Dobruja steppe
The land worked with patience, the granary between the Danube and the sea.
Back to the Dobruja pageAbout
Dobruja steppe, in full
Between the Danube and the sea, Dobrogea is mostly a steppe plateau: gentle hills covered with loess, the fine dust brought by the winds during the Ice Age, which gives some of Romania's most fertile soils. Here grow wheat, sunflowers, canola and vineyards stretching from Medgidia to Adamclisi and Ostrov.
The steppe is the landscape of patience. Summers are hot and dry, winters are bitter, and the rains come when they want. For millennia, the people here have learned to work with the land, not against it: the Getae raised horses and grain, the Romans brought the vines and olives, and the Transylvanian Mocans went down with their sheep in transhumance to the sea.
Today the steppe has reinvented itself once again: the wind that has always blown over the plateau now turns the turbines of Fântânele-Cogealac, the largest onshore wind farm in Europe. Hard-earned ground that rewards persistence, not haste - just the way we like to build software.
Timeline
Dobruja steppe through time
From the making of the landscape to today, a timeline.
Loess deposition
The winds deposit over the plateau the layer of fine dust that will become one of the most fertile soils of the country.
The first farmers
Neolithic communities, including the Hamangia culture, work the land and shape the clay of the steppe.
The granary of the cities
Steppe Wheat feeds Histria, Tomis and Callatis; the Romans bring vines to the Dobrogea hills.
Transhumance of the Mocans
Transylvanian shepherds descend with their flocks into the steppe; many settle permanently and change the face of the region.
Modern colonization
After the union with Romania, the steppe is divided, looks and planted; Dobrogea becomes national granary.
Wind energy
At Fântânele-Cogealac, the largest land-based wind farm in Europe is being completed: 240 turbines in full steppe.
To see
Landmarks of the region
Tropaeum Traiani - Adamclisi
The triumphal monument of Traian has watched over the steppe for over 1,900 years.
Built in 109 AD after the victory over the Dacians, the 40 m diameter monument was visible from tens of kilometers, a "sign of power" in the full steppe. The carved metopes tell the story of the battles, and the village museum preserves the originals.
Traian erects the triumphal monument at Adamclisi.
The monument is reconstructed in the visible form today.
The most important Roman monument outside Italy, here.
Vineyard Murfatlar
One of the most famous vineyards in Romania, on the limestone hills of the steppe.
On the limestone hills between Medgidia and Constanța, the Dobrogean sun and the sea breeze ripen the grapes differently than anywhere else in the country. Vine has been cultivated here since the time of the Romans, and the Murfatlar's wineries have made the name of the place a national brand.
The Romanians bring vines to the Dobrogea hills.
The wine resort Murfatlar is established.
One of the most famous Romanian vineyards.
Wind farm Fântânele-Cogealac
The largest onshore wind farm in Europe, with 240 turbines.
The 240 100m high turbines produce power for hundreds of thousands of households using the wind that blows constantly over the Dobrogean plateau. The steppe that fed Romania with wheat now also gives it electricity.
Work begins on the wind farm.
The park is completed: the largest land in Europe.
Keys Dobrogea
Limestone canyon formed by Jurassic reefs, nature reserve in the middle of the steppe.
The limestone walls of the gorges are former coral reefs from the Jurassic Sea 150 million years ago. The reserve is home to Paleolithic inhabited caves, bat colonies and one of the richest steppe floras in the country.
Jurassic reefs form in warm seas.
The key caves house the first inhabitants of Dobrogea.
Nature reserve and place for climbing and hiking.
Map
Landmarks on the map
Pins open a short preview. Details are on the place sheet.
Stepa e deschisă tot anul; vara e uscată, iarna bate vântul. Sezon de stepă: mai–iunie
Explore the region
Further through Dobruja
Villages in this area
Pages from recent rounds, in the same area.
Sub-regions of Dobruja steppe
Macro-areas
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 Dobruja steppe we build four free apps: iShopSync, Gym, iMemory and Daunomania.
See our apps