Dniester is one of the oldest rivers in the Northern Black Sea region. Along its left bank lies a narrow strip of land that was previously part of various state entities: the Ottoman Empire, Russia, and Moldova. The capital of Transnistria is Tiraspol. Where is this city located? What pages of its past and present are interesting for guests and Tiraspol residents themselves? Take a virtual tour of the southern city and its environs.
Where is Tiraspol located?
The Transnistrian capital is located 106 km northwest of Odessa, on the line connecting the port on the Black Sea with Chisinau. If you use motor transport, you can cover the distance to the capital of Moldova in 1 hour (about 80 km along the asphalt road).
The shape of the city of Tiraspol is a triangle, the southwestern part of which extends along the left bank of the river. Dniester. The name, consisting of two Greek words - “Tiras” (the ancient name of the river) and “pol”, which means “city”, appeared during the time of the Russian Empress Catherine II. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, the queen was a fan of the language of Ancient Hellas.
Geographic coordinates of Tiraspol
When they want to clarify the position of the capital of Transnistria on a map of Europe and Moldova, they usually use the coordinates of the city post office - 46 ° 50 's. w. and 29 ° 38 'in. e. Here they often make appointments with friends, receive and send telegrams, parcels, find out the zip code of Tiraspol and other information. The city is officially located within the borders of Moldova, yielding to the capital of this republic in terms of population and territory.
Why is Transnistria called the "unrecognized republic"?
The de facto city of Tiraspol is the administrative-political, economic and cultural center of the Transnistrian Moldavian Republic. Residents of the region of the former Moldavian SSR voted in a referendum to create their own public entity. This event took place about a quarter of a century ago, but the results of the plebiscite are still not recognized by the international community. Tiraspol ZIP Code - MD-3300 is a digital code with the same letter prefix as other towns in Moldova. The time difference with Moscow is 1 hour.
Tiraspol History
The founding of the city on the Dniester is inextricably linked with the events in Russia in the 18th – 20th centuries. The southern edge of the empire was a kind of "crossroads" for many peoples and religions. Preserved this feature and modern Tiraspol. Transnistria until the 18th century was inhabited by Russian Old Believers, Cossacks, Moldavian and Ukrainian peasants. The victories won in the wars with the Ottomans, the conclusion in December 1791 of the Yas peace treaty between Russia and Turkey led to the rapid settlement of the Ochakov Territory with settlers from Russian provinces, Bulgarian, Armenian, German colonists.
On the territory of this region, which became the southwestern border of the Russian Empire, Tsarina Catherine II ordered Count A.V. Suvorov to organize the Dniester defense line and lay the Middle Fortress. The construction of fortifications was carried out in 1792 according to the plan of the Russian engineer of French origin F. De Volan. The first garrison of the fortress under construction was a detachment of 172 Cossacks led by the future hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, Matvey Platov. It was De Volan who proposed to Count Suvorov to place the Tiraspol fortress opposite the Turkish Bender fortress, which is located on the right bank of the Dniester. Since January 1795, the name of the city - Tiraspol is mentioned in official documents.
Where is the Middle Fortress located?
Traces of historical buildings from the time of Alexander Suvorov can be found in the western part of the city. Borodino Square is located on the site of the central parade ground of the fortress, a monument to Russian Field Marshal M. I. Kutuzov is erected. The surviving powder cellar and parts of the earthen rampart of the Tiraspol fortress (Srednina) have been restored and are open for tourists. You can see the layout of the fortification structure, listen to the story of the erection, the history on the territory of the fortress itself or in the Tiraspol Museum of Local Lore.
Why is the memory of the Battle of Borodino immortalized in the name of one of the squares of Tiraspol? Residents call the Borodinka microdistrict. It is all about Kutuzov’s personality, his participation in the fate of Transnistria and all of Moldova. In May 1812, the Russian military leader signed the Bucharest Peace Treaty with Turkey. Kutuzov took the parade of the garrison of the Tiraspol fortress on the parade ground and blessed the soldiers to fight Napoleon. Three regiments that took part in the battle of Borodino were later stationed in Bender and Tiraspol. Since 1792, these or those parts of the Russian army have been on the territory of Transnistria. Now they are represented by a limited contingent of peacekeeping forces.
Which monument has become a symbol of Tiraspol?
