MOLDOVA. TRAVEL
A Fortress in a Country You Can’t Find on Maps
Bendery fortress in unrecognized Transnistria state inside Moldova
On the east of Bessarabia historical area, an ancient (known from 1408) town Bandery is located. His destiny had a big count of wars and military conflicts, the latest of them took place only 29 years ago. It’s out of provocation in Bendery, a full-fledged war between Moldova and self-proclaimed Transnistria (Pridnestrovian Moldovian Republic, PMR) started. Exactly in this town, the main street battles took place, with the biggest count of destructions and victims.
And more, exactly there, one of the most well-saved fortresses in the region is located. It was my major motivation to enter this gray zone. Moreover, just a few years ago, even locals couldn’t look at it. But first things first.
From Transnistria capital city Tiraspol, it’s possible to get Bendery using marshrutka or interurban trolleybus. The last one is an exotic that appeared in 1993, in PMR time, and it’s almost a symbol of their independence. Even his number 19 isn’t casual — on that day, war operations started in June 1992.
Thanks to public transport, two towns actually merged. The trolleybuses are almost not inferior in speed to marshrutkas. The road takes about half an hour. Between the towns, the Dniester river and the biggest village Parkany (population of 10.000, mostly Bulgarians) are located.
My first foray I did at the end of the first day there. To make exploration and take photos of the fortress in rays of the evening sun.
Across the road from the first bus stop in the town, a memorial complex of Memory and Sorrow is located. In general, the count of monuments in Bendery is huge. This town completely turned its face to the past and fully immersed in its own historical pain.
Not a big count of travelers heard about Moldova, although it’s located almost in the center of Europe. But much fewer people heard about an unrecognized republic on its territory. After the USSR’s decay and receiving the independence of Moldova, a part of this country on the Dniester left coast (populated mainly with Russians) declared itself an independent country too. The military conflict lasted almost 2 years and took more than 1000 human lives. In 1992 the conflict was frozen due to the actual invasion of Russian troops. Their contingent is still here. Noone country, including Russia, recognized Transnistria.
Against the stele with names of the dead in conflict-1992, there is a memorial of Russian general Lebed who is revered here as a peacemaker. He really stopped the warfare, although peculiar: by the threat of bombing Chișinău. In fact, it was the start of the occupation of Moldova’s part. Ten years later, he died in a strange helicopter crash in Siberia hinterland.
At once after it, the town ends with the Dniester and a bridge toward Tiraspol, and from it, views on the fortress are the best. But with caveats, first, views are covered by the parallel railway bridge. Second, exactly before the bridges, a “peacemakers” post is located. They stuck to the strategic objects.
Though I markedly took photos standing back to them, one of the troops pestered me about what I was doing. Just to show who’s the boss there.
The Dniester downstream. The town and its mirthless quay are at right:
And this is a view to the opposite side I arrived for. After arches of the railway bridge, it’s possible to look at a citadel and a garrison church.
Because of the railway, there’s no way under the bridges. At most, you can approach the security area and take a photo through a barbed wire:
To return to Tiraspol, I had to go back to the town, again through the military post. I didn’t want it at all, so I went in the opposite direction, 1.5 kilometers to a bus stop in Parkany. A foreign sky was getting dark above me, and so familiar river left behind.
For the same reason, the next morning, I didn’t stop there, limited to taking a photo from the trolleybus window. The aspect is similar, but the lighting is completely different.
Traces of the different wars appear at the entrance of the town:
First, the town had the name Tiahanakacha, and later it transformed to a more melodious Tihina (official Moldova admits exactly this name). Turks built the fortress in the 1540s. That process was managed by Sinan, one of the most famous Osman architects. In the 19th century, during Russian empire times, it was rebuilt by no less famous architect Edward Totleben.
The fortress is huge (with about three kilometers in the perimeter), but external fortifications are not visually impressive. Furthermore, which just didn’t fit inside them: a trolleybus depot, a plant, a military base…
And the base was the reason that the fortress was closed for tourists. Just a few years ago, militaries started to retreat, and the citadel accepted first infrequent visitors.
