The Bendery Fortress is an outstanding monument of defensive architecture of the 16th century. Photos of this stronghold, as well as interesting information about the pages of its richest history, you can find in this article.
Bendery: founding a city and building a fortress
The town of Bendery arose somewhere at the beginning of the 15th century. Initially, it was called Tigina (by the way, the Romanians, as well as some Moldovans still call it that). The origin of this toponym is most likely connected with the word "pull", since the settlement itself arose near a large crossing across the Dniester.
The city was renamed Bendery by the Turks, who seized the local lands in 1538. They, two years later, began the construction of a powerful fortress here. Although it is known that even before that, Bendery were part of the defensive belt of the Moldavian king Stefan the Great.
The Bendery fortress was designed by the famous architect Sinan, who during his long (almost a hundred years) life built more than three hundred buildings within the then Ottoman Empire. On the territory of the former USSR there is another architectural monument of his authorship - this is the Khan-Jami mosque inEvpatoria.
Impregnable fortress in Bendery
Evliy Chelebi, the famous Turkish traveler of the 16th century, gives us the very first historical description of the fortress in this Transnistrian city. The Bendery fortress is a typical Western European defensive structure of the bastion type. Its construction began almost immediately after the city became part of Porta. The whole city was initially surrounded by a deep moat and a high rampart. The fortress itself, which occupied a huge area of 67 hectares, is divided into two parts: upper and lower.
Due to its geographical location, the Bendery fortress has become a key strategic point for many years. She played the most important role during the Russian-Turkish wars.
The history of the Bendery fortress remembers many attempts to storm it. However, most of them were unsuccessful. Until the 1770s, the fortress remained completely impregnable.
Fortress during Russian-Turkish wars
During the Russian-Turkish wars, Russian troops, as you know, took this strategically important fortress on the banks of the Dniester three times. The first capture of the Bendery fortress took place in 1770. The operation, which lasted over 60 days, was led by Pert Panin. The attackers managed to destroy one of the towers of the castle, after which the Russians launched an assault. During the capture of the Bendery fortress, up to 30% of Panin's entire army died - this is about six thousand soldiers. However, the goal was achieved: at the end of September 1770, the Russian military band in the Bendery fortressnotified in her taking.
By the way, the Russian Empress Catherine II criticized this victory, calling it Pyrrhic. Nevertheless, the loss of this important object was a real tragedy for the Ottoman Empire.
The subsequent captures of the Bendery fortress by the Russians took place in 1789 and 1806. However, then everything went without blood. So, in 1789, Russian troops led by Grigory Potemkin took it without a fight, and in 1806, the fortress was captured as a result of cunning and bribery of the Turkish garrison guarding it.
As you know, the Russian-Turkish wars ended very badly for the Ottoman Empire. After they ended, Russia extended its influence to the lands of all Bessarabia.
Interesting facts about the Bendery Fortress
This architectural and fortification monument is associated with quite a lot of interesting facts that attract tourists to the fortress. Here are some of them:
- Bendery fortress performed its defensive functions right up to the end of the twentieth century! And today, a military unit of an unrecognized state, the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, is deployed near it.
- The fortress sheltered in 1709 the Ukrainian hetman Ivan Mazepa and the Swedish king Charles XII, who fled after the defeat near Poltava. Soon Mazepa died here, on the outskirts of Bendery, in the village of Varnitsa.
- The adoption in 1711 of the so-called first constitution of Europe - the constitution of Pylyp Orlik, who was the successor to the deceased Mazepa, is connected with the Bendery fortress.
- BThe Bendery Fortress now houses the Museum of Torture - the only one in Transnistria.
Munchausen's core in the courtyard of the Bendery fortress
Not everyone knows that the famous inventor and adventurer Baron Munchausen is not a fictional character at all. Such a person, under the same name, actually existed. Baron Munchausen from the German Bondenwerder served in the Russian army in the middle of the 18th century and took part in the capture by the Russians of Bakhchisaray, Perekop, Khotin and Evpatoria. But the Russians failed to take the Bendery fortress this time, and the baron became a witness to this.
