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The Dobrogea Region
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Fishermen in their boats
on the Danube Delta at Sulina
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The photo immediately preceding this notice is Copyright (C) 2005 - 2008 Rest
Romania SRL, All rights reserved.
Photo:
© REST ROMÂNIA
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 Distinctly
Different!
With almost 80% of it's borders being water, Dobrogea
is like Romania's own paradise island. Entirely separated from
the rest of Romania by the wide Danube to the west,
 the
Romanian Riviera is where the sun rises on the European Union each
day.
Think of hills, sunshine, fields and beaches, because that is what
most of Dobrogea is made up of, with the exception of the lush marshes
and reed beds of the Danube Delta.
The first rail bridge across the Danube was completed only in 1895,
and Dobrogea was given to Romania in exchange for Bessarabia to the
north after Russia defeated the Ottoman empire.
 The
Ottomans had ruled Dobrogea for over 500 years; the origin of the name
is probably from the Turkish despot ruler of the 14th century,
Dobrotici.
Romania's Newest and Oldest
The Greeks and Romans flocked to Dobrogea's fertile
hilly plains and abundant sea coasts with both making the region a part
of their empires.
Great works of art are still
being uncovered throughout the region and carefully displayed in the
excellent museums and archaeological sites all over Dobrogea, from the
wonderful National History Museum in Contanţa,
to smaller collections at Mangalia, Histria, and Adamclisi.
By the first world war, the Romanians in Dobrogea nearly doubled
to 56%, from less than 20% before the handover
in 1878 as the Bulgarians, Turks and Tatars left, now combined making
up only 5% today.
Despite most of gives Dobrogea a history steeped in the rich
cultures of the Byzantine, Bulgarian
and Ottoman Empires, the Muslim
communities persist today along the Romanian
Riviera, with mosques built by Romania's first King, Carol I.
Today's capital of the Dobrogea region is
Constanţa, named
after the daughter of a Roman emperor, one in a long line of rulers
since the town's incept as a thriving Greek port city.
You can see the ruins of these civilisations all through Dobrogea,
and at the fine
National History Museum in Constanţa too.
Gateway to the
Danube Delta is the town of
Tulcea in the far north
of Dobrogea, where road and rail lines end and
the long arms of the Danube snake their ways to
the Black Sea.
Dobrogea's "Venice of the East" at the Danube River
town of Sulina was a
free port and home to diplomats and a thriving cosmopolitan community
for 75 years through Romania's Golden Age until the second world war.
The luxury resort of Carmen Sylva, today called
Eforie Sud, also
had it's own casino and thriving international community. From
the
Royal Palace at Mamaia to the cosmopolitan river town of Tulcea,
Romania's Riviera
in the 1920s and 1930s was one of Europe's hotspots of culture and leisure.
Dobrogea is a great place for body, mind and spirit.
Laze on the beaches, play some beach soccer, and get tired on the fun
rides at most of the resorts.
Perfect golden sands, the warm clear water, a beach
umbrella and the sweet breezes from the Black Sea make for a truly memorable
vacation. In fact, Dobrogea is such a well-known hotspot across central
and eastern Europe for the beaches of the Romania Riviera, that we've
done a special section
on Beach Life
From the Rest Romania Website at
The Sunbaked Dobrogean Heartland
One of the hidden treasures of Dobrogea is the rich
mix of cultures still evident in the sunbaked gently rolling hills of
the Dobrogean centre, and the surprising steppe country around the
Măcin Mountains National Park in
Western County Tulcea.
Tatars, Bulgars, Turks, Russians, and German settlers for centuries
dominated the low Dobrogean plateau which formed a cultural island,
cut off by the Danube from the Wallachian plains to the north and west,
and bordered by the Black Sea, conduit for the Greeks and then the Byzantine
and Ottoman empires.
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From the Rest Romania Website at
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The Danube European Commission Administration
building
and fast sloop on the Danube River at Sulina
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This customs house and
administrative complex at Sulina housed offices of the European
Commission before the first World War
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Tulcea: Romania's Crescent City
Much like New Orleans, Tulcea rests on a lazy big bend
of the Danube River with all of the town's activities and centre right
on the river, from the train station, to great hotels, restaurants,
clubs and town squares.
With a great downtown area, all of the major attractions and views
in Tulcea town are within two blocks of each other, making it quite
easy for you to hit the top four or five in an easy morning or afternoon.
From the
Tulcea Museum of Art,
Azizia Mosque, and
Folk Art Museum, to the Village Museum, and even a little beach,
Tulcea can easily keep you amused for a day or two as you rest on your
way to the Dobrogean hill country to the west, or the Danube Delta to
the east.
