Transnistria - Rybnitsa

View of Rybnitsa city in Northern Transnistria.

Sent by Jaroslav from Rybnitsa, Transnistria.

This is from Wikipedia : Rîbniţa, also spelled Râbniţa (Romanian: Rîbniţa, Râbniţa, Ukrainian: Рибниця, Russian: Рыбница, Rybnitsa) is a city in Transnistria, Moldova. 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 Rîbniţa sub-district.

Rîbniţa was founded in 1628 as a Moldavian village. As early as 1657, Rîbniţa 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, Rîbniţa passed from Poland to Russia.

Rîbniţa 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 Rîbniţa, 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".