The Functional Dereliction of the Druzhba Cinema in Comrat: A Case Study of a Cultural and National Heritage Site in Post-Soviet Gagauzia

Abstract

This article investigates the functional dereliction of the Druzhba Cinema in Comrat, the major city in the Gagauz region of Moldova. Built in 1970, the Cinema served as the city’s main cultural center, providing entertainment and a venue for social gatherings. In the early 1990s, it began playing a quasi-governmental role when the separatist Gagauz Republic—the first instance of Gagauz political self-rule—was declared within its walls in 1990. With the establishment of the autonomous region of Gagauzia in 1994–1995, this quasi-governmental function transitioned into a national heritage role, highlighting the cinema’s significance in Gagauz history and identity. The cinema fell into functional dereliction in 1996, being structurally sound but underutilized or abandoned. The decline led to complete dereliction by 2010, characterized by permanent abandonment and severe disrepair. This article analyzes the factors contributing to this decline by drawing on scholarly literature and local newspaper archives. It first analyzes the impact of neoliberalization, economic hardship, and changing cultural habits on the loss of the cinema’s cultural function. It then examines the role of historical amnesia, poor spatial memorialization strategies, and memory relocation in the building’s loss of its heritage function. This study contributes to research on Gagauzia by exploring the turbulent history of one of its most emblematic buildings and, while centered on its functional dereliction, offers insights into the internal dynamics of Gagauzia in the 1990s and the 2000s.