Tiraspol facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tiraspol Тираспол · Тирасполь
Municipality
City Hall, Church of the Nativity, Statue of Lenin, Stalinist Palace of Culture, Sheriff supermarket, city trolleybus, Suvorov Square
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: "Be glorious, our city!" Гимн Тирасполя [ru]
Tiraspol Location in Transnistria Show map of Transnistria Tiraspol Location in Moldova Show map of Moldova Tiraspol Location in Europe Show map of Europe
Country (de jure)	Moldova
Country (de facto)	Transnistria
Area
• Total	55.56 km2 (21.45 sq mi)
Elevation	26 m (85 ft)
Population  (2018)
• Total	128,600
Area code(s)	+ 373 533

Tiraspol is the capital and largest city of Transnistria. Transnistria is a region that has declared itself independent from Moldova. Tiraspol is located on the eastern side of the Dniester River. It is an important center for culture, business, tourism, and making things like furniture and electrical goods.

The city we know today was started by a Russian general named Alexander Suvorov in 1792. However, people had lived in this area for thousands of years before that. Tiraspol celebrates its birthday every year on October 14.

What's in a Name?

The name Tiraspol comes from two old Greek words. "Tyras" was the ancient name for the Dniester River, and "polis" means "city." So, Tiraspol means "city on the Dniester."

A Look Back in Time

Ancient Times

Long ago, around 600 BCE, there was a Greek settlement called Tyras near the Dniester River. It wasn't very important at first. Later, local kings ruled it. Around 50 BCE, a group called the Thracian Getae destroyed it.

In 56 AD, the Romans rebuilt the city. It became part of a Roman province. Coins from this time show Roman emperors. The city was destroyed again by the Goths. People in Tyras traded wheat, wine, and fish. Not many ancient buildings remain because a large medieval fortress was built over the old city site. During the Middle Ages, the area was a meeting point for Tatars and Moldavians.

How Russia Founded the City

The Russian Empire expanded and reached the Dniester River. In 1792, the Russian army built forts to protect its western border. These forts were near a Moldavian village. Field Marshal Alexander Suvorov is seen as the founder of modern Tiraspol. His statue is a famous landmark in the city.

In 1828, the Russian government set up a customs house in Tiraspol. This was to stop smuggling. Workers there checked goods like bread, paper, oil, wine, and fruit.

Tiraspol in Soviet Times

Tiraspol in 1941

After the Russian Revolution, the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (MASSR) was formed in Ukraine in 1924. Its official languages were Romanian, Ukrainian, and Russian. In 1929, Tiraspol became the capital of the MASSR. It remained the capital until 1940.

In 1940, the USSR took over Bessarabia from Romania. Tiraspol then became part of the new Moldavian SSR. In August 1941, during World War II, Romanian troops took control of the city. During this time, many Jewish people in Tiraspol were killed or sent away to be killed.

Soviet MiG-19 monument in Tiraspol

In 1941, a newspaper called Dnestrovskaya Pravda was started in Tiraspol. It is the oldest newspaper in the region. On April 12, 1944, the Soviet army took the city back. Tiraspol once again became part of the Moldavian SSR.

After Independence

Heroes memorial in Tiraspol (2012)

On January 27, 1990, people in Tiraspol voted to declare the city an independent area. The nearby city of Bendery also declared its independence from Moldova. People who spoke Russian wanted independence, and some local governments joined together to resist the Moldovan government.

A trolleybus in Tiraspol painted in the colours of the Transnistrian flag

On September 2, 1990, Tiraspol was named the capital of the new Pridnestrovian Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic. This new republic was not officially recognized by the Soviet Union. After the Soviet Union broke up, the area east of the Dniester River declared itself the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR). Tiraspol became its capital. Most countries in the world do not recognize this as an independent country.

In 2005, a high school that taught in Romanian was officially registered in Transnistria. For years, there had been talks about registering Romanian language schools. In 2004, authorities in Transnistria closed schools that used the Latin alphabet for Romanian. They said "Moldovan," written in the Cyrillic alphabet, was one of the official languages, but Romanian was not. This caused some disagreements.

There have been some serious incidents in Tiraspol. In 2006, an explosion in a minibus sadly caused several deaths. Another time, an explosion on a trolleybus led to more deaths and injuries.

