Currency of Transnistria 25 Transnistrian ruble banknote 2007
Transnistrian Republican Bank
Obverse: Portrait of Alexander Suvorov, Generalissimo of the Russian Empire.
Reverse: Bendery Fortress & Memorial to Russian Warriors.
Dimensions: 129 x 56 mm.
Predominant color: vinous and crimson, shades of green and pink at the center.
Issued in 2000.
Transnistrian paper money - Banknotes of Transnistria
2000-2015 Issue
Alexander Suvorov
Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov (Алекса́ндр Васи́льевич Суво́ров, or Aleksandr Vasil‘evich Suvorov; 24 November [O.S. 13 November] 1729 or 1730 – 18 May [O.S. 6 May] 1800), Count Suvorov of Rymnik (граф Рымникский), Prince of Italy (князь Италийский), Count of the Holy Roman Empire, national hero of Russia, was the last Generalissimo of the Russian Empire.
Suvorov is one of the few generals in history who never lost a battle, being undefeated in over 60 large battles while frequently having numerical disadvantage. He was famed for his military manual The Science of Victory and noted for several of his sayings, including "What is difficult in training will become easy in a battle," "The bullet is a mad thing; only the bayonet knows what it is about," and "Perish yourself but rescue your comrade!" He taught his soldiers to attack instantly and decisively: "Attack with the cold steel! Push hard with the bayonet!" He joked with the men, calling common soldiers "brother," and shrewdly presented the results of detailed planning and careful strategy as the work of inspiration.
Bendery Fortress - Tighina Fortress
Tighina fortress was built in one the most powerful of the medieval cities of Moldova – Tighina, which was an important trade outpost. Originally built as a small wooden fort by Stefan cel Mare, it was fortified with stone during Petru Rares’ rule, just was Soroca fortress.
In 1538, the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent conquered the town, and renamed it Bender. Its fortifications were developed into a full fortress under the same name under the supervision of the Turkish architect Koji Mimar Sinan. The Ottomans used it to keep the pressure on Moldavia.
In the 18th century, the fort's area was expanded and modernized by the prince of Moldavia Antioh Cantemir, who carried out these works under Ottoman supervision.
In 1713, the fortress, the town, and the neighboring village Varniţa were the site of skirmishes between Charles XII of Sweden, who had taken refuge there with the Cossack Hetman Ivan Mazepa after his defeat in the Battle of Poltava, and Turks who wished to enforce the departure of the Swedish king. During the second half of the 18th century, the fortress fell three times to the Russians during the Russo-Turkish Wars (in 1770, 1789, and in 1806 without a fight).
Bender Fortress is an architectural ensemble of irregular quadrilateral plan, surrounded by wide walls, 2-3 meters thick, made of limestone and brick. The fortress has 10 artillery bastions at the corners, 11 towers, and 6 gates. It is surrounded by a moat of stone. After the last battle of the Russo–Turkish War, in 1806 the city was acquired by the imperial Russian military authorities, becoming “legitimate” master here in 1812, after the occupation of Bessarabia.
Riding a cannon-ball
One spring an inhabitant of the country Parkany on the left side of the Dniester against the fortress, found a cannon-ball, digging in his kitchen-garden. Perhaps it belonged to the baron Munchausen. His name is known to become the synonym of the great liar. Meanwhile the history witnesses for him. He was not a fairy-tale, but a real man. The officer of cuirassier regiment Ieronim Karl Frederic von Munchausen served in the Russian army. In April 1738 he arrived on the left bank of the Dniester together with the troops under the Field-Marshal von Minich. The commander had a great desire to conquer the Bendery fortress. He needed scouts. Munchausen was ready to serve. His scouting is described in his world-famous book. Only imagine: the officer flew to the fortress on a cannon-ball. On the one hand his travelling was a myth, on the other hand - the truth. Read the recollections by Munchausen.