Where is the most recognizable landmark of the capital of Transnistria - the equestrian monument to Suvorov? The monument is installed at the base of the eponymous square. This is a small but well-located space in the city center. Usually, excursions begin here for guests and tourists visiting Tiraspol. Where is another symbol - architectural? This is the Republican Russian Drama Theater, located next to the main building of the main university of Transnistria - State University. T. G. Shevchenko. To the south and east are large areas of Tiraspol - Kolkotovaya beam, Kirov village, and the Near Farm.
What other attractions can be seen in the center of Tiraspol?
If you walk from the monument to Suvorov along the alley, you can see the main Orthodox cathedral of Transnistria. In the opposite side of the central square are other interesting sights:
- bronze busts of Franz de Volan and Catherine II;
- a beautiful Orthodox chapel;
- the T-34 tank, installed in honor of the liberation of the city from fascist occupation (1941-1944);
- a memorial complex erected in honor of the Transnistrians who died in the course of a local conflict with Moldova in 1992;
- Tiraspol United Museum;
- memorial museum of the native of Tiraspol N. D. Zelinsky (Russian and Soviet chemist);
- bridge over the river. Dniester.
The embankment and square De Volan on the left bank of the river are the most picturesque places of Tiraspol. There are recreation areas, cafes, attractions for children, marinas for pleasure boats, ferry, kayak station.
Street October 25
The population of Tiraspol in the past and now professes mainly Orthodoxy. Before the revolution of the 1920s, the most important city street was called Pokrovskaya in honor of the great feast of the Orthodox Church - the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. Tiraspol residents celebrate the Temple holiday and the City Day on October 14 (Intercession Day). Now the central highway of Tiraspol is called the same as during the years of Soviet power - “October 25th Street” (the day of the beginning of the armed uprising of the Bolsheviks in Petrograd according to the old style).
If you go from the railway station, then turning left, you can see the building of the Republican Theater and the university. On October 25 street, near the theater, in a beautiful building with a clock, there are the City Hall and the Tiraspol Council of People’s Deputies.
The Government and the Supreme Council of Transnistria are working in a building, also located on the main street, just a little higher than the square to them. Suvorov. In Tiraspol cherish the historical memory of those who built and landscaped the city. National-cultural societies operate: Russian, Ukrainian, Armenian, German, Moldavian Union.
Between Tiraspol and Bender
Almost throughout the street. On October 25, you can take a trolleybus number 19 or a minibus number 20 and in 10 minutes drive to the second largest city of Transnistria - Bender. This is the right bank of the Dniester, but the territory of Transnistria, and not Moldova (Republic of Moldova). Tiraspol on the western outskirts is decorated with a large sports complex, numbering several football stadiums, there is also a swimming pool, tennis courts. Further, the path runs through the old Bulgarian village of Parkany.
Another ancient fortress on the gray bank of the Dniester
On the outskirts of Bender there is a medieval monument - an old fortress. Its construction began on the orders of the Turkish Sultan Bayezet II in 1484, and in 1538 Suleiman the Magnificent ordered to significantly expand the fortifications. The citadel or the inner castle is open for tourists to visit, one of the most interesting museums of Transnistria is working in the powder cellar.
The guides gladly tell everyone who is interested in the past of the region about events and personalities whose names are associated with the history of Tiraspol and the whole of Transnistria. For example, the outstanding Russian commander during the Patriotic War of 1812 P.Kh. Wittgenstein lived on the estate of Kamenka (170 km from the capital of Transnistria). In honor of the Count, the Quint Tiraspol Factory produced cognac Wittgenstein.
Tiraspol Infrastructure
The population of the city is 150 thousand people. The movement of public transport is well established, trolleybuses and minibuses ply. The fare is paid in Transnistrian rubles. It is its own currency in Tiraspol and in the whole unrecognized republic. Almost all the signs, street signs are in Russian. Signs at state institutions are translated into three state languages - Moldavian, Ukrainian and Russian.
In Tiraspol, in addition to the enterprise, which produces wine and cognac products under the brand name “Quint”, the cotton association “Tirotex”, machine-building and other plants operate. There are many young people in the Transnistrian capital, students studying at the university, branches of Russian higher educational institutions, and colleges. The largest concert venue and cultural institution is the Palace of the Republic. Not far from the central square is the Tiraspol cinema and concert complex, popular with young people.
The city’s green outfit is the Botanical Garden on the territory of the research institute, city parks, alleys and squares. On Gagarin Boulevard, next to the buildings of the Transnistrian State University, a bust of the first cosmonaut was installed. Victory Park is a favorite resting place of Tiraspol residents, a venue for fairs and other mass entertainment.