In general, the storyteller Munchausen could easily "fly" on the famous core over any fortress in Europe. But in Bender they were the first to realize that they could successfully use this story for themselves. The same legendary cannonball that the Saxon baron flew was installed in the courtyard of the Bendery fortress.
The current state and reconstruction of the Bendery fortress
In 2008, the previously planned large-scale reconstruction of the fortress began. In the same year, a theatrical performance was held in Bendery to capture the Bendery stronghold. On the territory of the fortress, they arranged an alley of Russian glory, erected a monument to the Constitution of Pylyp Orlik, as well as to the famous Baron Munchausen.
There are now two museums on the territory of the fortress: the first is a kind of torture museum, and in the second you can learn about the history of the Bendery fortress. Since the autumn of 2012, a souvenir shop has been operating for tourists, where, in particular, you can buychic ceramics and woodwork made by local artisans.
In autumn 2013, the second major reconstruction of the Bendery fortress began. In particular, work began on the restoration of two towers of the architectural complex. In addition, the artists painted the interiors of the fortress church of Alexander Nevsky. By the way, this year the dynamics of growth in attendance was the largest: in 2013, over 14 thousand people visited the fortress.
In 2014, a beautiful shooting range appeared on the territory of the complex, where every tourist can practice shooting with a real bow or crossbow, and feel like a real medieval warrior. In the same year, work began on the restoration of the lower fortress. Today, the Bendery fortress is increasingly turning into an attractive tourist attraction. The only thing that can confuse tourists here is the military unit located nearby. Although the soldiers themselves have long been accustomed to tourists.
Bendery fortress is depicted on postage stamps and banknotes of both the Republic of Moldova and the unrecognized PMR. So, the stronghold can be seen on banknotes of 100 Moldovan lei and 25 Transnistrian rubles. In addition, the fortress is depicted on a souvenir 100-ruble coin issued in Transnistria in 2006.
Bendery fortress: excursion, opening hours
Every year more and more tourists from near and far abroad attract the city of Bendery. Of course, the centralThe famous Bendery Fortress is one of the sights of the city. An excursion to the territory of the fortress is the best way to learn about the most fascinating pages of its history.
The fortress in Bender is open to everyone today. It is open every day from 9 am to 6 pm. The cost of an entrance ticket to the territory of the fortress is 25 Pridnestrovian rubles. Here it is worth noting two important nuances: firstly, payment can be made exclusively in the currency of the unrecognized republic, and secondly, the price of an entrance ticket for representatives of non-CIS countries will be twice as high.
In the fortress you can also order an excursion, the price of which will range from 50 to 150 Pridnestrovian rubles (depending on the size of the group and the duration of the excursion itself). Recently in the fortress it became possible to order a guide who speaks English. However, foreign tourists will have to pay an additional 25 rubles for such a service.
Bendery Fortress: Museum of Torture
There is a unique museum in its content on the territory of the Bendery fortress - the Museum of Torture. It was opened quite recently, in the fall of 2012. This museum exhibits medieval tools, tools and gloomy units for various tortures. It is worth noting that you do not need to pay separately for admission to this museum.
The idea to create such a museum among the workers of the fortress was born suddenly, after visiting one of the castle towers. As you know, it was previously a prison for petty robbers and marauders. Still in the towerold handcuffs and shackles for prisoners have been preserved. A few more exotic instruments of torture were soon added to them, and as a result, the tower turned out to be a whole museum. Today, tourists can see here an interrogation chair, a knee crusher, sticking goats and other creepy things.
In conclusion…
Bendery fortress is a unique fortification monument in southeastern Europe. Built back in 1540, it has experienced many turbulent events in its lifetime. Today the fortress is the most popular tourist attraction in Transnistria.
