Cricova

For the wine producer located in the city, see Cricova (winery).

Cricova
—  City  —
Cricova Location within Moldova
Coordinates: 47°8′N 28°51′E
Country	Moldova
County	Chişinău
Government
• Mayor	Valentin Guţan
Area
• Total	765 km2 (295.4 sq mi)
Population (January 2011)
• Total	8,600
• Density	11.2/km2 (29.1/sq mi)
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Area code(s)	+373 22
Website	http://www.cricova.md/eng/

Cricova is a Moldovan town, located 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north of Chişinău, the capital of the country. Cricova is famous for its wine cellars, which make it a popular attraction for tourists.

The town's population is 9,878 (as of 2004), of which 7,651 are ethnic Moldavians, 788 Ukrainians, 1,123 Russians, 82 Gagauzians, 74 Bulgarians, 6 Jews, 2 Poles, 29 Gypsies, and 123 other/non-declared.

Cricova lies near the river Ichel, which goes into the Nistru river, which supplies Chişinău with water. The water from Ichel is not used in Cricova. In the northern part of the river is situated a lake (which is near the entrance to the Cricova wine cellars), which was generally used either for fishing or entertainment.

Near the town are some mines, used for limestone extraction, some of them are older than 50 years.

The town of Cricova was first recorded on July 31, 1431, with the name- "Vadul-Pietrei" ("Stone Ford"). Later the name "Cricău" appears in Zamfir Arbore's geographical calendar, over time turning into Cricova.

External links

• "Official Site"
• Cricova profile on chisinau.md site (Romanian)
• Description of cellars with photos and an interactive map