Bender, Moldova
Tighina or Bender (Russian: Бендеры; Moldovan(Romanian) Cyrillic: Тигина) is a city in Transnistria, a breakaway region of Moldova. Its geographical location is 46°50′N 29°29′E / 46.833°N 29.483°E, population was 130,000 at the census in 1989 and 157,000 at the census in 2005.
Along with Dubasari and Grigoriopol, Tighina is one of the Transnistrian cities with a very large Romanian population.
History
The Tighina Fortress was first mentioned as an important customs post in a commerce grant issued by Moldavian hospodar Alexandru cel Bun to merchants from Lvov on October 8 1408. The document is written in Old East Slavic and the place is named "Тягянакача" (Tyagyanakacha). The name Tighina is seen in documents since the second half of the 15th century.
In 1538, the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent conquered the fortress and renamed it Bender. 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 the Ottoman supervision. In 1713, the fortress was the site of a battle (kalabalik) between Charles XII of Sweden, who had taken refuge there with Cossack leader Ivan Stepanovich Mazepa after their failed attack on Russia, and Turks who wished to take him hostage and exploit the political difficulties of central Europe. Tighina fell three times to the Russians during the Russo-Turkish Wars, was annexed alongside with Bessarabia to Russia in 1812 and remained in Russian hands until 1918. As a part of Bessarabia, Tighina belonged to Romania between 1918 and 1940, temporary also between 1941 and 1944. During the War of Transnistria most of the fighting was concentrated in the city for its key strategic location defending Tiraspol from the right bank of Dniestr river. Tighina is still controlled by the breakaway Transnistrian government.
Famous natives
Famous people born in the city include:
- Lev Simonovich Berg, Jewish Soviet zoologist and geographer
- Tamara Buciuceanu, Romanian actress
- Mikhail Grigoryevich Chernyayev - Russian general
- Emil Constantinescu, former Romanian President
- Jerzy Neyman, Polish statistician
- Petro Poroshenko, Ukrainian politician and businessmen
