A statue of Lenin gathers snow during winter in a park in Pridnestrovie. Even though the country gained independence in 1990, following the break-up of the Soviet Union, the residents of the country did not tumble the occasional Lenin statue which is still on display here and there. Today, communism is a thing of the past and this new European country has embraced a free market-based economy. But even so, Pridnestrovie does not deny that it has a past and a history which is part of the common identity of the country; for better or worse.