Northern Dobrogea's Capital
Tulcea is in the perfect location for exploration of the widely
varying lands laid out to the east, south and west of the city.
The Danube River splits to form the northern
Chilia Arm and the southern Tulcea Arm just north of Tulcea.
The main Chilia Arm, which has most of the river's flow, travels out
to the Black Sea along the border with the Ukraine. The
southern Tulcea Arm flows south to Tulcea, and after a few short bends,
splits again to form the
Sulina Arm and the
Sfântu Gheorghe Arm. These 3
main arms are the main transportation by-ways of the
Danube Delta, making
Tulcea an important hub for the ferries, fast river boats and hydrofoils.
Extending south-east from Tulcea a lone two-lane road trundles towards
the Delta, running along the last ground along the St. George Arm.
The City of Tulcea operates as a regional centre and market town
for the largely agrarian communities in this
Delta Margins area, which collects an assortment of Delta Russian
and Lippovan cultures and combines them with the Tatar and Turk remnant
populations. Fishing around
Uzlina in particular is nicely accessible from Murighiol.
The Highlands and Steppe
The City of Tulcea is also a highway and rail hub for southern County
Tulcea, and the mountainous
Western Tulcea region.
Featuring gently rolling hills and
wineries within a half hour drive from the Tulcea city centre, the
much dryer steppic topography and biogeography of the western portion
of County Tulcea offers unique areas where the confluence of Mediterranean,
Balcic, and Asiatic zones converge, all accessible from Tulcea City.
Cultural Mecca
Tulcea still has residual traditions from the Turkish
days, and pastries in particular can be a very pleasant surprise.
Comparison shop between a few bakeries until you find the perfect
treats. Take some photos to show the folks back home what REAL
baking is like too! During summer months, Tulcea is a very good
town to follow your nose if you're a bit peckish. Point yourself
to the riverfront, and listen for the sizzle of mici at a terasa, and
keep your eyes peeled for any flume of telltale brown smoke and steam
coming from a traditional little grill.
The area around Tulcea grow red grapes for table wines,
and a bit further to the west upriver, a few white grapes are also grown.
In the region extending down to Babadag, the
area around Tulcea along with the more well-known Murfatlar
region around Medgidia to the south make up one
of Romania's six and most maritime vine growing regions. Ask at
the tourist centre in the ARBDD building about possibly seeing a local
grower if you're interested.
We actually decided to make a separate guide for the north-west
of Dobrogea, mostly because it really is an interesting area, so different
from the Delta or the Black Sea Coast!
This north-western area is less known by tourists than the
coastal beaches or
the Danube Delta
area of Northern Dobrogea.
Almost everyone is surprised to hear how the western Tulcean landscape
is so different when compared with the wet and green lands of the Danube
Delta!
Indeed, the most arid and oldest mountains in Romania loom high on the
horizon, home to a unique blend of animals and plants, looking more
like somewhere in Utah than the better known parts of Romania.
Curiously, tourism officials in the region tend to think that Western
County Tulcea is too underdeveloped to support a tourism trade, forgetting
that Americans, Australians, Canadians, and other are increasingly doing
their vacations by "living like the locals" wherever possible, for that
authentic touch of true culture, great photos, and lasting memories.
The Măcin Mountains
The crowning glory of Dobrogea's western
lands.
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As a tourist, Western County Tulcea can be a deeply rewarding region
to explore, precisely because it is seldom travelled by those from outside
Romania, despite being so close to the mega-destination of the Danube
Delta.
The most amusing part about this area is that it holds no particular
snob-appeal to Romanians, and hence is off their holiday maps for the
most part as well.
Not everyone has time to combine both a seaside and mountain
holiday together, but the Măcin Mountains National
Park of Western County Tulcea can provide you with those extra experiences
and great holiday photos you need to make your friends back home ten
shades of green!
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From the Rest Romania Website at
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Photo:
joostmg on Webshots
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Danube Delta Lily
One of the floating beauties in the Delta
Biosphere Reserve
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Europe's Riparian Riches
The Delta hosts over 1,200 varieties of plants, 300 species of birds
as well as 45 freshwater fish species in its numerous lakes and marshes.
The Danube Delta has been entered onto the UNESCO list of World
Heritage Sites (1991) and Biosphere reserves. Around 2,733 km˛ of it
are strictly protected areas.
This is the place where millions of birds from different places
of Earth (European, Asian, African, Mediterranean) come to rest and
eat during the migration seasons. Many others hatch here.
