Dubăsari

Dubăsari (Дубоссары, sometimes Dubossary in English) is a city in Transnistria, Moldova, with a population of 28,500. The city is currently under the administration of the breakaway government of the Transnistrian Moldovan Republic, and functions as the seat of the Dubăsari sub-district, Transnistria, Moldova.

Name

The origin of the name of the town is the plural form of the Romanian archaic word dubăsar ("boatman"), a derivative of dubă ("a small wooden boat"). As a result, "Dubăsari" means literally "boatmen".

History

Dubăsari is the site of one of the oldest settlements in Moldova and Transnistrian region. Stone age artifacts have been found in the area, and there are several Scythian kurgans around the city. First mentions of modern Dubăsari date to the beginning of the 16th century, as a fair populated by Moldavian peasants. The settlement became part of the Russian Empire in 1792, and was granted city status in 1795.

In 1924-1940, Dubăsari was part of the Moldavian ASSR. The town was heavily industrialized during the pre-WWII period. In 1940, it became part of the Moldavian SSR. On 27 June 1941, in the course of World War II, the town was occupied by German and Romanian troops. It was liberated by Soviet forces in the summer of 1944.

In 1951-1954, the Dubăsari dam, and a 48 MW hydroelectric power plant Dubossarskaya GES was constructed.

Dubăsari and its suburbs were the site of major conflict during 1990-1992, that eventually degenerated in the War of Transnistria (1992). Since then, it is controlled by the breakaway administration of Transnistria.

The city's economy was significantly damaged during the war in 1992.

Unlike other cities on the left bank of the Dniester (Nistru) River, Dubăsari is one of the two cities (along with Grigoriopol) with an ethnic Moldavian majority (exceeding 50%), while Ukrainians and Russians represent large minorities.

Notable natives

• Vasile Iovv, Moldovan politician, adjunct of the prime minister of the Republic of Moldova
• Vlad Grecu, a Moldovan writer

References

External links

• Site of city of Dubossary
• Visit Dubossary (in English)

• Dubăsari (in Romanian)