The primary goal of functional establishments is to ensure continuous implementation of human activities in urban or rural localities. The major part of architectural establishments, which were designed for the development of urban or rural infrastructure, is included in the category of functional establishments. The following facilities may be listed in this category: fire and water belvederes, shops and supermarkets, railway and bus stations, hotels and motels, post offices and bridges, telephone stations and trolley depots, etc. In a sense, administrative establishments may also serve as functional facilities; however, they are listed in a separate category. Functional establishments must not be mixed up with the establishments pertaining to the category of "industrial architecture", as their goals are different. If goals of industrial architecture refer to the provision of optimal conditions for the organization of production process of certain commodities, the objectives of functional establishments envisage a regular provision of services to the population.
Bridges, inns and post offices are the oldest monuments of functional architecture on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. Several samples of such architecture are presented in the catalogue, among which it is worth mentioning the bridge across the Vilia river in the neighborhood of the village of Tetcani, the so-called "Turkish" bridge not far from the village of Calaraseuca, the post office located on Independentei Street in the town of Soroca, the establishment of former "inn", dating from the 19th century and located in the same town.
The end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century are notable for the construction of many fire and water belvederes in the Basarabian functional architecture. Thus, in 1884 a water tower is erected within Rosetti-Roznovan mansion in the town of Lipcani. At the end of the 19th century a water tower with fire belvedere is finalized on Livezilor Street (currently, A. Mateevici Street) in Chisinau (architect A. Bernardazzi). In 1925 the architect N. Malinovski constructed a water tower with fire belvedere in the city of Tiraspol.
Railway stations also represent a type of constructions, which take their roots from the 19th century. Unfortunately, the first railway station has not been preserved in Chisinau. Nevertheless, there are samples of passengers' pavilions at Ocnita railway station, dating from the end of the 19th century (1892 - 1893). The railway station in the village of Sofia was constructed at the beginning of the 20th century. The railway station in Chisinau was constructed after the World War II, in 1948, according to the project of the architect L. Ciuprin, who benefited from the counseling of the famous architect, A.V. Sciusev, native of Chisinau. The airport station and airport in the city of Chisinau were designed by the architect A. Eksner in the 60's of the 20th century. However, pursuant to international requirements they were reconstructed and rearranged during the last decade of the 20th century. The bus stations in Chisinau, Balti and Tighina attract attention by decorative panels that embellish the interiors. As for the Balti station, even exterior facades are remarkable for their splendor. The Central Post Office of the city of Chisinau, designed by the architect V. Mednek and the building of the "Chisinau" hotel, designed by the architect R. Kurt, are typical of the architecture of MSSR in the second half of the 50's and beginning of the 60's of the 20th century. The establishments of "Turist" (architect R. Bekesevici), "Codru" (architect V. Kudinov) and "National" (former "Intourist" hotel, architects V. Salaghinov and A. Gorbuntov) hotels represent standard hotel architecture of MSSR of the 70's, characteristic by the use of monolith blocs made of reinforced concrete and scarcity of utilized means of expression. The hotels constructed in the 80's ("Cosmos", "Jolly Alon" - former hotel of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Moldova) are notable for the high level of comfort and greater variety of exterior decoration. Private hotels, constructed in the 90's and beginning of the 3rd millennium in Chisinau and other localities of the Republic of Moldova have smaller dimensions as compared to the ones built during the Soviet period. However, interiors of such hotels are richer and more sumptuously decorated, having been made of new construction materials.
The architecture of "UNIC" shop in Chisinau (architects M. Orlov, V. Lepski and A. Varsaver) and the buildings of "Moldtelecom" (architects D. Kireeev, I. Dorofeev and S. Mukhin) significantly changed the aspect of Stefan cel Mare Boulevard in the capital of Moldova. Being criticized by certain architecture historians and supported by others, these establishments along with substantial broadening of Ismail Street, completely reshaped the central sector of Chisinau.
