We Visited the Country That Doesn’t Exist! (PMR)

We Visited the Country That Doesn’t Exist! (PMR)

We spent a day in Transnistria, a little known self-declared republic 
located between Moldova and Ukraine. It has its own flag, army, 
currency, and even government. Yet, it isn’t recognized as an independent state. In fact, officially, it’s part of Moldova. When we arrived, we spotted what looked 
like Russian troops at the border. That’s not unusual, since Russia 
still supports them – in 2006, a majority of Transnistrians actually 
voted to join the former Soviet Union. You’ll often see both flags flying side by 
side too, showing just how close they are. Anyway, after receiving our visa, we 
were finally in Tiraspol, the capital. Honestly, we were expecting to 
see a city frozen in the 90s. We’d heard so many stories about 
Transnistria being a forgotten Soviet time capsule —cut off from the world, 
no Western brands, barely any internet. Turns out the reality is way more surprising: 
Tiraspol didn’t look very different from any other city in Eastern Europe.
It was extremely clean, with lots of dated architecture, but otherwise it looked 
fairly modern, well-maintained and organized. There’re also Korean beauty shops and 
cinemas showing the latest movies, which suggests Tiraspol is a lot 
more connected than we had assumed. Plus, we saw a ton of Tesla cars for some reason. But as we explored further, we started 
to notice things that set it apart. For instance, most international 
credit cards don’t work here, and we had to exchange currency 
at a local bank to buy anything. Another quirk is that “Sheriff” is everywhere. This company practically runs the 
economy here, owning supermarkets, gas stations, banks, media 
outlets and even property. Many locals appreciate the convenience, 
but some see the company as too powerful. The breakaway state is also 
like a living Soviet museum. Some parts really feel like a place where 
the Soviet era never fully ended – such as this giant mural of the first human in 
space and Russian astronaut, Yuri Gagarin. We started our guided tour at one of 
the city’s most important memorials. It’s dedicated to those who died in 1992, when Moldovan forces clashed 
with Transnistrian separatists. You’ll find an Orthodox chapel, names 
of those who fought for the city, and even a military tank 
that was part of the battle. Memorials like this are common 
in former communist regions, and later in the day we passed 
yet another one in a nearby town. Unlike many ex-Soviet towns, Transnistria 
isn’t shy about embracing its USSR heritage. In front of the Parliament building and the House 
of Soviets, there are statues of Vladimir Lenin. He founded the Soviet Union and influenced 
communist movements around the world. Many places have toppled and destroyed 
their Lenin statues, but not in Tiraspol. There’s even a street named after him here. Another famous local figure is Alexander Suvorov. He can be found on the 1 
Transnistrian ruble banknote, and was an 18th-century Russian 
general who founded Tiraspol in 1792. His statue sits proudly on the main boulevard. Our guide then took us to a little 
bookstore where we could pick up a souvenir. Between magnets of Bruce Lee, Putin, and Stalin, the wife chose Suvorov, 
just to be on the safe side. But Transnistria isn’t all about 
Russia or Soviet nostalgia. Case in point: Outside the main university, there’s 
a statue locals call “Garri Potter”. Officially it’s just a student statue, 
but the owl kinda gives it away… Something we didn’t know before coming here is that many locals don’t really 
like the name ‘Transnistria’. It was mainly used by the Moldovan side, and people prefer the original 
name ‘Pridnestrovie’ or ‘PMR’. So locally using that instead 
shows respect for their identity. Later, our guide buys us a cup of Kvass, a fermented drink made from rye bread, 
then we headed to the Dniester River. We parked our car on a platform, and two men pulled the whole thing 
across the river with a rope. It’s old-school, but it works, and is probably the most eco-friendly 
car river crossing you’ll ever see! We drove from Tiraspol to the village 
of Kitskany, where we stopped at a surprisingly elegant building – complete, 
of course, with another Lenin statue. This is a House of Culture. Back in the Soviet days, places like 
this were the center of community life, hosting everything from 
dance classes to film nights. Today, it still looks to be operating. There’s a small museum on the side which 
managed to fit an impressive amount inside. The docent, who also teaches at a local school, walked us through the exhibits with so much 
enthusiasm it made the place come alive. By the way, Kitskany isn’t just a sleepy 
village, it’s historically significant. The Kitskani Heights memorial marks where, in 1944, Soviet troops launched an attack 
to push Axis forces out during World War II. Featuring the graves of soldiers, it represents the sacrifices made during 
an important time in PMR’s history. Another thing we enjoyed during our trip was 
spotting socialist-realism mosaics and paintings. They preserve and reflect the ideas 
of that era – of hard work, duty, and very traditional roles for men and women. What’s unique is just how many of these artworks 
are still up, compared to other parts of Europe. Next, we visited Noul Neamț, an 
all-male Orthodox monastery near Bender. It’s the largest religious complex 
in PMR with beautiful churches, a lovely bell tower, and a long 
history dating back to 1861. The monastery has four churches, 
but two are the main highlights. The oldest is the Assumption Church, built when monks from Neamț Monastery 
in Romania founded the site. During the Soviet era, it was shut down and 
used as a hospital, only reopening in 1989. The Holy Ascension Cathedral was added later 
as a summer church to accommodate more people. Painted in pink, white, and cream, it almost 
looks like a candy house from the outside. Usually in a site like this, there will be tons 
of tourists. But here, we were the only ones. After a warm and delicious lunch at 
a local restaurant with our guides, we headed to the final stop 
of our trip – Bender Fortress. This is a 16th-century 
citadel on the Dniester River. Built by the Ottomans, it’s seen 
battles between Ottomans, Russians, Moldovans, and others over the centuries. It immediately impressed us with how 
clean and carefully restored it is, nothing like the crumbling ruins we’ve seen 
backpacking around this part of Europe. You can walk along the walls and imagine 
what life was like for soldiers here. Inside, there are small exhibits to explore, and a creepy reconstructed torture chamber that 
shows a darker side of the fortress’s history. The best part is climbing the tower for a 
panoramic view of the city and the Dniester River. Before you go, I wanna say that yes, you 
can definitely explore PMR on your own. However, having a local guide made a big 
difference for us, as we had limited time. Most people here speak Russian, which we don’t, so it felt safer and more comfortable 
to have someone showing us around. It also saved a lot of time 
figuring out where to go, and having a guide meant we got to ask 
questions about what life is really like here. Before visiting the PMR we spent a day in 
Moldova’s capital Chisinau, the least visited European capital. If you’re curious what 
it’s like, click here to watch our video!