The Wildlife Paradise of the Delta
The Danube Delta, "one of the last sanctuaries of nature" is often
called the wild paradise. In an area with a surface of 4,200 sq. km,
the presence of 3,400 species of the aquatic fauna has been recorded
so far, amounting to 98 percent of the European species.
Out of the 280 bird species recorded in the Danube Delta, 177 nest
here, some which protected by law: White Pelican, Dalmatian Pelican,
Great White Egret, Little Egret, Mute Swan, Red Breasted Goose, Ferruginous
Duck, Avocet and many other species.
Among the mammals of delta’s ecosystem feature otter, mink, little
ermine, wild boar, wild cat, the black-bellied fox, hare, the
raccoon dog,
nutria, muskrats, and rarely, the grey wolf.
The little plauri, the floating islands of the Delta shelter
rich fauna. As a result of efforts by Jacques Cousteau among others,
and with UNESCO support, the importance of the Danube Delta as a "wild
area" has been recognized in its consecration as a Biosphere Reservation.
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From the Rest Romania Website at
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Where morning
starts in the e u!
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Above It All
Having once provided a rather important service,
the lighthouse still has it's crystal in the dome and some super
views of the surrounding marshes and mudflats.
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The photo immediately preceding this notice is Copyright (c)2005 - 2008 Rest
Romania SRL, All rights reserved.
Photo:
© REST ROMÂNIA
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Where the Sun Rises on the EU!
Dobrogea's eastern-most city, and where the sun rises first on the
mainland European Union, the port town of Sulina has a rich history
of pirates, as a diplomatic outpost, and was even bombed by the British
Navy!
Once a prosperous port and important shipyard, from 1856 to 1937
the seat of the Danube Commission, Sulina has become a peaceful and
remote location.
The population at Sulina has been surprisingly static, with 5,600
in 1900 and about 5,200 in 2000. It has a high population
of Lipovani people, who are ethnically more closely related to their
relatives to the north in the Ukraine.
The Danube European Commission Lighthouse
The Danube European Commission Lighthouse was built in 1869 -1870.
The building, 17,34m height, in the shape of a truncated cone, is made
of bricks, the binding material is lime mortar and it is plastered up
outside and inside.
The access to the top is ensured by a winding metallic staircase anchored
into the masonry. The ground floor has a central hall and two big rooms
which are exhibitions' spaces. One of them is hosting the work chamber
of Eugeniu P. Botez which pen name is Jean Bart. He was commissary of
Sulina harbour and in the First World War he was also military commander.
The other room is dedicated to the Danube European Commission.
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  Ancient
Greek and Roman Constanţa
Don't bother travelling to Athens or Rome if you
want to marvel in some amazing European history, because the
stunning archaeological finds from Greek and Roman days in
Constanţa rivals them all!
As the largest Romanian seaport on the Black Sea,
the de facto capital of
Dobrogea, and third-largest city in
România, Constanţa is a vibrant seaport and
regional centre since Greek and Roman times!
Marseilles on the Black Sea
European royalty have flocked to the fine sands of
the Black Sea coast since the early 1900s, when a rail line was
built from the Paris of the East, Bucharest to this sunny seaside
resort port.
Constanţa has the air of a
French seaside town in the 1950s in many ways. Even at the
height of summer, when alot of the residents go to the mountains for a
cool break or flock north or south to the adjacent resort towns of
Mamaia,
Eforie Nord and
the resorts further south.
 You'll enjoy strolling through the old port part of
town, complete with a wild mix of mosques, Orthodox churches, a fine
old Catholic church, museums, and some attractive ornate
architecture.
The feel of the exotic pull of the Black Sea is strong in Constanţa. In what was once an Ottoman city of mostly ethnic Tatars and Greek
citizens, barely 1 in 20 Constanţa
residents were Romanian in the mid 1800s (now well over 90% today).
But because of this culturally rich history, Constanţa offers some architectural and
culinary delights to the traveller, from old mosques and some super
Turkish, Greek and ethnic Romanian restaurants, to just having an
authentic shaorma in the park under a cool shade tree.
Although the Turkish population has always been very low in the
city -- never more than 3%, despite the bevy of Turkish restaurants
now found in the old port town -- Constanţa has benefitted greatly
from it's long history as an Ottoman protectorate.
All this will surely settle the charm of Constanţa in
your hearts!
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You can confidently compare Mamaia to the beaches of Cannes or Saint Tropez.
Fringed by wild pear trees, and renowned for its fine, soft sand,
Mamaia is Romania's oldest resort.
Mamaia was thoughtfully designed from the ground up
since 1906 when the first wooden pier went
in, to cater to all whims and
desires with the long strip of sand dotted with
luxury hotels, fun parks, shops, restaurants, and a promenade
running the entire length of the resort with annual summer events
for all ages.
