“It’s a beautiful country, it is calm and safe. It has its own unique rhythm of time. A state where they take care of history, which is fascinating in itself. Something new always appears, and you want to come back here,” this is what foreign guests say about Pridnestrovie. Travelers from Europe, America, and Asia note that interest in our country is only growing. If earlier people came to Bendery and Tiraspol to look at the mythical “fragment of the Soviet Union,” now this stereotype, formed by a lack of information, gives way to the desire to feel the special atmosphere of Pridnestrovie, to get to know better a country that is developing even in the absence of international recognition of its political independence. Among the tourists are not only travel enthusiasts, but also professional photographers, bloggers, and documentary film producers.
Dean O'Brien from the UK is a freelance photographer and documentarian. He is passionate about the history of the Soviet Union and has been traveling around the former Soviet republics for many years. Two years ago, he visited Pridnestrovie for the first time and was pleasantly surprised: what he saw destroyed his stereotypes.
“I heard a lot about your country, but I didn’t know if I would be able to come here. There were a lot of rumors about the checkpoint, that they might not let us through. I didn't know how it would go, but I did come here two years ago and it was great. I stayed here for a week...I have a friend Vlad, with him we traveled all over the north and all over the south of Pridnestrovie. I lived with his family, we gathered at the table together. They have their own grapes and everything they put out in front of them, they produce themselves. You can’t try this in England,” says Dean, noting the pleasant way of life in Pridnestrovie.
The British man is impressed by how carefully people in Pridnestrovie treat their history: “Here, even in small villages, there are monuments dedicated to the memory of those killed in the Second World War. And they are all very well-groomed, with flowers planted around them. I really liked it."
Dean O'Brien also notes the special atmosphere of Pridnestrovie, comparing it with other countries: “There is a special rhythm here, unperturbed. It's difficult to describe in words. When you walk down the street, you feel that no one is nervous or stressed. I've traveled a lot around the world, but I've never felt this way anywhere. Real peace of mind. In England we are always in a hurry to get somewhere. We don’t have time to enjoy life, you know?”
In his photographs, Dean wants to convey meanings that he personally felt: a country where representatives of different nations live in peace, has preserved historical symbols of different eras and a vivid multinational culture. The photographer believes that it is needed to tell more about Pridnestrovie.
“I want to show people that they can easily come here. Many people think that it is impossible to come here, but this is not so. The plane ticket to Chisinau is quite cheap, and a taxi from the airport costs only $35, that is cheap. You can come here even for the holiday, there’s a lot to do,” Dean O’Brien says.
Dean's compatriot, blogger Pete Evans, has already traveled to more than a hundred countries. He recently visited Pridnestrovie, and he plans to tell about it to millions of subscribers on his TikTok.
“The first time I heard about Pridnestrovie was when I was on a walking tour in South Ossetia. Since then I dreamed of coming here and seeing everything with my own eyes,” Pete says.
The blogger will become the hero of a documentary film from Germany. Director Denis Pavlovich and cameraman Michael Tron have launched a large-scale project about Pridnestrovie, in which they plan to tell European residents about interesting places and events in our country.
“This film will only be about Pridnestrovie. The fact that you have your own country makes it special. For an international audience, the fact that you have chosen this path is important,” Denis Pavlovich says.
He came to Pridnestrovie for the fifth time: “This is a very beautiful country where beautiful people live,” Denis says.
“I am very interested in Soviet history, and I really like that you have preserved all the monuments. I'm also a bigger fan of the Sheriff club. I really like that you have a football club here. It's really cool. I love watching your progress. What is happening here is very interesting,” a German of Croatian origin said.
Denis Pavlovich said that the documentary film about Pridnestrovie will be dedicated to tourist attractions. Through the eyes of a foreign tourist, the authors will show interesting places, a walk around Tiraspol, talk about hotels, excursions and other details that will be of interest to Europeans.
“We filmed a wonderful tour of the city center with the participation of a girl from Poland and her son. We filmed a classic tour with Pete Evans. Apart from tourism, we want to show people's daily live,” the director said.
According to him, work on a film about Pridnestrovie is planned to be completed in 2026. The creative team will come to Tiraspol every season to convey all the shades of nature and the atmosphere of our country. Denis Pavlovich hopes that the film will be shown at European festivals in Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Leipzig.
