei

The first Orhei stood on the loop of the Răut now called Orheiul Vechi, Old Orhei, a site of Getic, medieval and monastic remains. By the early 15th century the area had been taken into the Principality of Moldavia, and the town gradually shifted to its present location, where it is first documented in 1554. It prospered under Vasile Lupu, prince from 1634 to 1653, who restored the town's great pond, built bridges, improved its streets and founded the cathedral of St Dumitru — the period remembered as Orhei's golden age.

In 1812 Orhei was ceded with the rest of Bessarabia to the Russian Empire. It became a market town with a large Jewish population: in 1902 about 7,000 of its 14,800 inhabitants were Jewish, and by the First World War, when the population was estimated at 25,000, about two-thirds were. After the war it became part of Romania; it was annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940, retaken by Romania in 1941 and occupied again by the Soviet army in 1944.

Since 1991 it has been part of independent Moldova, and until 2003 it was the capital of the large Orhei County, before the country was reorganised into smaller districts. In 2015 the businessman Ilan Shor was elected mayor; he later fled the country amid criminal investigations, but the town has remained a political stronghold for his supporters, with his preferred candidates winning large majorities.

The town's past as a meeting place of communities is still visible in its churches. Besides the Orthodox cathedral of St Dumitru, protected monuments include the Roman Catholic Church of the Assumption, a Russian Old Believer church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and an Armenian church. Before the Second World War Orhei was home to many Jews, and a large Jewish cemetery survives. Today the main churches are the Romanian Orthodox and Russian Orthodox, with smaller Baptist, Catholic, Adventist and other congregations.

Vasile Lupu is the town's hero: his bronze statue stands in the central square and a street in the town bears his name. Football has a loyal following, as FC Milsami Orhei plays in the top division and won the national championship in 2015 and again in 2025, at the district sports complex.

Orheiul Vechi is the district's cultural landmark — a cave monastery said to have been dug by Orthodox monks in the 13th century, still home to a functioning monastery, set among archaeological sites that include a Getic fortress, a medieval fortress, a bathhouse and an inn. Orhei National Park, created in 2013 as Moldova's first, protects the surrounding landscape of forest, river valleys and villages.

The 2024 census counted 22,183 people in Orhei, making it the ninth-largest town in Moldova and slightly larger than at the 2014 census. As the centre of Orhei District, it holds the district administration, and the rivers Răut and Ivanos and a pond within the town make up its waterways.

The economy rests on food and drink. Large local employers include the Château Vartely wine estate, a bread factory and producers of juices, canned food and dairy products; the town also has a tobacco-fermentation plant and makes household goods and shoes. The population is steadily ageing, as natural growth has fallen with a difficult economic situation and low family incomes. Frequent buses to Chișinău tie the town closely to the capital.

Politics is a frequent subject of national attention, given the town's long loyalty to Ilan Shor's movement, and in 2018 a broadcaster tied to his party launched a station under a name copying the town's existing Radio Orhei.

Orhei eats like the rest of Moldova. Mămăligă, a cornmeal porridge, is the best-known dish, served with brânză, a brined cheese; zeamă, a chicken soup, is an everyday standby; and friptură is a lamb or goat stew. On holidays tables carry sarmale, cabbage rolls stuffed with minced meat, and baked goods such as plăcinte, filled with cheese, fruit, vegetables or walnuts.

Wine is the local speciality. Château Vartely, on Eliberării Street, is one of the town's largest businesses, and offers tasting tours with a restaurant attached. Local wine accompanies most meals across the country, and the stronger choice is divin, the Moldovan brandy. Compot, made from boiled fruit, is the traditional non-alcoholic drink.

Bread, juices, preserves and dairy products are all made in the town, and kvas, a fermented drink of toasted rye bread, is another traditional choice. The restaurants along Vasile Lupu Street include an Italian restaurant and one that doubles as a nightclub.