Bendery Fortress

This large star-shaped fortress on the bank of the Dniester was built in the sixteenth century by Ottoman engineers to guard a strategic river crossing on a contested frontier. Its earthworks, bastions and stone gates enclose a citadel that changed hands repeatedly between empires over the following centuries. Much of the fortification survives, and parts are open as a museum with exhibits on the armies that held it. Visitors walk the ramparts for views over the valley.