The longest-serving mayor of Chisinau (1877-1903) was born into a German-Polish family. One of his sons, Alexander Schmidt, also served as the mayor of Chisinau during the turbulent years of 1917-1918.

Under Carol Schmidt’s leadership, numerous impactful developments took place in the city. Many streets were paved, and various public facilities were established, including an asylum for the homeless (1899) and the People’s Amphitheatre with a performance hall (1900). He played a key role in laying the first tram lines (1881-95) and overseeing the construction of the first aqueduct and sewage system. Street lighting was introduced, and significant educational and cultural institutions were built, such as the Royal School (1886), the Princess Natalia Dadiani Girls’ Gymnasium (1900), the County History Museum (1889), and the present-day Town Hall (1901). Additionally, Schmidt contributed to building houses for invalids (1877-81) and initiated the establishment of a school museum, the “Armonia” Musical Society, and the town school of Fine Arts (1894, today known as the Alexandru Plămădeală College of Fine Arts).

After 26 years as mayor, Carol Schmidt resigned, prompted by the tragic events of the Jewish Pogrom on April 6-8, 1903. Despite his efforts to stop the pogrom, he faced challenges and expressed his frustration to reporters. In response to the crisis, he sent a telegram to the Minister of the Interior in St Petersburg, organized emergency meetings of the City Council to raise funds for the victims, and provided aid to those affected. He even sheltered several Jewish families with children in his own house and donated resources, including wood from his residence, to the Jewish Hospital. Following the resolution of immediate town management matters, Schmidt continued to serve as a judge and remained active in city life until his death in 1928.

Carol Schmidt was the only mayor for whom the townspeople requested a street to be named while he was still alive. Gostinnaia Street, where Schmidt lived, became Carol Schmidt Street until 1944. Today, a street in the Telecentre district bears the name of this legendary mayor. The house where he and his family lived, located at 84 Mitropolit Varlaam Street, still stands and features a memorial plaque in Romanian and German honoring its former distinguished resident.

On May 10, 2014, a bust of Carol Schmidt was unveiled in front of the National Philharmonic in Chisinau, opposite the house where the state official lived. Unfortunately, the mayor’s tomb has not been preserved to date.