Chișinău State Circus
Semion Șoihet + Ala Kirichenko + Anatol Kolotovkin · Chișinău, Moldova · 1981
Chișinău State Circus is a highly expressive late-Soviet entertainment building organized around a circular arena beneath a ribbed dome. The exterior combines a broad drum, sculptural supports and patterned surfaces that create a ceremonial public object rather than a neutral event shed. Opened in 1981, the building was among the Soviet Union’s major purpose-built circus facilities and remains one of Moldova’s most distinctive modern landmarks. The complex later deteriorated and entered a long restoration process, making its preservation an important question for Chișinău’s twentieth-century architectural heritage.