The venue for the beginning of festive events has not been chosen by chance since it is right here where the foundations of the Tiraspol Fortress were laid, which actually started the history of the Pridnestrovian capital.
During a mini-performance Alexander Suvorov, Catherine II, France de Volant recalled the present day city residents that Tiraspol had been established as an outpost of the Russian Empire to protect its southern frontiers.
«If in the past we had to defend ourselves from the Turkish janissaries, today these are instigators like Saakashvili we must not admit to our land," said the first deputy chairman of Tiraspol's city council, Valeriy Zemlyakov.
It was emphasised during the rally: Tiraspol had changed beyond recognition in the past two centuries and, despite many difficulties, was changing for the better.
«It has been transforming into a European tidy and attractive city, and our guests who were last here a long ago do not recognise it," said Valeriy Zemlyakov.
«First of all, we have been pursuing the course of action adopted in 2012. This year we have replaced windows in all kindergartens, and, thanks to the presidential programme, proceeded to schools. First we had seven schools, then two more schools were added up, that is repair works are under way in nine schools — almost 50% of all schools in Tiraspol," said Andrey Bezbabchenko, head of Tiraspol, in an interview.
He also underscored that special attention had been given in the past three years to sports development, there had been considerable investments in the infrastructure.
«I think everyone knows the sport facilities that have been opened in Tiraspol — archery hall and special gym equipped with a trampoline and a lane for practising acrobatics and gymnastics. In this respect we want to achieve a 1970s record: back then Tiraspol was among top 10 sport cities in its nomination. This is encouraging, and this is what we have to strive for. It is the first time when we already have five Olympic licenses, and this shows that the city has created conditions for the development of sports," said the head of the State Administration.
Andrey Bezbabchenko also remarked how the city had changed in the past several years.
«We have several funding lines: one — from budgets at different levels, another — from humanitarian sources. Unfortunately, due to budgetary constraints, we have cut down these expenses, allocating money only for the most necessary budget items. However, we'll continue working on the humanitarian line, focusing on the social sphere," he said.
