Fall from Orbit:
THE COSMOS HOTEL
Written by: Andy Turcan
Published 11/12/25
Rolleiflex T2 | Statue of Grigory Ivanovich Kotovski (1881–1925) in front of the Hotel COSMOS
“The impossible of today, will become the possible of tomorrow”- attributed to K. E. Tsiolkovsky, a Soviet physicist who mathematically discovered how a rocket can reach sufficient velocity to escape Earth. Escape indeed, but what happens when it all comes crashing down? What are we left with? Is it a disintegrated rocket, or does it resemble the Cosmos itself, falling from orbit?
The bold dream of reaching new frontiers in space comes to a halt amid the concrete extravagance of the hotel ‘Cosmos’, which longs for survival as it nears collapse.
Construction lasted from 1974 to 1983, amounting to a whopping eight years. This figure is partly responsible for the tons of reinforced concrete used in the hotel's construction. This feat of architecture was verified by the lonely worker at the former reception at the Cosmos. Svetlana, deep in thought, meddles with something at her reception desk. Upon entering, a sign outside the door reads “Cosmos Hotel is not working.”
1984
Photo by Ion Chibzii, “Hotel COSMOS” 1984. Sourced from oldchisinau.com
1979
Photos by Ion Stefanita in the construction site of the Cosmos hotel, 25th April 1979. Sourced from Facebook group “Chisinaul Nostru”
Darkness invades the reception; only the beam of light shines in the hallway, shining on the disused elevators. Once inside, the temperature suddenly drops, thanks to the abundance of concrete; there is no need for air conditioning. To the left of the hallway, the former grand reception room has been turned into a storage room for off-road bikes. The clocks marking the different time zones from around the world have been removed, and only the text “MOSCOW”, “NEW YORK” … remains. Within the lobby, new businesses have sprung up, keeping the Cosmos economically afloat and the door open. One of these businesses is a tattoo parlor. The place is nearly deserted. A man sits alone on the old cushioned seats by the elevator, scrolling through his phone. The place echoes as dust rises in the streak of light.
Approaching the lady behind the counter of the reception, seeming to be the last of her kind, a Cosmos employee. Fearing that I might get told off for taking photographs, I decide to initiate a conversation first. My first question was on the lines of “How long have you worked for the COSMOS?” and “How was it working here during the Soviet Union?” She had been working here since the very start, in 1983. Slowly, she started to breathe life into the deathly quiet lobby through remembrance tied with nostalgia.
Olympus OM2N | Inside the COSMOS Hotel lobby, facing the disused elevators.
She continues to explain the blossoming times of the past. Tourism was at an all-time high during the Soviet times. Tourists from across the other 14 republics vacationed in Moldova, choosing COSMOS due to its proximity to the train station and airport, just 11km away. Her statement about a booming time of tourists is not wrong, with data during that era showing occupancy rates reaching 90% during the summer times and 100% from September to November, according to statistics by Dumitru Rusu. After the dissolution of the USSR, tourist numbers fell drastically, and the COSMOS started plummeting back to earth.
The lady raised the topic of demolition, seeing that some architects and businessmen have eyed the building and the space for other purposes. “But how can they?! It will cost them millions, look at all this concrete,” she says. An undisputed factor for the hotel's survival is the reinforced concrete that stands between history and ruthless investors.
Commercialisation has become the very doom of the city. “Parasite” constructions of malls, casinos, and a disco have sprung up, architecturally contrasting to the façade of the brutal modernist, COSMOS. The lady now seems to be mourning over the better times. Before we leave, and after taking the photographs which she pleasantly allowed, she gives my mother and me a warning. She warns us about the dangers of Chisinau; it is no longer a safe place. “People are not as they used to be”. This is where I disagree. Moldovan hospitality is unbeaten. I manage to feel safer in Moldova than I do now in London. However, at the same time, I see where her lack of humanity stems from.
Olympus OM2N | In front (plaza) of the Cosmos Hotel.
After researching the aftermath of the COSMOS falling from orbit, I found devastating theft. In 2007, the complex was sold to a company with foreign capital. This process ended with employees suffering forced unpaid leave, the denial of dividends, and the loss of their job positions. The employees of the hotel ‘Cosmos’ were led to believe they owned 25% of the company. This scheme is a notorious product of privatization that undermines employees for the personal interests of others. I cannot help but feel bad for the kind lady sitting behind the desk in the lobby, who had lost faith in her job and possibly the system. The COSMOS orbit has crashed landed…
I shot with a Rolleiflex T2 using Gold 200, paired with an Olympus OM2N using AFGA 400.
Olympus OM2N | In front (plaza) of the Cosmos Hotel.
Location of the Cosmos Hotel: