Rîbnița
Rîbniţa | |
|---|---|
 Rîbniţa's skyline over the Dniester river | |
 | |
| Country | Moldova |
| Autonomous Region | Transnistria |
| Founded | 1628 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor |
| Population (2004) | |
• Total | 56,988 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
Rîbniţa, also spelled Râbniţa (Template:Lang-ro, Template:Lang-ru) is a city in Transnistria, Moldova. According to the 2004 Census in Transnistria, it has a population of 53,648. Rîbniţa is located on the Dniester river, in the northern half of Transnistria. The city is the seat of the Rîbniţa sub-district.
Rîbniţa was founded in 1628 as a Moldavian village.[citation needed] As early as 1657, Rîbniţa was mentioned in documents as an important town, at the time part of the Polish Kingdom.[citation needed] Strong Western European influences can be seen in this formerly Polish town. In 1793, Rîbniţa passed from Poland to Russia.
The city is situated on the left bank of the Dniester, and separated from the river by a concrete dam. There is a large reservoir near the town.
Rîbniţa is home to Transnistria's largest[1][2] 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.[citation needed] Other industries are also present in Rîbniţa, including the oldest sugar plant in Transnistria (founded in 1898), an alcohol distillery, and a cement factory.
Downtown Rîbniţa has tall buildings and an active city life. It has a large railway station and a river port, as well as a popular park near the reservoir. There are many historical and architectural monuments in the town and its surrounding areas. The main street in the town is the Victory Street. The town has a supermarket, "Sheriff".
In 1970, Rîbniţa 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,[3] including 11,263 Moldovans (Romanians), 24,898 Ukrainians, 11,738 Russians, 480 Poles, 328 Belarussians, 220 Bulgarians, 166 Jews, 106 Germans, 96 Gagauzians, 71 Armenians, 38 Gypsies, and 4245 others and non-decalred.
Rîbniţa has three places of worship located right next to each other: a Catholic church, an Orthodox church, and a synagogue.
