Rîbnița

Rîbnița

Rîbnița's skyline as view from over the Dniester river

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Rîbnița
Coordinates: 47°46′N 29°0′E / 47.767°N 29.000°E / 47.767; 29.000
Country De jure internationally recognised as part of  Moldova
De facto administered by the unrecognised Transnistria Transnistria
Founded 1628
Government
 • Head of the State Administration of the Rybnitsa Raion and the Rybnitsa City Alla Demyanova[1]
Population (2014)
 • Total 47,949
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
Climate Dfb

Rîbnița (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈrɨbnit͡sa]; also spelled Râbnița; Moldovan Cyrillic and Russian: Ры́бница, Rybnitsa; Ukrainian: Ри́бниця, Rybnytsia or Rybnytsya; Yiddish: ריבניץ‎, Ribnitz; Polish: Rybnica) 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. Rîbniţa 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

Historical affiliations

Kingdom of Poland 1628-1672
Ottoman Empire 1672-1699
Kingdom of Poland 1699-1793
 Russian Empire 1793-1917
Russia Russian Republic 1917
Ukraine Ukrainian People's Republic 1917-1919
Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic 1919-1924
Moldavian Autonomous Oblast 1924
Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic 1924-1940
Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic 1940-1941
Romania Transnistria Governorate 1941-1944
Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic 1944-1991
 Moldova/ Transnistria 1991-present

Rîbnița was founded in 1628 as a Ruthenian village Rybnytsia, its name meaning "fishery" (from рꙑба, "fish"). 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 WWII, the Nazis executed almost 400 prisoners, Soviet citizens at Rîbniţa.

Economy

Rîbnița is home to Transnistria's largest[2][3] 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 (founded in 1898), 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.

Rîbnița as seen from across the Dniester 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,[4] including 11,263 Moldovans (Romanians), 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

FC Iskra-Stal Rîbnița is the city's professional football club, playing in the top Moldovan football league, the Divizia Naţională.

Notable people

A shopping mall in Rîbnița

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Rîbnița is twinned with:

References

Notes

External links

Coordinates: 47°46′N 29°0′E / 47.767°N 29.000°E / 47.767; 29.000

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, March 31, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.