Transnistria (Tiraspol) June 12, 2019
I picked up a young couple who spoke no English and then 5kms before Bender I entered Trans Dniestr. It was like any other border where they look in the back of the van. I then went into the office where he checked my passport, asked where I was going, checked the car documents, gave me a receipt but no stamp and I continued on. I let the young man off just after the border. He too had to show a residence card and already has some sort of receipt.
OBSERVATIONS
1. Trans Dniester functions as its own separate country. It has its own currency, flag, license plates, uses Cyrillic script and is unilingual Russian.
2. The level of English is zero – at least I never found anyone who could understand a word of English.
3. There are police and checks everywhere. I was stopped 4 times in one day.
SUMMARY
Transnistria, or Transdniestria, officially the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, is a primarily unrecognised state that split off from Moldova after the dissolution of the USSR and mostly consists of a narrow strip of land between the river Dniester and the territory of Ukraine. Transnistria has been recognised only by three other mostly non-recognised states: Abkhazia, Artsakh, and South Ossetia. The region is considered by the UN to be part of Moldova. Transnistria is designated by the Republic of Moldova as the Transnistria autonomous territorial unit with special legal status.
After the dissolution of the USSR, tensions between Moldova and the breakaway Transnistrian territory escalated into a military conflict that started in March 1992 and was concluded by a ceasefire in July of the same year. As part of that agreement, a three-party (Russia, Moldova, Transnistria) Joint Control Commission supervises the security arrangements in the demilitarised zone, comprising twenty localities on both sides of the river. Although the ceasefire has held, the territory’s political status remains unresolved: Transnistria is an unrecognised but de facto independent semi-presidential republic with its own government, parliament, military, police, postal system, currency and vehicle registration. Its authorities have adopted a constitution, flag, national anthem and coat of arms. It is the only country still using the hammer and sickle on its flag.
After a 2005 agreement between Moldova and Ukraine, all Transnistrian companies that seek to export goods through the Ukrainian border must be registered with the Moldovan authorities. Most Transnistrians also have Moldovan citizenship, but many Transnistrians also have Russian and Ukrainian citizenship. The main ethnic groups in 2015 were Russians (34%), Moldovans (33%), and Ukrainians (26.7%).
Transnistria, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Artsakh are post-Soviet “frozen conflict” zones. These four partially recognised states maintain friendly relations with each other and form the Community for Democracy and Rights of Nations.
The region can also be referred to in English as “Trans-Dniestr” or “Transdniestria”. These names are adaptations of the Romanian colloquial name of the region, “Transnistria” meaning “beyond the River Dniester”.
BENDER
Bender Fort. Tighina fortress was built 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 Stefan cel Mare, it was fortified with stone during Petru Rares’ rule. In 1538, the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent conquered the town and renamed it Bender. Its fortifications were developed into a full fortress. The Ottomans used it to keep the pressure on Moldavia. In the 18th century, the fort’s area was expanded and modernized by the prince of Moldavia Antioh Cantemir, who carried out these works under Ottoman supervision.
In 1713, the fortress, the town, and the neighboring village Varniţa were the site of skirmishes between Charles XII of Sweden, who had taken refuge there with the Cossack Hetman Ivan Mazepa after his defeat in the Battle of Poltava, and Turks who wished to enforce the departure of the Swedish king. During the second half of the 18th century, the fortress fell three times to the Russians during the Russo-Turkish Wars (in 1770, 1789, and in 1806 without a fight).
Bender Fortress is an architectural ensemble of an irregular quadrilateral plan, surrounded by wide walls, 2-3 meters thick, made of limestone and brick and covered with dirt battlements. The fortress has 10 artillery bastions at the corners, 11 towers, and 6 gates and is surrounded by a moat of stone.
