Lunar land - Hundreds of mounds
Gerhard Ohrband/ Chişinău / Moldova.ORG/ -- On the left side of the calmly flowing river Prut, between the villages Cobani and Braniste of the Glodeni District, extends a valuable natural monument called "Hundred Mounds”.
On a length of about 11 km and a width of 2 km, the landscape in the space between the rivers Dniester and Prut is unique. Due to its great number of mounds it is quite unique for this planet.
Arranged parallel to the Prut River, the mounds have a height ranging between 1.5 m and 30.5 m. The highest one (30.5m) is called Gypsy Mound.
The first documented evidence of the landscape is found in the work of Dimitrie Cantemir (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimitrie_Cantemir), "Description of Moldova", from 1716. But legends about this
place circulated even before Cantemir and after.
The discovery of myths and stories related to this natural monument begins at sunset, near a lit campfire and accompanied by the terrifying sounds of strange birds. Imbibed with the ancient atmosphere of the moment, we learn that "The Hundred Moulds" is a huge cemetery, which draws its roots from the time of the Dacians (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dacia).
The mysterious disappearances of animals and shepherds lost among the mounds, the struggles of the Moldovan ancestors with the Turks and the burial of the fallen on that territory frightens and impresses at the same time.
In 1927, for the first time a detailed scientific investigation of the place was made, demonstrating that the moulds’ origin is entirely natural and that legends remain legends.
Some scholars argue that "Hundred Moulds" is the only place in Europe which such a large number of underwater reefs of the Mediterranean Sea, the water of with bathed the territory of the present Republic of Moldova some 20 million years ago.
Other scholars posit that the mounds formed as a result of landslides and of the collapses that occurred in that territory, whereas periodic flooding of the River Prut shaped the relief further.
The landscape of the moulds is enchanting, with motifs taken from a lunar landscape. That is why you can best enjoy the beauty of the moulds at mysterious moon light.
The distance from Chisinau is about 200 km.
Comments