Description

Unrecognised country: Tiraspol & Tighina (Bendery) fortress tour includes:

• Transportation
• English speaking guide
• Visiting Tighina fortress
• Visiting Bendery city
• Visiting Tiraspol city

See below more details about the itinerary points included in this tour.

Itinerary

Tiraspol

Tiraspol is internationally recognized as the second largest city in Moldova, but is effectively the capital and administrative center of the unrecognized Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (Transnistria). The city is located on the eastern bank of the Dniester River. Tiraspol is a regional hub of light industry, such as furniture and electrical goods production.
The modern city of Tiraspol was founded by the Russian generalissimo Alexander Suvorov in 1792, although the area had been inhabited for thousands of years by varying ethnic groups. The city celebrates its anniversary every year on October 14.

On January 27, 1990, the citizens in Tiraspol passed a referendum declaring the city as an independent territory. The nearby city of Bendery also declared its independence from Moldova. As the Russian-speaking independence movement gained momentum, some local governments banded together to resist pressure from the Moldovan government for nationalization.
On September 2, 1990, Tiraspol was proclaimed the capital of the new Pridnestrovian Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic. The new republic was not officially recognized by Soviet authorities; however, it received support from some important Soviet leaders, such as Anatoly Lukyanov. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the territory east of the Dniester River declared independence as the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR), with Tiraspol as its capital. It was not recognized by the international community.

Tighina (Bender) fortress

Tighina fortress was bilt in one the most powerful of the medieval cities of Moldova – Tighina, which was an important trade outpost. Originally built as a small wooden fort by Stephen the Great (Romanian: Stefan cel Mare), it was fortified with stone during Petru Rares’ rule, just like Soroca fortress was.

First mentioned in 1408 as Tyagyanyakyacha in a document in Old Slavonic, the town was known in the Middle Ages as Tighina in Moldavian sources and later as Bender in Ottoman sources. The fortress and the city were called Bender for the most part of the time they were a rayah of the Ottomans (1538–1812), and during most of the time they belonged to the Russian Empire (1828–1917). It was known as Tighina in the Principality of Moldavia, in the early part of the Russian Empire period (1812–1828), and during the time the city belonged to Romania (1918–1940; 1941–1944).