| Rîbnița | |
|---|---|
| Rîbniţa's skyline as view from over the Dniester river | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Moldova |
| Autonomous Region | Transnistria |
| Founded | 1628 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Yuriy Mihailovich Platonov |
| Population (2004) | |
| • Total | 56,988 |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
Rîbnița, also spelled Râbnița (Romanian: Rîbnița, Râbnița, Ukrainian: Рибниця Rybnytsia, Russian: Рыбница, Rybnitsa, Polish: Rybnica) is a city in Moldova. The city is under the administration of the breakaway government of the Transnistria. 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 Rîbnița sub-district.
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Rîbnița was founded in 1628 as a Ruthenian village Rybnytsia. As early as 1657, Rîbnița 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, Rîbnița passed from Poland to Russia.
Rîbnița 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. Other industries are also present in Rîbnița, 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".
Downtown Rîbnița has tall buildings and an active city life. There is a popular park near the town reservoir, and many historical and architectural monuments in the town and its surrounding areas. The main street in the town is Victory Street.
In 1970, Rîbnița 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 Belarusians, 220 Bulgarians, 166 Jews, 106 Germans, 96 Gagauzians, 71 Armenians, 38 Roma, and 4245 others and non-declared.
Rîbnița has three places of worship located right next to each other: a Catholic church, an Orthodox church, and a synagogue.
FC Iskra-Stal Rîbnița is the city's professional football club, playing in the top Moldovan football league, the Divizia Naţională.
Rîbnița is twinned with:
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