MASTERPLAN OF BENDER FORTRESS (MOLDOVA)

The Fortress of Tighina (also called Bender) is located in Moldova in transinistrian region, near the Nistru River, on a slightly elevated position.

After a first work of securing the Citadel, our group, which includes experts in landscape, restoration and economic processes, is now engaged in the elaboration of the feasibility study and a general masterplan for the valorization of the entire bastioned fortress.

The external fortress, that delimits the area of several tens of hectares on which our work will focus, were built between 1617 and 1619. The modernization of the fortress took place between 1791 and 1794 with interventions to external sticks and construction of the side towards the river, in this occasion it was also built a new defensive line between the Citadel and the lower fortress. New interventions to improve and reinforce the external fortress were done in 1820-1840. In Twentieth century many structures were added to the fortress and they still characterize the appearance of the fort, the Citadel and the lower fortress remained out of use for a long time. In 2008 began the reconstruction of some parts of the fortress, in particular the Citadel, involved in a general tourist developement plan. 

Although the fortress (particularly the citadel) has been the object in the last 10 years of many interventions of various type, there are some problems of conservation and security for visitors yet. It's also necessary to consider and work on the entire fortress in order to enhance it.

The project on the Bender fortress is one of the flagship projects of the  European Union Confidence Building Measures Programme (EU-CBM V), funded by the European Union and implemented by UNDP Moldova. The general objective of the program is to increase trust between the two banks of the Nistru river through various activities, including the protection of cultural heritage, providing support to the cultural sector to invest in the future of the country and facilitate conflict resolution.