Bender - invaded by many nations
Bender, in Russian also called Bendery, initially belonged to the Moldavian principality. Already at the beginning of the 16th century the prince Ștefan cel Mare had a fort built there. In 1538 the city was conquered and annexed by the Ottoman Empire. The new rulers turned the fort into a fortress, which they called Bender (after the Turkish term for gate). In the 19th century it got conquered by the Russian empire, around 100 years later by the Romanians before it finally was allocated to Moldova after the 2nd World War.
Now it belongs to Transnistria, the country that does not exist. Transnistria declared its independence after a war in Moldova in the 90s. It is located not far from the capital Tiraspol. You can reach Bender by a common urban bus. Around 100.000 people live here, making it the 2nd biggest city in Transnistria.
Fortress as the main tourist attraction
Tourists come to Bender to visit this fortress although there are not many tourists here at all. You can walk along the wall and enjoy the beautiful views of the Dniestr River and visit some museums on-site that to learn more about the fort's long and rich history. A few years before this was a functioning Russian army base and not accessible to the general public. Inside the fortress there are numerous medieval war objects such as trebuchet, guillotine or catapult.
The military conflict with Moldova in 1992 hit the city hardest, and bullet holes from the civil war still decorate several buildings.
Another famos thing in Bender is the old Soviet canteen in the first floor of the Bendery bus station. It serves simple food at a low price. Only Russian is spoken and there's no English description of the meals.
Trouble with the visa before leaving Transnistria
After 2 nights in Transnistria I moved on to the Ukraine. But before leaving I had to fix an issue with my visa. It would have expired 1 hour before my bus was supposed to leave for Odessa. So I needed to extend my visa for a few more hours, otherwise I would have gotten in trouble with the border officials. After all, you don't want to get into problems in a country that doesn't really exist. But the woman from my hostel helped me and I could extend my visa without any trouble.
Summary of Moldova
Moldova is a destination for tourists who like calm places with a soviet vibe and who like to visit places off the beaten track. Although there are relatively few places of interest in the country, Moldova offers reasonable prices, friendly people, good wine and cognac as well as a quaint and quiet atmosphere. And there are hardly any tourists here. And where else can you visit a country that actually does not exist?
