Low Fortress and Tighina Citadel (Moldova)

The Fortress of Tighina (also called Bender) is located in Moldova in transinistrian region, near the Dniester River, on a slightly elevated position. There's no unanimity on the first foundation of the fortress, but it's quite sure that the Citadel was built between 1538 and 1541 with the conquest by the Ottomans of the city. The lower fortress was probably built from 1584 to improve the defensive conditions of the Citadel. The external fortress with the ramparts 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 teh 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.

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.

Our group was engaged to conduct the technical expertise (architectural survey, diagnostic and archaeological campaign, historical research...), the preliminary project and the detailed project for the conservation and the structural rehabilitation of some elements in critical conditions: the octagonal tower, the water tower, the modern buttress of the lower wall belt, part of the Citadel ruined etc.