... THE HEAD OF THE STATE WAS PASSED THE KEY FROM THE TSAREAD GATES LEADING TO ALEXANDER NEVSKY PARK ...

The task set by the Head of State - to make the once impregnable Bendery fortress publicly accessible - has been completed. The object comes to life right in front of our eyes: while preserving the historical essence, it acquires an important significance from the cultural, social and tourist points of view. The infrastructure is changing. The functionality is expanding. The number of visitors is growing. According to the President’s idea, the fortress and the temple located near its walls are united Alexander Nevsky Park into a single complex called ‘an Alexander Nevsky Park’ which today was officially opened. Vadim Krasnoselsky was given a symbolic key to the Tsaregradsky Gate, passing which you can not only get into the new modern park, but also cross the border of epochs, plunge into the atmosphere of the past, appreciating the achievements of present days and feeling the inseparability of the connection of times.

Under the volleys of ancient tools, the leadership of the country and the town, celebrating the 610th anniversary of the first chronicle, the citizens and guests of Bender marched to the monument to Alexander Nevsky - the grand prince, renowned military leader, canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church. The creators of the park decided to move the bust to its central part. Rays go from the monument paths lead to the temple, to the fortress, to the exhibition hall, to the summer stage and to the city, symbolizing the unity of the past and present, the Orthodox and the secular, strength of spirit and Russian weapons. On behalf of the Transnistrian people and all grateful descendants, the PMR President laid flowers at the foot of the monument to Alexander Nevsky.

Under the festive ringing of the bells, the participants of the event, including the PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky and his family, as well as representatives of embassies of various states, went to the church named after the prince. The temple, built in the first half of the XIX century and destroyed during the Soviet era, was restored in 2008 on the initiative and with the direct participation of Vadim Krasnoselsky. Later, a so-called royal arbor appeared, created in memory of the Russian emperors' repeated visits to our region and that the crowned family of Nicholas II was praying for the Russian people. More recently, the Orthodox-historical ensemble has added a chapel in honor of the royal passion bearers - the shoot Romanov family.

Today, within the walls of the Alexander Nevsky church, a festive liturgy took place as part of the celebrations of the opening the park of the same name, after which Orthodox music sounded under the church vaults: Transnistrian state choir performed before the congregation.

The next point of the holiday route in the Alexander Nevsky Park is the exhibition hall. Many people were waiting for its opening. The town and the republic needed a platform where the works of art by Transnistrian and foreign authors who would like to acquaint the residents and guests of the republic with their works would come to life, play with new colors. The doors of the exhibition hall today opened wide before the first visitors, among them there was the Head of State. Vadim Krasnoselsky more than once visited this place during the period when the object was in the status of a construction site, not a cultural center. Today, the President appraised the results of the work. He called the opening of the hall a landmark event for the sphere of culture. It is symbolic that the first art exhibition, housed in a new specialized room, is dedicated to the Orthodoxy of Transnistria.

About 130 works - paintings, frescoes, mosaic compositions, photographs - are presented by the Transnistrian State Art Museum, the V. Postoikin Bender College, the Union of Artists of Transnistria and the Tiraspol-Dubossary Diocese. It is planned to hold in these walls various cultural and educational events and to organize diverse exhibitions telling about the history of the region, reflecting the spiritual component of society, revealing the potential of Transnistrian artists and acquainting residents of the republic with the talent of foreign artists, sculptors and photographers.

“Culture and art have an amazing unifying power. We need to give them a field for development, and the residents of the republic have the opportunity to touch the world of beauty, to get acquainted with the results of the work of talented people. Works of art should not get dusty on the shelves of funds. These works should see the world, and the world should see the works,” Vadim Krasnoselsky noted at one of the working sessions, during which the project options for the future park were worked out and the objects that should be included in its structure were discussed. The exhibition hall should become an obligatory component of the Alexander Nevsky Park - such was the position of the Head of State. Unconditionally supported, this idea is implemented today. Now it's up to the cultural sphere, said Vadim Krasnoselsky.

Special attention deserves the permanent exhibition of the hall. This is a kind of timeline spent along the entire lodgment: the full-length figures of Russian warriors who stood guard over the world on the banks of the Dniester at different times, from the Catherine’s soldier to today's peacekeeper. 

After leaving the exhibition hall, visitors of the Alexander Nevsky Park were able to witness the creation of new works of art: artists were located on a specially prepared open-air site. Their view on what is happening, personal perception of the atmosphere prevailing here, their own mood will be reflected on the canvas, which, quite possibly, in the future will take their place in the new exhibitions of the exhibition hall. Stop the moment and save it forever for posterity - in their power. 

Another task - to revive the story - faced the actors and talented volunteers dressed in historical costumes. Along the paths of the park, both famous individuals who left their mark on the history of the Transnistrian region, and ordinary citizens who lived here at different times, walked along. Moreover, the sculptures “came to life” on the holiday. Interactive thematic locations located in the citadel allowed to recreate the historical events in the life of the fortress and the city as a whole.

The colorful element of the festive program, important for illustrating the military-historical essence of the objects where the celebrations are held, was the performance of the silent drill team of the President of the PMR and the Orchestra of the main headquarters of the Ministry of Defense of the PMR. Weapon posession, both on the battlefield and at celebrations, is an integral part of the military art. The presented parade confirmed that modern defenders possess this skill no worse than heroic ancestors.