An entry was at the north side, where anybody had to go through an abandoned industrial zone to the interesting part. First, I went there. Near the entrance, a rare plant checkpoint is located:
But I wasn’t allowed there. As it turned out, this entry wasn’t valid because of a new one near the town center, and I needed to return.
But as I got so far, I decided to go to Arc de Triomphe, which was nearby.
So typical for post-Soviet towns landscape: panel houses, a trolleybus, and ugly billboards. The trolleybus system in Bandery was opened in 1993 too.
The arc was built in honor of the 600th anniversary of the town (that appears to be a new building). In the background, there is one of the “Sheriff” shops that keeps the monopoly not only of supermarkets but many other important things.
Near there is a military cemetery with an entrance in the form of a colonnade and a monument of Grigory Potyomkin.
Even further north, Varnitsa district is located, and it is worth noticing about it additionally. It is a geopolitical mishap — controlled by Moldova, but unrecognized Transnistria… didn’t recognize this fact (they got over it only in 2019). Tihina’s government-in-exile is there. Even further behind Varnitsa, Severnyi district (controlled by PMR) stretches. To get there from the center, it’s necessary to cross two borders.
Meanwhile, I returned to the new entrance of the fortress. Near the bus stop, there is the next monument of Russian glory. Delivered in 1912 in honor of the 100th anniversary of victory over Napoleon.
Ascetic walls stretch to a recovered gate.
…which leaves very contradictory impressions: recovered with shitty sand-lime bricks, but a roof is covered with true good tiles. You can remember any anecdote about Moldavian builders now.
Compared with older photos, militaries slightly yielded (their territory is leftward of the next photo). Before the citadel and the church of Alexander Nevskiy (1833), a new recreation area was created:
On the right, it’s possible to admire the Dniester, behind which you can see Parkany. Guns are also aimed there.
A monument of Alexander Nevskiy, probably related to the church dedication.
The citadel is perfectly square and symmetric, but towers have different forms. This part of the fortress is paid 25 PMR rubles (about 1.4 €).
Under the walls, there is a pantheon of Russian military leaders: Barclay de Tolly, Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky, etc.
From the bastion, a view of the outside walls of the fortress opens. They are unrestored and beautiful in their wild state:
Destinies of some Ukrainian famous people also intertwined with Bandery closely. Hetman Ivan Mazepa escaped here after defeat in the Poltava battle. In this town, the constitution of Pylyp Orlyk was born (which is considered one of the first constitutions in Europe). In honor of it, there is a commemorative sign, single in the world. It appeared on the initiative of the Ukrainian community of the PMR (their part of the population is 29% there).
Almost a century later those events, in 1806, a future outstanding writer Ivan Kotlyarevsky took part in the fortress assault in the rank of the staff captain:
The next character is not Ukrainian but a famous romancer Baron Munchausen. He took part in the Turkish campaign led by Russian Field Marshal Minich. Probably he flew on a cannonball to the reconnaissance and back exactly over this fortress. Of course, if you believe Baron’s stories (how can’t you believe him?..)
It’s possible to bypass the whole citadel outside the perimeter.
Recovering works were still going on.
And, of course, it needed to go inside. I took a photo of the PMR flag at the entrance, which rarely could be found without the Russian flag convoy.
Rooms of the fortress are mainly empty. There are a typical torture chamber and a small historical museum in a powder cellar (here it is under the headless tower).
Not that something special, but I like maps and models.
A diorama:
A gate tower recovered in the same contrast way, with sand-lime bricks and tile. On its top, a viewpoint is arranged.
Also, it’s possible to walk on the wall on ¾ of the perimeter. The unrecovered wall is located on the military base side. Earlier, watchtowers with armed guards were there, but now nobody notices if you quietly take a photo from the gate window.
The best view of the citadel yard is opened from that viewpoint too:
Outside walls, Dniester and Parkany:
Behind Pakany, there is the skyline of Tiraspol and a blue roof of a huge sports complex “Sheriff.”
Contrast proximity of ancient fortifications and a pale industrial zone:
And here’s a view toward the bridges and the downtown. Behind the garrison church, green domes of the cathedral are visible near the main town square. Bandery turned out very interesting too, and I hope to tell you about it apart. And of course, about Tiraspol — the unrecognized republic’s capital and about the local way of life.