Mamaia concentrates it's fun because of the 300 metre width of
the amazing sand bar which separates the large inland Lake
Siutghiol
from the sea, going north from Constanţa 8km
until it meets the mainland again at Năvodari.
The Complete Range
Through major developments throughout the past couple of years,
Mamaia has transformed itself into one of the great summer
destinations of Europe, with world-class five-star hotels resting
comfortably with a dozen 3-star hotels, over 25 two-star properties,
and even some great camping on the north end. There's a
reason Romania's royal family chose Mamaia for their seaside summer
palace!
Family Friendly Surf
In addition to beautifully low salinity and no strong currents,
the Black Sea is free of dangerous species of plants or fish, with a
gently sloping shallow coastal shelf, with waters only 1 metre deep
at points up to 100 metres out. This makes Mamaia particularly
suitable and safe for families, with beach patrols and fully staffed
aqua parks too.
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The Northern End at Eforie Nord
Great golden sands and beach boy service
for a lazy afternoon with a great view
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The photo immediately preceding this notice is Copyright (c)2005 - 2008 Rest
Romania SRL, All rights reserved.
Photo:
© REST ROMÂNIA
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Relax, It's Eforie Nord!
Quiet little back streets meld effortlessly with a charming
promenade and beautiful sea views from the hotels and restaurants along
the low cliff which protects the golden sands of Eforie Nord.
Indeed there are quite a few reasons that relaxing little
Eforie Nord made our number one pick for your beach holiday. The
sea and beaches are cleaner than at Mamaia, it's close to the shopping
centres on the south side of Contanţa, and close
enough to rail, air and bus services.
The one possibly saving grace of the Communist era was
the lack of heavy tourist development which ravaged many a quite seaside
town in other spots throughout Europe during the 1960s and 1970s.
As we all know, some development is a good thing, too much an eyesore.
Eforie successfully maintains it's village feel.
Eforie Nord
THE COMBINATION
OF AN AFFORDABLE SEASIDE DESTINATION FOR FAMILIES AND COUPLES
ALIKE, PAIR WITH TRUE CHARM AND ATMOSPHERE, MAKE EFORIE NORD
OUR TOP PICK ON THE ROMANIAN RIVIERA
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A Seaside Holiday Village
Although
Eforie Nord is number two after Mamaia in terms of popularity, the little
town offers a real Romanian seaside village feel, with year-round residents
adding to the town's amenities like easy-to-access grocery stores, chemists
and other services not as available in Mamaia's hyper-commercial atmosphere.
 The bulk of the holiday accommodation at Eforie (Eforie
Nord is often "the" Eforie, with it's southern cousin a smaller centre)
is made up of the guesthouses (pensions or "pensiune"), smaller bed
and breakfast type accommodation in people's homes, and smaller hotels
with less than 20 rooms. See our
Romanian Accommodation
section for explanations of these types of properties).
Yes, there are a few of the lower 3 and 4 storey blocks intended
for working class holiday-makers on a budget, but equally there are
some four-star hotels and truly world-class restaurants.
Check it out, Eforie is a great option for all!
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From the Rest Romania Website at
Mangalia has all of the features you want to find in a seaside
city -- and a few more too! A naval yard and some great
beaches make this the mini San Diego of Romania!
South of
Constanţa, Mangalia is on
the same latitude as the French resort of Nice. Mangalia also is the
southernmost city on the Romanian Riviera, and from it's beginnings
as the early Greek port city of Callatis, Mangalia is also the
oldest continuously inhabited city in Romania!
Mangalia's sister city is
Greenport, also
a
coastal village on Long Island in New York
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The Pearls of the Romanian Riviera
Gracefully marching south from the trendy and
first-class resort of Neptun in the north, down to value-based
Saturn on the northern suburbs of Mangalia, the long scenic strip of
resorts here make up the "Mangalia Nord" section of the Romanian
Riviera.
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Mangalia and Resorts North
from Mangalia and Saturn to Olimp, Jupiter and Neptun just below the
horizon |
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The photo immediately preceding this notice is Copyright (c)2005 - 2008 Rest
Romania SRL, All rights reserved.
Photo:
© REST ROMÂNIA
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Mangalia
Region Coastal Towns:
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For other towns in
OTHERREGION,
please see our OTHERPAGENAME
section! |
Foreign tourists flock to the spas and resorts just north of
Mangalia year-round, and the resort areas feature large, fine-sand
beaches. The microclimates which form at the ends of
these beaches are full of adherents who breath in the sea breezes,
laden with aerosolised sea water charged by the sun, said to be
beneficial for a range of conditions.
