Cafe Guguta (former Noroc Restaurant)

The initial construction of the building took place between 1967 and 1969. It was originally designed by architects V. Kudinov and V. Zakharov to host a restaurant called Noroc. The restaurant remained open until 1976 when it was transformed into a coffeehouse. The coffeehouse was rebuilt in 1979 by Sergei Lebedev and Nicon Zaporojan. As part of the redesign, a metal construction was hung on the original modernist façade and reversed concrete arches were added to the side of the building. It was renamed Guguță Café in 1981 after the well-known children's book character. The entrance canopy symbolizes Guguță's hat. OccupyGuguta is a protest movement to defend democracy in Moldova. The name “OccupyGuguta” comes from the Soviet-era building café Guguta – an important element of the Moldovan cultural heritage, which is located in the Central Park. The land was controversially sold in 2010 for private development to a group allegedly owned by Vladimir (Vlad) Plahotniuc, a prominent Moldovan politician and oligarch. In 2018, the court of appeals provided permission to demolish and replace the iconic cafe with a hotel. That year, the group gathered at the cafe every day to protect the building, protest against the alleged erosian of democratic processes, and encourage youth to get more involved in the political and social life of Moldova. As of 2025, Cafe Guguta still stands. Vlad Plahotniuc is a Moldovan politician and oligarch who held posts including the vice president of the parliament of Moldova (2010 to 2013), parliamentarian, and chairman of the Democratic Party of Moldova. After continued allegations of corruption and alleged involvement in the largest theft in Moldova's history, he fled the country and has resided in Turkey since 2019.