The EU Ambassador visited the “Museum of pain” in Chisinau

The EU Ambassador, Jānis Mažeiks, visited the “Museum of pain” in the main square of Chisinau – the two train cars that resemble the ones that transported thousands of Moldovans to Siberia during soviet times – on a very hot day.

"I did that on purpose", the Ambassador said; "to feel the conditions in which those people were transported for days and weeks to labour camps far away from home, many of them dying on the way from the heat.

It was easy to understand the context as Moldovans had the same tragic experience of deportations as the citizens of the Baltic states. Still it was difficult to imagine everything that victims of deportations went through. They had almost no water, little food, no space and no air to breathe.

In the improvised museum, I had the chance to read stories of the victims of Stalin’s deportations, and find, from the guide working there, details about those dark times. It resounded with a book by NNN that I am currently reading, with poignant stories of losing one’s loved ones during the deportation or the joy that one single Moldovan apple could bring to four people in Siberia.

I encourage everyone to pass by the museum. It is important to keep the memory of the past to prevent future tragedies."