Rîbnița


Rîbnița or Rybnitsa is a city in Moldova, under the administration of the breakaway government of Transnistria. According to the 2004 Census in Transnistria, it has a population of 53,648. Rîbnița is situated in the northern half of Transnistria, on the left bank of the Dniester, and separated from the river by a concrete dam. The city is the seat of the Rîbnița District.

History

Rîbnița was founded in 1628 as a Ruthenian village Rybnytsia, its name meaning "fishery". As early as 1657, Rîbnița was mentioned in documents as an important town, at the time part of the Kingdom of Poland. Strong Western European influences can be seen in this formerly Polish town. In 1793, Rîbnița passed from Poland to Russia.
On March 17, 1944, during World War II, the Nazis executed almost 400 prisoners, Soviet citizens at Rîbnița.

Economy

Rîbnița is home to Transnistria's largest company, a steel plant which produces more than $500 million worth of exports a year and traditionally has accounted for between 40% to 50% of Transnistria's GDP. Other industries are also present in Rîbnița, including the oldest sugar plant in Transnistria, an alcohol distillery, and a cement factory. The city has a large railway station and a river port, as well as a supermarket, "Sheriff".

People and culture

Central Rîbnița has tall buildings and an active city life. There is a popular park near the town reservoir, and many historical and architectural monuments in the town and its surrounding areas. The main street in the town is Victory Street.
river

Demographics

In 1970, Rîbnița had a population of 32,400 people, in 1989 it had a population of 61,352. According to the 2004 Census in Transnistria, the city had 53,648 inhabitants, including 11,235 Moldovans, 24,898 Ukrainians, 11,738 Russians, 480 Poles, 328 Belarusians, 220 Bulgarians, 166 Jews, 106 Germans, 96 Gagauzians, 71 Armenians, 38 Roma, and 4245 others and non-declared.

Religion

Rîbnița has three places of worship located right next to each other: a Catholic church, an Orthodox church, and a synagogue.

Sport

is the city's professional football club, playing in the top Moldovan football league, the Divizia Naţională.

Notable people

Twin towns — Sister cities

Rîbnița is twinned with: