Suvorov Square (Tiraspol)

Suvorov Square
Native name	Площадь Суворова (Russian)
Former name(s)	Constitution Square
Type	Square
Maintained by	City of Tiraspol
Area	13,150 square meters
Location	Tiraspol, Transnistria
Other
Known for	The Central square of Tiraspol

Suvorov Square (Russian: Площадь Суворова) is the main square in Tiraspol, capital city of the partially recognized country of Transnistria.^[1] It is located between Red Alley and Shevchenko Street.^[2] It is named after the founder of Tiraspol Alexander Suvorov. It is surrounded by the Memorial of Glory, the building of the Supreme Council of Transnistria, the Palace of children and teenagers, the monument to Suvorov, and the De Volan Square.^[3]

History[]

The square as it is understood was formed at the end of the 18th century, almost immediately after Tiraspol gained the status of a city and a district center. In 1798, in the area of the current City Palace of Culture, a wooden Pokrovskaya single-faith church was built. At the beginning of the 19th century, a stone church was built in a new place (GDK square). In place of the central part of Suvorov Square, a bridge was built across the river that flows into the Dniester. The bridge connected the western and eastern parts of the city and existed until the reconstruction of the center of Tiraspol in the 1970s.

In 1912, at the entrance to the bridge, on the west side, a Arc de Triomphe was installed in honor of the 100th anniversary of the victory in the Patriotic War. A chapel-monument to Tsar Alexander II was erected n Pokrovskaya Square. In Soviet times, Pokrovskaya Square was renamed the Stalin Constitution Square,^[4] and later the Square of the Soviet Constitution.^[5] Since the 1970s, the square began to take on recognizable features: the majestic Memorial of Glory was built and in 1979 an equestrian monument to Suvorov was erected, which became the symbol of the city. In 1992, in connection with the celebration of the 200th anniversary of Tiraspol and to commemorate the special role commander Alexander Suvorov had in the founding of the city, the square acquired its current name.^[6] In the 2000s, the appearance of Suvorov Square was significantly updated. In 2010, the Glory Memorial located in the southwestern part of the square was reconstructed.^[7]

On 9 September 2013, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow addressed the people of Transnistria from the square.^[8] On 7 November 1967, the day of the golden jubilee anniversary of the October Revolution, a capsule was placed in the rostrum on the main square of the city with a message to descendants, which was supposed to open in 2017. However, the capsule was taken out in 2012 during the reconstruction of the square and stored in the city museum. The tribune itself is the former porch of the Intercession Church, which was destroyed in 1934, and since 1935, mass events have been held on the square.^[9]^[10] In April 2014, the square underwent reconstruction, it was expanded from Naberezhny Lane to Shevchenko Street.^[11]

2008 flood[]

In July–August 2008, Suvorov's area was in a flood zone caused by severe flooding — a rise in the water level in the Dniester River above a critical level. The square named after De Volan, the carriageway adjacent to the square Naberezhny Lane and cafe was flooded.^[12] Within three weeks, Suvorov Square was blocked for pedestrians and traffic,^[13] becoming the object of increased curiosity of tourists and citizens.

Notability[]

Events[]

A military parade on the square in 2018.

Parades on the square are held on May 9 and September 2 which celebrates Victory Day and the Independence Day of Transnistria. The first one in the republic's history took place on the third anniversary in 1993.^[14] Political rallies, festivals, exhibitions and competitions are also held on the square.

Landmarks[]

A decommissioned T-34 tank, as part of the Memorial of Glory.

Monument to Alexander Suvorov
Monument to Franz De Volan
Monument to Catherine II the Great
Monument to Valentina Solovyova
Monument to Viktor Sinev
Memorial of Glory
Palace of Pioneers in the former USSR (now the Palace of Children youthful creativity)^[15]
Tiraspol Cinema and Concert Complex^[16]