... Dniester Fortress Association was created in Bendery ...

On October 11, 2019, within the framework of the VII Transnistrian International Investment Economic Forum, the Bendery and Belgorod-Dniesterovsk fortresses signed an agreement of cooperation and the creation of the ‘Dniester Fortress Association”. In the future, it is planned to include the Sorokhi, Kamenetz-Podilsk and Khotyn fortresses in the association.

“There are several fortresses on the Dniester River. And for a long time there was an idea to create a tourist route that would unite them. The initiative of the Bendery City Council on signing an agreement on the interaction between fortresses and the creation of an association was supported by the leadership of the republic, and today the first agreement has been signed”, said Yury Kara, chairman of the City Council of Bendery.

“The first contract that we signed today is a landmark event for our fortress. We will exchange experience with our colleagues, create joint tourist routes that will attract even more tourists. They will learn even more about our fortress outside the borders of our republic”, said Alexander Yaskov, head of the Bendery fortress.

One more fact unites Bendery, Belgorod-Dniesterovsk and Sorokhi fortresses - according to written sources, in their 13th-16th centuries, on their place the Genoese republics were fortified. To learn more about this, a professor of archeology from Genoa, who is presenting his book, was invited to SPIEF 2019.

“In addition, PSU is negotiating the possibility of obtaining an archival certificate from Genoa on fortifications that were in the Northern Black Sea region,” Yuri Kara said.

The plans for cooperation were shared by the head of the Belgorod-Dniester fortress, Alexander Morozov. First of all, these are joint tourist routes, the creation of a museum, participation in international grants.

“The Association of Fortresses will also be useful for adding objects to the UNESCO list. Our fortress is included in the preliminary list”, Alexander Morozov emphasized, noting that over the past three years the number of tourists visiting the Belgorod-Dniesterovsk fortress has increased significantly.

“We offer a wide range of services: we hold international festivals, master classes of artisans, concerts, quests. Over the past three years, we have grown in the assessment of tour operators from 3 to 4.6 points according to reviews of tourists. More attention is paid to the tourist. We have 15 thematic excursion routes. For example, a gastronomic tour - recreated medieval cuisine. We plan to make a weekend tour”, said Alexander Morozov.