From the Rest Romania Website at
Good for What Ails You!
Mangalia is a natural choice for those looking for the curative
powers of good hot mineral springs, good hot mud and a great ocean
too!
As the third- largest and second-deepest European sea, the Black
Sea offers the near perfect combiation of low salinity, a gentle
slope of 17-18 degrees along the coastline, and a summer water
temperature of 20-25C. There are no dangerous currents, plants or
fish in the Black Sea!
The main reason for so much repeat business from European
tourists are the great quality of the mineral waters which bubble up
from deep below the Black Sea shelf.
The sulphurous sparkling water, rich in calcium and chlorides
are plentiful from northern Mangalia through the beaches of Saturn
and Venus. This treatment is available at the Mangalia
Spa, Hotel Mangalia, the hotels Hora and Balada in Saturn, and the
Hotel Doina in Neptun.
The total number of available hotel rooms
during the summer season is around 100.000, spread evenly between
the resort towns. The mineral waters are also used in a
therapeutic setting at the Hydrotherapy Treatment centre near the
Mangalia Municipal Hospital.
Also very popular is the sulphurous peat
mud, rich in minerals, which is extracted from the peat bog north of
the city (expected to last another 250 years).
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Dobrogea, Land of the Sun!
Almost all of Dobrogea's fun activities are centred around
getting outdoors and into nature, whether it is via boat in the
Danube Delta, hiking through the Măcin Mountains, lazing away a
sweet afternoon in the vineyards, or under a beach umbrella.
This vacationland has historically attracted tourists from all
over central Europe, and in the Cold War days was the best developed
warm spot for those stuck in the chilly years of Stalinism and
repression.
Today, Dobrogea offers the best of the west with the prices of
the east, a very happy marriage of comparatively low prices
(compared with the Western European Mediterranean hotspots), natural
beauty, and well-developed resort complexes (if that is your bag of
tea).
The
Coastal Strip
Your main leisure activities along the coast centre on the sun,
sea and surf. Swan boats are fun for young and old, Banana
boats (towed by a launch) excite mostly the young as they pound
through the surf, and the Aqua park at Mamaia offers
a more Disney-fied experience.
Cultural and history buffs will revel in the multitude of
museums up and down the coast, from Managalia in the south with
their excellent collections of Greek and Roman and later epochs, to
the National History Museum at Constanţa,
it's branch at the ruins of Histria, and north to Tulcea's great
museum,
Ecologically speaking, the jewel in the crown of Dobrogea is
surely the Danube Delta's many wildlife and ecology centres.
In Tulcea proper, as well as out in the Delta, you can find all the
information and displays you want highlighting this truly unique
ecosystem. See also our special Danube Delta Guide too
of course!
Inland Treasures
 So
many Romanians and tourists alike simply concentrate on getting to
the ocean without realising that the inland of Dobrogea, neatly
sandwiched between the Black Sea and the Danube River inland, is
full of it's own delights.
Hiking (or Bushwalking or Tramping if you prefer) is a key
activity in Northern Dobrogea, which can make for some great
mornings and afternoon as you view the Danube Delta spread out below
you, able to trace it winding from the west to the north and then
out to the east and the Black Sea!
You can do this at the fairly recently created
Măcin Mountains National Park, a striking zone where the
Steppic, Balcanic, Mediterranean and other biogeographical zones
meet to make for a surprisingly dry and fascinating landscape, the
most arid zone in the northern Balkans. Looking more like the
outback of Nevada with it's low pinion pines than anything
particularly associated with Romania, this freak of nature zone
shows that Romania is far more varied and interesting
topographically than most realise.
Wine Anyone?
Indeed, it's a bit hard to ignore Dobrogea's established wine
industry, from the northern Tulcean wineries, to those further south
at Murfatlar. Open mainly to tour groups (although some don't
mind a casual drop-in), the fields extend over the hilly Dobrogean
plateau, giving the region a distinctly Napa-Sonoma feel, with
similar growing conditions.
See Tasting Notes for Romanian Wines here
Even before the Greeks arrived, viticulture in the region was
flourishing, and adopted by successive empires as the Dobrogean sun
rose and set through the ages. The Greeks believed the
Dobrogea Region to be where the Elysian Fields were, and the
great light and limey loam soils made for great conditions for grape
growing.
Today with over 26,000 hectares in cultivation, Dobrogea's main
wine-growing regions include the low coastal hills at
Murfatlar, capable of producing excellent
Chardonnays in addition to the more traditional semi-sweet wines;
and just to the east of the Măcin Mountains,
fine reds are made. In the Dobrogean Highlands you can find
reds too grown near Babadag, as well as more towards the delta to
the north-west.
