0100-103 Moldova Rep MaxiCard & FDC Europa 2018

Sent: 08.02.2018

Received: 13.02.2018

Travel time: 5 days

Sender Ala Nicoreanu- a friend from Chisinau.The items were sent one from Pohorniceni, Orhei, and one from Ungheni, in the same day -day of first issue of emission.

The stamps are described also here: http://www.moldovastamps.org/ro/catalogue-stamps-issue.asp?issueID=3001

The Eiffel Bridge (Romanian: Podul Eiffel) is a bridge over the River Prut and a checkpoint between Moldova and Romania. The bridge is located between Ungheni and Ungheni, Iași.

On May 18 [O.S. May 6] 1872 a Russian diplomatic agent, Ivan Alekseevich Zinov'ev, and Gheorghe Costaforu signed a rail junction convention, which was ratified on January 21 [O.S. January 9] 1873.[1] and the Iaşi-Ungheni railway was opened on August 1, 1874. The railway Chişinău-Corneşti-Ungheni (built 1871–1875) was opened on June 1, 1875 by the Russian Empire in preparation for the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878). Ungheni customs were established in 1875 after putting into operation the Chişinău-Ungheni-Iaşi railroad. The railway Chişinău-Corneşti was already opened in 1873.

In 1876, after the spring flooding of the river Prut, the railway bridge that linked Bessarabia and Romania was almost destroyed. The Railway Department invited Gustave Eiffel to Bessarabia (Moldova) to redesign and rebuild the bridge, which was opened on April 21 [O.S. April 9] 1877, just three days before the outbreak of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878). On April 23 [O.S. April 11] 1877, Russian troops entered Romania at Ungheni and, the next day, Russia declared war on the Ottoman Empire. Today, the bridge remains a strategically positioned construction under the supervision of border guards.

In the nearby city of Iaşi, Gustave Eiffel also built the Grand Hotel Traian (1882).

The Pohorniceni bridge is a very old bridge built in a local traditional way, and it can be cross only by pedestrian. The bridge is crossing Raut river.

Răut, also referred to as Reut (Romanian: Răut, Ukrainian and Russian: Реут (Reut), Yiddish: רעװעט‎ (Revet)) is a river in Moldova, a right tributary of Dniester. Răut, generally navigable until 18-19th century, is navigable today only by small recreational boats.

The towns Bălți, Orhei and Florești are located by the river.