The Mimi Castle (), officially called the Winery of the Mimi family (), is a winery and architectural monument, which was built at the end of the 19th century in the village of Bulboaca in the district

Anenii Noi Anenii Noi () is a city in east-central Moldova, the seat of Anenii Noi District. It is located SE of the capital, Chișinău. According to the 2004 census, the city administers an area inhabited by 11,463 people. This area consists of the city ...

Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...

History

The construction of the

winery A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the cultivation and production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feat ...

, which was commissioned by the

Bessarabia Bessarabia () is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Bessarabia lies within modern-day Moldova, with the Budjak region covering the southern coa ...

n statesman and later diplomat and

winemaker A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes: *Cooperating with viticulturists *Monitoring the maturity of grapes to ensure their quality and to de ...

Constantin Mimi Constantin Mimi (10 March 1868 – 17 April 1935) was a Bessarabian politician and winemaker, whose family had noble origins. Biography He graduated from Odessa State University and SupAgro (Montpellier). When the February Revolution happe ...

on the land of his family, was completed in 1900/1901 (according to other information as early as 1893) Its architectural design was inspired by French models and shows forms of

classicism Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for a classical period, classical antiquity in the Western tradition, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. In its purest form, classicism is an aesthe ...

and

historicism Historicism is an approach to explaining the existence of phenomena, especially social and cultural practices (including ideas and beliefs), by studying the process or history by which they came about. The term is widely used in philosophy, ant ...

. This is because Mimi, a dedicated vine grower and winemaker and the founder of one of the most famous wineries in Bessarabia, studied viticulture and winemaking in

Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...

. This winery is believed to be the first authentic chateau in Bessarabia. Since it was built from reinforced concrete (a novelty at the time) with two floors, it was considered a modern building, not only in the Bender County but in the entire

governorate A governorate or governate is an administrative division headed by a governor. As English-speaking nations tend to call regions administered by governors either states or provinces, the term ''governorate'' is typically used to calque divisions ...

. The cellar had the capacity to store around 300,000 liters of wine in barrels. In 2011, the winery renovation, which was to become a tourist attraction, began. When it was rebuilt, it was named "Castel Mimi" in honor of its founder. The renovation work was completed in September 2016. The Mimi Castle hosted the second summit of the

European Political Community The European Political Community (EPC) is an intergovernmental forum for political and strategic discussions about the future of Europe, established in 2022 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The group first met in October 2022 in Prague, ...

(EPC) on 1 June 2023.

Castel Mimi tourist complex

With the renovation of the Castel Mimi tourist complex, the following was also completed: a museum, an art gallery for young artists, a conference hall, a hotel, a

spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and hot springs goes back to pre ...

, a restaurant, some studios of both folk art and culinary arts, as well as several party halls: in the manor house are four large halls for 100 to 120 guests, two wine tasting rooms and six rooms in the basement.

Gallery

File:Castel Mimi vedere generală.jpg, General view File:Castel Mimi 2.jpg, File:Castel Mimi lateral.jpg, Side view File:Fabrica de vin Mimi 3.jpg, File:Fabrica de vin Mimi 2.jpg, File:Fabrica de vin Mimi.jpg, Mimi Castle in 2017

References

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External links

Castel Mimi
Buildings and structures in Moldova Wineries of Moldova Palaces in Moldova