Biking Through Dobrogea
If you enjoy a good cross-country cycle as much as the next
bloke, have a go at a trip through Dobrogea. The northern and
western regions can be particularly rewarding in the Spring and
Summer months!
For more information on biking, check
out the nice guides and suggestions at
this Danube region website.
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From the Rest Romania Website at
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Roman and Greek Dobrogea
Colonised early by Greek traders, Dobrogea
continued it's role as trade bridge between Constantinople and
the bounty of the northern Black Sea.
Click on a location
to see more!
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The photo immediately preceding this notice is Copyright
(C) 2007 Rest Romania SRL, All rights reserved.
It may not be used for any purpose without wirtten permission
and in accordance with our Terms and Conditions (see links at
the base of this page). Only Agents and Accommodation
purchasing full-page packages have limited license to use this
photograph. (see Advertising links).
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Panel
from the Traian column,
depicting the surrender of
King Decebal to the
Emperor Traian
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The photo immediately preceding this notice is Copyright (c)2005 - 2008 Rest
Romania SRL, All rights reserved.
Photo:
© REST ROMÂNIA
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The Land of Four Empires!
Dobrogea is a veritable treasure trove of from neolithic times,
the the Greek, Roman,
Byzantine and Turkish empires, with the main museums at Tulcea, Istria,
Constanţa and Mangalia stuffed full of world-class finds encompassing
an extraordinary range of objects, from stone-age art and Byzantine
coins, to lavish Ottoman era costumes.
Your main problem in discovering what life was like in ancient and
medieval Dobrogea is narrowing down your itinerary to get in as much
as you can in the time you have.
 It's
a pretty good bet you're going to want to do one of three main activities
in Dobrogea in addition to your museological bent.
Whether you are on the Romanian Riviera from Mamaia
to Constanţa for some beach life in the sun;
fishing, bird watching or exploring the jungle like forest islands deep
in the Danube Delta; or just revelling in nature in the steppe country
of the Măcin Mountains National Park, Dobrogea
has a dig, an archaeological collection, or a world-class museum close
to you!
Some of the highlights:
If you are going to hit just one museum in Romania, and you're in
Dobrogea, you gotta hit the National History Museum in
the city of Constanţa
Ongoing Excavations:
Salvosia and Halmyris near Mahmudia and Murighiol respectively have
on-going archaeological work, as does Histria (Istria) and Noviodunum
(at Isaccea).
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From the Rest Romania Website at
Geography
The highest point is in the Ţuţuiatu/Greci Peak in the Măcin Mountains,
having a height of 467 m. The Dobrogea Plateau covers most of the Romanian
part of Dobrogea, while in the Bulgarian part the Ludogorie Plateau
is found. Lake Siutghiol is one of the most important lakes from Dobrogea.
Etymology
The origin of the name of Dobrogea could be found in the Turkish
rendition of the name of a 14th century ruler, Dobrotich (دوبرجه).
It was common for the Turks to name countries after one of their
early rulers (for example, nearby Moldavia was known as Bogdan Iflak
by the Turks, named after Bogdan I).
An alternative etymology was given by Gheorghe Brătianu, according
to whom, its name is a Slavic derivation from a Turkic word (Bordjan
or Brudjars) which referred to the Turkic Proto-Bulgarians, term also
used by Arabic writers. Initially, the name meant just the steppe
of the southern region, between Hârşova and Razim Lake in the north
and Silistra-Balchik in the south, but eventually, the term was extended
to include the northern part and the Danube Delta.
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Warning: Serious
History Zone Follows!
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The Thinker
A great find from the Hamangia culture, now
in the National History Museum at
Constanţa
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The photo immediately preceding this notice is Copyright (c)2005 - 2008 Rest
Romania SRL, All rights reserved.
Photo:
© REST ROMÂNIA
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Neolithic Menhir
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Obelix would have been very proud of his brethren on the
morning side of Europe with this ancient stone (menhir), on
display at the Histria
museum
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The territory of Dobrogea has been inhabited since Middle and Upper
Paleolithic, as the remains at Babadag, Slava Rusă and Enisala prove.
In the Neolithic it was part of the Hamangia culture (named after
a village on the Dobrogean coast), Boian culture and Karanovo V culture.
At the end of the 5th millennium BC, under the influence of some Aegeo-Mediterranean
tribes and cultures, the Gumelniţa culture appeared in the region.
In the Eneolithic, populations migrating from the north of the Black
Sea, of the Kurgan culture, mixed with the previous population, creating
the Cernavodă I culture.
