The documentary photography exhibition ‘Flowers on the Prut: 35 years since the first Flower Bridge’ was inaugurated on Tuesday at the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova.

Organized in partnership by the State Information Agency MOLDPRES and the National Press Agency AGERPRES, the exhibition inaugurated on Tuesday in Chisinau presents photographs taken by well-known photographers from the Republic of Moldova and Romania and symbolically reconstructs the ‘Flower Bridge’ from 35 years ago and the emotions experienced by tens of thousands of people on both banks of the Prut.

On May 6, 1990, for the first time since World War II, the then Romanian-Soviet border could be crossed, without documents, in both directions. It was a manifestation held on the banks of the Prut, as a symbol of brotherhood, the desire for rapprochement and the common history of Romania and the Republic of Moldova. Flowers were launched from both banks into the water of the Prut, which gave the name to the respective manifestation. Over a million Romanians hugged each other that day along the 700 km of the Prut.

‘If our predecessors built the flower bridge, took this important step for the Romanian nation, today’s generation has the task of building the stone bridge,’ declared the President of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, Igor Grosu, at the inauguration ceremony, recalling that the exhibition with photographs from the flower bridges period in 1990 was also opened in Ungheni, on April 26, on the occasion of the launch of the new bridge over the Prut, which will connect Iasi to Ungheni.

He thanked the two press agencies for organizing this exhibition, hosted synchronously in the Parliaments of Chisinau and Bucharest, and emphasized the need for the photographs to be accessible to a wider audience.

MOLDPRES Director Vitalie Hadei highlighted the symbolism of the 1990 event when ‘the Bessarabians stormed the bridge, eager to cross over, eager to throw the separation of the country into the dustbin of history.’

‘Words are not enough, because the photos are worth a thousand words. By looking at them, we will better understand Grigorie Vieru’s words about the desire to cross the Prut, in both directions,’ said Cristian Dan Durleci-Mateescu, deputy general director of AGEPRES, quoting the late poet: ‘If some people’s dream was to reach the Cosmos, I have dreamed of crossing the Prut my whole life.’

He emphasized the importance of the fact that these photographs, although archival, show us evolution, because if 35 years ago the Prut was crossed by people and flowers, ‘today it is crossed by information, energy, goods and especially culture, which is so important, because without culture everything is meaningless.’

Perhaps today we are witnessing what deputy and actor Ion Ungureanu said on May 6, 1990, namely that ‘a day will come when the Flower Bridge will open at 8 in the morning and will continue in eternity, forever,’ added Cristian Dan Durleci-Mateescu.

At the inauguration event, the director of the National Archives Agency of the Republic of Moldova, Igor Casu, evoked the context and significance of the historical moment 35 years ago.