Dubossary was founded at the end of the 17th century. Defending the border of old Europe against the Muslims on the Moldovan side, Dubossary was one of the fortress towns on the Dniester River.

The fortress town Dubossary is located on the banks of the Dniester River, on what was in the past a main transport artery equal in importance to the Danube.

The Dniester river served as the main "highway" for the many surrounding towns and villages like Tiraspol, Grigoriopol, Rybnitsa, Rashkov, Yogarlik, Zvanitz and Kamenka. Ships, steamboats and barges sailed back and forth laden with wheat, produce and lumber. And because the river is navigable all the way into the Black Sea, even oceangoing goods were also ferried that way and a fortress was needed to protect the trade from the enemies of what was then — and still is now — the river that marked the border between two separate countries. This fortress became Dubossary.

Dubossary in the past ...
What was life like back then? There was a big wooden bridge that united the two sides of the Dniester (the bridge lasted until World War II, when invading Romanian forces, backed by Nazi Germany, burnt it down). There was also a ferry that went back and forth between the two banks of the river. During the entire day the bridge and the ferry buzzed with activity. Peasants from the surrounding villages would pile on to the ferry with their wagons, sheep and cattle, travelling from one side to the other and trading on this international frontier. Dubossary was surrounded on three sides by villages, south, north and east and they contributed greatly to the economy of the town. The earth was fertile and there was a daily parade of farmers bringing the blessings of the earth to market: dairy products, honey, chickens, grapes, apples, pears, plums and an abundance of other fruits.

Literally, the land around Dubossary flowed with milk and honey. It still does. In the days of fortress and trading port, Dubossary earned a reputation for fine wines and quality fruit which reached North to Poland, Lithuania and Russia; countries which the city formed part of over time.

... and today
Today, Dubossary is an important part of Pridnestrovie and is located approximately in the middle of the republic. Two thirds of its inhabitants are Slavs, with a minority (approximately one third) of ethnic Moldavians. Today, apart from trade, Dubossary is also an industrial center. In 1955 a Hydro-electric power station and a reservoir were built here. It produces electricity which is exported to both of its neighboring countries, Moldova and Ukraine. It is open to the public for daily tours.

Dubossary suffered devastating damage in Moldova's 1992 invasion. It was the center of some of the heaviest fighting, and its inhabitants defended Pridnestrovie at great personal loss. After fighting off the invaders, it took years for the city to rebuild from the ruins. Today, memorials can still be seen around the city, honoring those who gave up their life in the fight for freedom.