Tulcea
Aegyssus · Tulcea tul-cea
Ancient Aegyssus, gateway to the Danube Delta.
Back to the Dobruja pageAbout the town
Tulcea, in brief
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.
Ancient Aegyssus, mentioned by Ovidius in "Epistulae ex Ponto", was in turn a Getic fortress, Roman camp, Byzantine market town and Ottoman city. Today, Tulcea is the capital of Romania's most biodiverse county and the seat of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve Administration.
From Tulcea port passenger vessels depart for Sulina, Sfântu Gheorghe and the Delta's fishing villages. For us, Tulcea is a lesson in patience: here everything flows at the pace of the Danube, not the clock.
History
Tulcea through time
The moments that shaped the town, from the first settlements to today.
Aegyssus
The Getae raise a fortified settlement on Hora Hill, later mentioned by Ovidius.
Battle of Aegyssus
The Romans recapture the fortress from the Getae; the episode is described in Ovidius's "Epistulae ex Ponto".
Ottoman market town
Tulcea becomes an Ottoman commercial port, with Turkish, Greek and Lipovan communities.
Romanian city
Dobrogea returns to Romania; Tulcea becomes county seat and modern Danube port.
Biosphere Reserve
The Danube Delta becomes a UNESCO biosphere reserve, with administration in Tulcea.
To see
What to see in Tulcea
Independence Monument
On Hora Hill, above the city, with a panorama towards the Danube and the Delta.
Raised on the hill where the ancient fortress of Aegyssus stood, the monument honours the War of Independence and Dobrogea's return to Romania: a 22 m obelisk flanked by an infantryman and an eagle with outstretched wings. From here opens the finest panorama of Tulcea and the Danube.
The foundation stone is laid, one year after Dobrogea's union with Romania.
The monument is inaugurated in its present form.
The History and Archaeology Museum operates alongside it, on the site of Aegyssus.
Danube Riverfront
The promenade from which vessels depart for the heart of the Delta.
The riverfront is the heart of Tulcea: from here passenger vessels leave for Sulina, Sfântu Gheorghe and Delta villages, fishermen moor their boats here, and the whole city strolls here on summer evenings, among terraces and seagulls.
The Ottoman, then Romanian port, gives the city its commercial profile.
Regular passenger services link Tulcea to Delta villages.
The redesigned riverfront is the city's main promenade.
Danube Delta Ecotourism Museum Centre
Aquariums and exhibitions about the Delta ecosystem.
The museum brings the Delta under one roof: aquariums with sturgeon and Danube fish, dioramas of the reserve's birds and exhibitions about fishermen's lives. It is the best introduction before a trip on the channels.
The centre opens, with aquariums set up in the basement.
It is among the most visited museums in northern Dobrogea.
Azizyie Mosque
Mosque from 1863, testimony to the city's Ottoman heritage.
Built in 1863, during the reign of Sultan Abdulaziz, from whom it takes its name, the mosque is a historic monument and the active place of worship of the Tulcea Muslim community, with a slender stone minaret and sober interior.
The mosque is built during the reign of Sultan Abdulaziz.
After Dobrogea's union with Romania, it remains the community's place of worship.
Historic monument and active mosque.
From the database
Places around Tulcea
Acum e sezon de Deltă: nave, păsări, ritm lent.
Map
Landmarks on the map
Pins open the place sheets for Tulcea.
Acum e sezon de Deltă: nave, păsări, ritm lent. Sezon de Deltă: aprilie–octombrie
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 Tulcea we build four free apps: iShopSync, Gym, iMemory and Daunomania.
See our apps