Under Kurgan II influence, the Cernavodă II culture emerged, and
then, through the combination of the Cernavodă I and Ezero cultures,
developed the Cernavodă III culture. The region had commercial contacts
with the Mediterranean world since the 14th century BC, as a Mycenaean
sword discovered at Medgidia proves.
657BC: The Greeks Colonise
During the early Iron Age, in the 8th-6th centuries BC the Geto-Dacians
individualized from the large Thracian population.
In the second part of the 8th century BC, the first signs of commercial
relations between indigenous population and Greeks appeared on the shore
of the Sinoe Gulf (now a lake). In 657/656 BC colonists from Miletus
founded the first colony in the region - Histria.
In the 7th and 6th centuries BC, more Greek colonies were founded
on the Dobrogean coast (Callatis, Tomis, Mesembria, Dionysopolis, Parthenopolis,
Aphrodisias, Eumenia etc).
In the 5th century BC these colonies were under the influence of
the Delian League, passing in this period from oligarchy to democracy.
Also, in the 6th century BC, the first Scythian groups began to enter
the region. Two Getae tribes, the Crobyzi and Terizi, were mentioned
on the territory of present Dobrogea by Hekataios of Miletus (540-470
BC).
See the museum, exhibits and
excavations of Histria
here!
From the Rest Romania Website at
500-300BC:
Persians and Odrysians and Scythians!
From the two years to 512 BC King Darius I of Persia subdued the
Geto-Dacians living in the region during his expedition against Scythians
living north of the Danube.
At about 430 BC, the Odrysian kingdom under Sitalkes extended its
rule to the mouths of the Danube . In 429 BC, Getae from the region
participated in an Odrysian campaign in Macedonia, and under the Odrysian
king Seuthes I, 2,000 Getae soldiers fought against Athenian soldiers
at Chersones, in southern Crimea.
In the 4th century BC, the Scythians brought Dobrogea under their
sway. In 341-339 BC, one of their kings, Atheas fought against Histria,
which was supported by a Histrianorum rex (probably a local Getic ruler).
In 339 BC, King Atheas was defeated by the Macedonians under King
Philip II, who afterwards extended his rule over Dobrogea. In
313 BC and again in 310-309 BC the Greek colonies led by Callatis, supported
by Antigonus I Monophthalmus, revolted against Macedonian rule. The
revolts were suppressed by Lysimachus, the diadochus of Thracia, who
also began a military expedition against Dromichaetes, the rulers of
the Getae north of the Danube, in 300 BC. In the 3rd century BC, colonies
on the Dobrogean coast paid tribute to the basilei Zalmodegikos and
Moskon, who probably ruled also northern Dobrogea.
The Histria Excavations, c1938
The early works had already revealed significant
boundary structures
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Amphorae and Capitals
Some great finds on proud display contrast
the sleek and modern look of the Histria History Museum
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From the Rest Romania Website at
200BC:
The Thracians Attack Greek Dobrogea
In the same century Celts settled in the north of the region. In
260 BC, Byzantion lost the war with Callatis and Histria for the control
of Tomis.
At the end of the 3rd century BC and the beginning of the 2nd century
BC, the Bastarnae settled in the area of the Danube Delta. Around 200
BC, the Thracian king Zoltes invaded the province several times, but
was defeated by Rhemaxos, who became the protector of the Greek colonies.
Around 100 BC King Mithridates VI of Pontus extended his authority
over the Greek cities in Dobrogea.
However, in 72-71 BC, during the Third Mithridatic War, these cities
were occupied by the Roman proconsul of Macedonia, Marcus Terentius
Varro Lucullus.
A foedus was signed between the Greek colonies and the Roman Empire,
but in 62-61 BC the colonies revolted. Gaius Antonius Hybrida intervened,
but was defeated by Getae and Bastarnae near Histria. After 55 BC the
Dacians under King Burebista conquered Dobrogea and all the Greek colonies
on the coast, but their rule ended in 44 BC.
From the Rest Romania Website at
15: The Romans Attack Greek
Dobrogea
In 28/29 BC Rholes, a Getic ruler from southern Dobrogea, supported
the proconsul of Macedonia, Marcus Licinius Crassus, in his action against
the Bastarnae.
In turn, Rholes was declared a friend of the Romana people by Octavianus,
and helped Crassus in conquering the states of Dapyx (in central Dobrogea)
and Zyraxes (in the north of the region).
Dobrogea
became part of the client kingdom of the Odrysians, while the Greek
cities on the coast came under direct rule of the governor of Macedonia.
In 12 AD and 15 AD a Getic army succeeded in conquering the cities
of Aegyssus and Troesmis for a short time, but they were defeated by
Odrysian king Rhoemetalces with the help of a Roman army.
