Făurit în Dobrogea
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Constanța is the oldest continuously inhabited city on Romanian territory and the heart of Dobrogea. Founded by Greek colonists from Miletus in the 6th century BC under the name Tomis, the city has witnessed more than 2,500 years of unbroken history: Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Genoese, Ottomans and Romanians have all left their mark on its streets.

To see

• Constanța Casino - The Art Nouveau jewel of the seaside, recently restored, on the Black Sea promenade.
• Ovidiu Square and the History Museum - The statue of Ovidius and archaeological collections from Tomis, including the Glykon serpent.
• Roman Mosaic Edifice - Over 700 sq m of ancient mosaic, part of a 4th-century Roman harbour complex.
• Carol I Mosque - Built in 1913 at the wish of King Carol I, with a 47 m minaret and views over the city.

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Tulcea is the city where the Danube Delta begins. Set on seven hills, like Rome, at the bend of the Danube before the river splits into its three branches, the city has for over two millennia been the starting point for the world of waters.

To see

• Independence Monument - On Hora Hill, above the city, with a panorama towards the Danube and the Delta.
• Danube Riverfront - The promenade from which vessels depart for the heart of the Delta.
• Danube Delta Ecotourism Museum Centre - Aquariums and exhibitions about the Delta ecosystem.
• Azizyie Mosque - Mosque from 1863, testimony to the city's Ottoman heritage.

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Medgidia is the city at the heart of the Dobrogean steppe, halfway between the Danube and the sea. The old market town of Karasu ("black water" in Turkish) was refounded in 1856 by Sultan Abdul Medgid I, from whom it takes its name, as a modern city for Tatar refugees from Crimea.

To see

• Abdul Medgid Mosque - Historic monument mosque built at the city's founding, in classic Ottoman style.
• Danube–Black Sea Canal - Canal embankment, a place for walks and fishing.
• Lucian Grigorescu Art Museum - Collection dedicated to the painter born in Medgidia.

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Cernavodă has guarded the Danube crossing towards Dobrogea for millennia. Here, on the hills above the river, stood the ancient fortress of Axiopolis, and in the nearby floodplain the famous statuette "The Thinker of Hamangia" was discovered, one of the best-known pieces of Neolithic art in the world.

To see

• Anghel Saligny Bridge - Engineering monument from 1895, visible from the new A2 motorway road bridge.
• Axiopolis site - Remains of the ancient fortress on Sofia Hill, above the Danube.
• Cernavodă Lock - Kilometre zero of the Danube–Black Sea Canal.

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Mangalia is the successor to the Greek city of Callatis, a Dorian colony founded in the 6th century BC by colonists from Heraclea Pontica. Beneath the modern city lie ancient walls, temples and necropolises, and in 1959 the only tomb with papyrus in Romania was discovered here.

To see

• Callatis Archaeology Museum - Remains of the Greek city, including the famous tomb with papyrus.
• Esmahan Sultan Mosque - The oldest mosque in Romania, built in 1573.
• Mangalia Stud Farm - Purebred Arabian horse breeding farm, with a tradition since 1928.

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Năvodari is one of the youngest cities in Dobrogea, grown from a fishing village once called Caracoium. Today's name, given in 1927, comes from the fishermen's nets pulled ashore between the sea and Lake Tașaul.

To see

• Năvodari / Mamaia Nord Beach - Wide beach with fine sand, among the most popular on the seaside.
• Lake Tașaul - Limans lake with La Ostrov Island, a paradise for anglers.
• Marina Tourist Port - Small-craft port on the Black Sea.

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The city of Ovidiu stands at the gates of Constanța, on the western shore of Lake Siutghiol ("lake of milk" in Turkish). The old village of Canara was renamed in 1930 in honour of the Roman poet Ovidius, exiled at Tomis.

To see

• Ovidiu Island - The islet on Lake Siutghiol, linked to the legend of Ovidius's tomb.
• Lake Siutghiol - The largest limans lake in the area, between Ovidiu and Mamaia.

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Eforie is the resort set on the strip of land between the Black Sea and Lake Techirghiol, famous for its sapropelic mud with therapeutic properties. The name comes from the Bucharest Civil Hospitals Board, which built the first sanatorium here in 1894.

To see

• Lake Techirghiol - Salt lake with therapeutic sapropelic mud, unique in Romania.
• Eforie Nord and Sud Beaches - Wide beaches with fine sand, among the cleanest on the seaside.
• Cold mud baths - The tradition of open-air mud baths, preserved since the 19th century.

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Hârșova watches over the Danube from limestone cliffs, where the river narrows between high banks. The Roman fortress of Carsium, raised by Emperor Trajan in the year 103, controlled here one of the most important fords of the Lower Danube.

To see

• Carsium Fortress - Ruins of the Roman fortress on the Danube bank, with the commander's tower.
• Neolithic tell - Archaeological site over 7,000 years old, among the most important in Europe.
• Hârșova Cliffs - Limestone cliffs above the Danube, a nature reserve.

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Măcin stands at the foot of the oldest mountains in Romania: the Măcin Mountains, formed in the Hercynian orogeny over 300 million years ago. Worn by weather to the height of bare granite hills, they remain a lesson in endurance without spectacle.

To see

• Măcin Mountains National Park - Trails through the Măcin Mountains, the oldest in Romania, with Țuțuiatu peak (467 m).
• Pricopan Ridge - Granite crest with spectacular shapes, such as the Dobrogean Sphinx.
• Arrubium site - Remains of the Roman camp on the Danube.

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Babadag, "father's mountain" in Turkish, is the city set among the forests of the north-Dobrogean hills, beside the lake of the same name. The name comes from the dervish Sari Saltuk Baba, the legendary bringer of Islam to Dobrogea, whose mausoleum stands here.

To see

• Ali Gazi Pașa Mosque - Mosque from 1610, among the oldest in Romania.
• Sari Saltuk Baba Mausoleum - Place of pilgrimage linked to the legendary dervish of Dobrogea.
• Babadag Forest and Lake - Landscape of wooded hills and lake, at the edge of the steppe.

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Sulina is Romania's easternmost city, set where the Sulina branch of the Danube flows into the Black Sea. It has no road access by land: you can only reach it by boat, on the river, as a hundred years ago.

To see

• Old Lighthouse of the European Commission - The 1870 lighthouse, now a museum, symbol of the city.
• Sulina Beach - Wild and wide beach, where the Danube meets the sea.
• Maritime Cemetery - Graves of sailors from around the world, testimony to the free-port era.

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