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Name: Orhei. Note that "h" is pronounced as the 'ch' in the Scottish
word 'loch' (phon: x). The Russian name, which is still often used, is quite different:
Оргеев (Orgeyev). The name should not be confused
with one of Moldova's main attraction - the monastery at →Orheiul Vechi (Old Orhei),
which is around 20 km away from present-day Orhei.
Location:
Orhei is around 45 km away north of →Chişinău and
stretches along the river Răut, which is eventually
flowing into the river Nistru (Dniestr) near Dubăsari.
The valley of the river is rather wide in and around Orhei, so that it almost forms a plain.
Population: About 29,600 - the netto growth rate is negative.
Orientation:
Orhei is a small town and the agricultural centre of the district. The bus station is conveniently located
at the important state road A 253. From the bus station, you will only need to climb a short, steep slope to
get to the centre. Walk past the shopping centre and you will get to the green Blvd. Eminescul.
When you walk up this road, you will soon see the ugly town hall. There, just turn right onto
Str. Vasile Lupu, which is the main road of Orhei, featuring a few shops and a hotel.
When you walk along Lupu rd and turn right again after some 500 metres, you will get to the bustling market.
There, people from the surrounding villages sell...almost everything. But that's just once in a week.
Getting there:
Almost all buses running from →Chişinău to places in the north
stop in Orhei. Which means that it's no problem at all to find a bus or marshrutka from the capital
to Orhei until 7 pm. All buses leave from the central bus station. The ride takes approximately
one hour, the fare for the minibus is 8.6 Lei (€ 0.60). Buses to →Bălţi
need around 2 hours, the fare is 16 Lei (€ 1.2).
There's only one bus a day to →Orheiul Vechi (Old Orhei).
And the bus must have been stolen from a museum. It leaves at 12:45 noon. Locals don't use the name
'Orheiul Vechi' very often, so you'll have to look for a bus to Trebujeni.
It's not a bad idea to say where you want to get out, our else the bus doesn't stop at the junction to
Old Orhei. A taxi driver offered us to bring us there and back for 100 Lei (around € 6).
The price is definitely fair, but we refused since we wanted to walk around Old Orhei slowly without having
someone impatiently waiting for us around us.
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