This Transnistria travel vlog shares our experience in Transnistria or PMR. It includes the places we visited in Transnistria.

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How I afford to travel on a budget: https://travelforalmostfree.com/ref=tripswithowen

Tour we did in Transnistria: https://pmr-tours.com

Other Top-Rated Tours:

One day tour in Transnistria: https://www.viator.com/tours/Chisinau/One-day-tour-in-Transnistria/d25271-412107P3?pid=P00104625&mcid=42383&medium=link&medium_version=selector&campaign=ytowen-Transnistria

Soviet Era Tour of Transnistria from Chisinau Moldova: https://www.viator.com/tours/Chisinau/Private-Soviet-Era-History-Tour-of-Moldova-from-Chisinau/d25271-16236P2?pid=P00104625&mcid=42383&medium=link&medium_version=selector&campaign=ytowen-Transnistria
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We spent a day in Transnistria, a little known self declared republic between Moldova and Ukraine. It has its own flag, army, currency and government, yet it is not recognized as an independent state. Officially, it is still part of Moldova.

At the border, we even saw what looked like Russian troops. Russia still supports the region, and in 2006 most locals voted to join the former Soviet Union. You can often see both flags flying side by side.

Once we received our visa, we headed into Tiraspol, the capital. We expected a frozen time capsule from the 90s with no Western influence. The reality was very different. The city was clean, calm and organized. Some buildings looked dated, but overall Tiraspol felt surprisingly modern. There were beauty shops, cinemas showing new films and even a lot of Tesla cars.

Still, things felt different once we looked closer. International credit cards usually do not work here, so we had to exchange cash. Another unusual thing is how dominant the company Sheriff is. It owns supermarkets, gas stations, banks, media outlets and more. Some people like the convenience, while others feel it gives the company too much influence.

Soviet symbols are easy to spot. Murals of Yuri Gagarin, statues of Lenin and old memorials fill the city. Our tour started at the Monument to the Defenders of the PMR, which honors those who died in the 1992 conflict with Moldova. Later, we passed another memorial in a nearby town.

We visited the Parliament building and the House of Soviets, both watched over by Lenin statues. Tiraspol is one of the few places where these statues still stand proudly. Nearby is the statue of Alexander Suvorov, the 18th century general who founded the city.

Our guide showed us a small bookstore where we picked up a souvenir, then we passed a quirky statue locals call Garri Potter. We learned that many people here prefer the name Pridnestrovie rather than Transnistria, as it reflects their identity.

We crossed the Dniester River on a simple platform pulled by ropes, then visited a House of Culture in Kitskany with a small museum full of local history. We also stopped at the Kitskani Heights memorial and admired old socialist mosaics.

Next came Noul Neamț Monastery, the largest religious complex in the region. Its churches and tower were peaceful and very well kept. After lunch, we ended the day at Bender Fortress, a 16th century stronghold with towers, exhibits and wide views over the river.

You can visit the PMR on your own, but having a local guide helped us understand the place much better.

Keep watching to see the top things to do in Transnistria, top attractions in Transnistria, places to visit in Transnistria and Transnistria travel guides.

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00:00 – Transnistria
00:37 – Tiraspol
04:10 – Kitskany
06:05 – Noul Neamț Monastery
07:30 – Bender Fortress