History

Tighina Fortress, also called Bender, stands on the Dniester about 60 km from Chișinău. It began as an earth and timber fortification in the time of Stephen the Great and was rebuilt in stone by the Ottomans in 1538. Inside are two museums, with weapons, costumes, models of the fortress and an exhibition about the dungeon that is not recommended for children, while the walls and towers give views over the Dniester. Traces of the Ottoman period remain, including the mihrab of a mosque, and there is a bust of Münchhausen. The fortress lies in the part controlled by the Tiraspol administration, and tickets are paid in Transnistrian rubles; carry your documents.