In April 2022, during the conflict in Ukraine, there were reports of explosions near a government building in Tiraspol. Firefighters arrived, but no one was hurt. In March 2024, a helicopter at a military base was damaged. Authorities investigated, and while some claimed it was a drone attack, others suggested it was caused by different factors, possibly explosives placed nearby. No one was hurt.

Geography and Weather

Tiraspol has a climate that is mostly continental, meaning it has warm summers and cold winters. In July and August, the average temperature is around 21°C. In January, the coldest month, the average temperature is about -2.7°C.

Rainfall is spread out through the year, but there is more rain in June and July. Tiraspol gets about 500 millimeters of rain each year.

People of Tiraspol

Russian Orthodox church on Shevchenko Street

Population Numbers

In 1989, about 190,000 people lived in Tiraspol. By 1992, this number grew to about 203,000. At that time, 41% of the people were Russians, 32% were Ukrainians, and 18% were Moldovans (Romanians).

Because of the political changes and economic situation after Transnistria declared independence, the city's population dropped. In 2004, the population was 158,069.

Here's how the population was made up by native language in 1897:

In 1926, the people living in Tiraspol were grouped by their ethnic background like this:

According to the Soviet count in 1939, Tiraspol had 43,676 people:

Here's the breakdown by ethnic group in 2004:

Religion

Tiraspol used to have its own Roman Catholic area, but it was later combined with another one in Russia.

Culture and Landmarks

Tiraspol Drama Theater

Victory day in Tiraspol, 2017

A statue of Alexander Suvorov was put up in the main square in 1979. It honored his 250th birthday. In front of the Transnistrian Government building, there is a statue of Vladimir Lenin. On the other side of the main square, there is a monument area with a Soviet T-34 tank. This tank remembers the Soviet victory in World War II. There is also an eternal flame for those who died defending the city. Other monuments honor more recent conflicts.

Sports in Tiraspol

Sheriff Arena

Tiraspol has two main football (soccer) clubs: Sheriff Tiraspol and FC Tiraspol. Sheriff Tiraspol is very successful in Moldova, winning many league titles and cups. They even famously beat Real Madrid in a Champions League game in 2021! Tiraspol is home to the Sheriff Stadium, which is the biggest stadium in the region. It can hold 14,300 people.

Cities Tiraspol is Connected To

Tiraspol has "twin towns" or "sister cities" around the world. This means they have special friendly relationships.

Famous People from Tiraspol

Mikhail Larionov, 1917

Sergey Stepanov, 2010

Many interesting people were born or lived in Tiraspol, including:

• Nikolay Zelinsky (1861–1953) – A chemist who invented the first gas mask with activated charcoal.
• Georgi Stamatov (1869–1942) – A Bulgarian writer.
• Mikhail Larionov (1881–1964) – A Russian painter known for his unique art style.
• Larisa Eryomina (born 1950) – An actress in Soviet films.
• Vlad Stashevsky (born 1974) – A Russian pop singer.
• Berenika Glixman (born 1984) – An Israeli classical pianist.
• Sergey Stepanov (born 1984) – A musician and composer, famous as "Epic Sax Guy" from the band SunStroke Project.
• Valeria Lukyanova (born 1985) – A Ukrainian model known for looking like a Barbie doll.

Sports Stars

• Larisa Popova (born 1957) – A Moldovan rower who competed for the Soviet Union in the Olympics.
• Igor Samoilenco (born 1977) – A retired boxer from Moldova.
• Andrei Mihailov (born 1980) – A former swimmer who competed in the Olympics.
• Artur Dalaloyan (born 1996) – A Russian artistic gymnast.

Images for kids

• Pлан Тираспольской крепости 1856.jpg

  Plan of the Tiraspol Fortress from 1856

• Sign at the entrance to Tiraspol.JPG

  Sign at the entrance to Tiraspol

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  The statue of Alexander Suvorov at Suvorov Square

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  A street in central Tiraspol

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  The Victory Park

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  The Dnestr river passing through Tiraspol

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  The statue of Lenin in front of the parliament building

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  Street scene in Tiraspol

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  The House of Soviets

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  Young man on a Soviet-era tank in Tiraspol

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  Tiraspol

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  War memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

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  Part of the Tiraspol city centre

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  View along the Dniester river in Tiraspol

See also

In Spanish: Tiráspol para niños