It’s a little confusing especially when Google Maps takes you to the 3rd checkpoint, theoretically for staff only and with a threatening sign “Entrance of tourists forbidden, The territory is guarded by armed guards and service dogs”. There is little at this end but a few run-down battlements. The correct entrance is on the north side. The land around the fortress is still used by the army mostly as a store for vehicles. Inside the fortress are many real historical cannons, trebuchet replicas, and a museum to the Swedish-Ottoman conflict over the fort. There is also a shooting range (for crossbows), pony rides, a historical dress-up and a small cafe with toilet facilities. The fortress is a little run down, however. 23 rubles
TIRASPO
Zelinsky Museum. In a small house where Nilolay Zelinsky (1861-1953) spent his childhood, there are period furnishings, manuscripts and details of his gas masks. Nikolay Zelinsky was a professor at the University of Moscow in 1893 where he worked till his retirement. He was the inventor of the first effective charcoal gas mask. During WW I, around 11 million gas masks based on his concept were produced, saving millions of lives. 26.5 but she would let me pay 25 Lei.
Church of the Nativity (Christmas Cathedral). This Russian Orthodox church is white with brass onion domes. Inside there are 2 aisles, fresh frescoes and floral decorations on all surfaces wood-framed icons on the columns, and iconostasis
Church of the Protection of the Mother of God. With a white and light blue exterior, the spires and onion domes are dark blue with gold stars. You can’t enter the main body of the church but only a small chapel with glass-painted murals. The grounds have lovely plantings and flowers. Free.
SOVIET-STYLE MONUMENTS. Besides the following, there are many busts on columns.
Lenin Statue. Across the street from Zelinsky Museum is this imposing statue of Lenin cut from a block of red granite on top of a granite pillar. It sits in front of The Transnistrian parliament building.
Tank Monument. A Soviet tank is at one end of a long monument. An eternal flame sits among 12 grave slabs with stones engraved with faces. Another 12 large slabs have 24 names each on them leading up to the main monument with 400 names and the statues of 2 soldiers.
Noul Neamț Monastery, Chiţcani (Transnistria). 10kms southwest of Tiraspol in Chitcani and encircled by a bend in the Dniester River, it is accessed by ferry from Tiraspol. 20 each way. As I didn’t have the correct money, I gave the ferryman 50 Lei return. The ferry, a simple flatbed on a cable, twisted and had to manually straighten to square to the wharf. then the guy used an odd log on the cable to pull the ferry tight to the wharf and then pulled on some giant chains to get is tight. This guy had to work for his money.
At the monastery 6.5kms down the road, Google Maps took up a hugely rutted road to end in a blank wall. Once I found the right road, I had to negotiate the cement guys laying a new sidewalk. I have never seen this before but there were 3 priests helping with the cement. You can tell these guys as they are the only ones with beards and long hair in eastern Europe.
The large main church is cream with red accents and is a large Greek-cross shape. The inside has a large dome and giant frescoes covering whole walls including large saints the height of the side walls. The brass iconostasis also has 16 large icons.
The highlight is the reliquary to whoever the patron saint is: an intricate brass casket with a silver insert containing 19 little round glass windows with bits of bone and 5 larger rectangular glass windows with bigger bits of bone. Crazy (sometimes I wonder why I go to all these hassles to see these places). Also on the grounds is a lovely stone church, a small chapel with an impressive marble tomb, and a giant bell tower. Free
Having finished seeing everything in Trans Dniester and Moldova, Ukraine was my next destination. From the monastery, my friend, Google Maps directed me south on a 92km tortuous road crossing into Ukraine at Lower Dniester National Park. Fortunately, I ran into a military roadblock who said (in sign language) that that was not possible. So I got to use my return fair on the ferry anyway.
Ukrainian customs were painful and disorganized. But there was actually someone there who spoke English. I knew I had to buy insurance
NOMAD MANIA Trans Dniestr (Tiraspol)
Islands: Goian island
Borders:
Moldova Transnistria-Ukraine
Moldova-Transnistria
Religious Temples: Chiţcani (Transnistria): Noul Neamț Monastery
European Cities
BENDER
Castles, Palaces, Forts: Bender Fort
RIBNITA
XL: Northern Transnistria (Rabnita)
Religious Temples: Cathedral of Archangel Michael
TIRASPOL World Cities and Popular Towns
Museums: Tiraspol: Zelinsky Museum
Religious Temples:
Church of the Nativity (Chistmas Cathedral)
Church of the Protection of the Mother of God
Monuments: Soviet-Style Monuments