Medgidia
Mecidiye · Medgidia med-gi-di-a
Heart of the Dobrogean steppe, the city of Abdul Medgid.
Back to the Dobruja pageAbout the town
Medgidia, in brief
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.
Its strategic position made Medgidia a commercial and railway hub, and in the 20th century a cement industry centre. The Danube–Black Sea Canal, which passes through the city, restored its role as a crossroads of Dobrogean roads.
Medgidia remains one of the most important centres of the Turkic-Tatar community in Romania, with a monumental mosque and living traditions. It is the kind of hardworking, unpretentious city that inspires the way we work.
The station is the hub between Constanța and the rest of the country: the line from Cernavodă passes here. Around you is plateau, not coast. In autumn you visit for the mosque, canal and museum, not the sea.
History
Medgidia through time
The moments that shaped the town, from the first settlements to today.
Karasu market town
On the site of the city the Ottoman market of Karasu operates, a stop on the road to Constanța.
Refounding
Sultan Abdul Medgid I founds the modern city for Tatars fleeing Crimea.
Railway
The Cernavodă–Constanța line, the first in Dobrogea, passes through Medgidia.
City of cement
The cement factory transforms Medgidia into a regional industrial centre.
Danube–Black Sea Canal
The navigable canal passes through the city, linking Cernavodă to Constanța port.
To see
What to see in Medgidia
Abdul Medgid Mosque
Historic monument mosque built at the city's founding, in classic Ottoman style.
Built together with the city at the order of Sultan Abdul Medgid I, the mosque is Medgidia's most important monument: ashlar stone, an elegant minaret and a quiet courtyard. It remains the heart of the Turkic-Tatar community, one of the largest in Romania.
The Sultan refounds the city and orders the mosque to be built.
The place of worship is completed in classic Ottoman style.
Historic monument and active mosque of the community.
Danube–Black Sea Canal
Canal embankment, a place for walks and fishing.
The 64 km canal between Cernavodă and Agigea passes right through Medgidia and shortens the route of vessels to Constanța port by nearly 400 km. The landscaped embankment along it is the city's promenade and fishing spot.
First attempt at construction, halted in 1953.
The canal is inaugurated on the present route, through Medgidia.
One of Europe's most important waterways.
Lucian Grigorescu Art Museum
Collection dedicated to the painter born in Medgidia.
The museum bears the name of post-impressionist painter Lucian Grigorescu (1894–1965), the city's son, nicknamed "the most French of Romanian painters" for the Mediterranean light of his canvases. The collection brings together modern Romanian painting.
Painter Lucian Grigorescu is born in Medgidia.
The artist dies in Bucharest, corresponding member of the Academy.
The museum in the city centre bears his name and holds his work.
Map
Landmarks on the map
Pins open the place sheets for Medgidia.
Explore the region
Other towns in Dobruja
Corector de sat
Dacă știi că un fapt de pe pagina asta e greșit, scrie-l. Redacția publică doar după verificare. Nu e chat.
Software rooted in these places
From the region of Medgidia we build four free apps: iShopSync, Gym, iMemory and Daunomania.
See our apps