In 15 AD the Roman province of Moesia was created, but Dobrogea,
under the name Ripa Thraciae remained part of the Odrysian kingdom.
The Greek cities on the coast formed Praefectura orae maritimae.
In 46 AD Thracia became a Roman province and the territories of
present Dobrogea were absorbed into the province of Moesia.
Between 65 and 70AD, the base of the Roman Danube fleet (classis
Flavia Moesica) was moved to Noviodunum. The praefectura was annexed
to Moesia in 86 AD. In the same year Domitianus divided Moesia, Dobrogea
being included in the eastern part, Moesia Inferior.
From the Rest Romania Website at
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The Traian Column
Celebrating his victory over the Dacians,
the ever-humble Emperor Traian had two copies built for
the battlefield site, and this one in Rome
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From the Rest Romania Website at
101:
The Dacians Attack Roman Dobrogea
The Dacians crossed the Danube several times in the 1st century
AD to raid and attack, especially between 62 and 70.
In the winter of 101-102 the Dacian king Decebalus led a coalition
of Dacians, Carpians, Sarmatians and Burs in an attack against Moesia
Inferior, which included today's Dobrogea.
Istria, 130AD
The Greek Border Outpost of Histria
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Tomis in Thracia, c. 395
In the Roman province of Thrace, going from
the Danube to Constantinople in the South
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The Glykon
Antelope, Human, Snake and Lion in one!
About a half metre tall, and a stunning find at the
Constanţa National History Museum!
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The photo immediately preceding this notice is Copyright (c)2005 - 2008 Rest
Romania SRL, All rights reserved.
Photo:
© REST ROMÂNIA
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The invading army was defeated by the Roman legions under emperor
Trajan on the Yantra river (later Nicopolis ad Istrum was founded there
to commemorate the victory), and again near modern village of Adamclisi,
in the southern part of Dobrogea.
The latter victory was commemorated by a monument, built in 109
on the spot and the founding of the city of Tropaeum (now
Adamclisi).
After 105, Legio XI Claudia and Legio V Macedonica were moved to
Dobrogea, at Durostorum and Troesmis respectively.
170: The Sarmatians Attack Roman Dobrogea
In 118 the emperor Hadrian intervened in the region to calm a Sarmatian
rebellion. In 170 Costoboci invaded Dobrogea, attacking Libida, Ulmetum
and Tropaeum.
The province was generally stable and prosperous until the crisis
of the Third Century, which led to the weakening of defenses and numerous
barbarian invasions.
In 248 a coalition of Goths, Carpians, Taifali, Bastarnae and Hasdingi,
led by Argaithus and Guntheric devastated Dobrogea. During the reign
of Traianus Decius the province suffered greatly from the attack of
Goths under King Cniva.
269: The Goths Attack Roman Dobrogea
Barbarian attacks followed in 258, 263 and 267. In 269 a fleet of
allied Goths, Heruli, Bastarnae and Sarmatians attacked the cities on
the coast, devastating Tomis.
In 272 emperor Aurelianus defeated the Carpians north of the Danube
and settled a part of them near Carsium. The same emperor put an end
to the crisis in the Roman Empire, thus helping the reconstruction of
the province.
280: The Province of Scythia
During the reign of Diocletianus Dobrogea became a separate province,
Scythia, part of the Diocese of Thracia. Its capital city was
Tomis.
Diocletianus
was almost a local boy for Dobrogea, as he rose through the ranks starting
with responsibility for defending the lower
Danube,
now all Romanian territory.
In 282, the nearby legions of the upper Danube proclaimed the Praetorian
prefect Carus
as Emperor, and
Diocletianus rode his coattails (or toga tails) to the top, making
emperor in 284. By 298, he had succeeded in repelling intrusions
from Dacians and Visigoths from across the Danube, and retired in 305
to grow cabbages.
330: Byzantine Dobrogea is Born
In 330, Constantine the Great moved his capital from Rome to Constantinople.
As Rome was slowly cleaved into eastern and western halves, so Dobrogea
became part of the Eastern Roman Empire, or Byzantium.
Only one year later, Constantine was called from his new capital
to defend lowly Dobrogea, and in 331-332 he defeated the Goths who attacked
the province.
Dobrogea was devastated again by Ostrogoths in 384-386. Under the
emperors Licinius, Julian the Apostate and Valens the cities of the
region were repaired or rebuilt.
From the Rest Romania Website at
580:
The Slavs Attack Byzantine Dobrogea
After the division of the Roman Empire Dobrogea became part of the
Byzantine Eastern Roman Empire. In 513-520 a revolt against Anastasius
I spread to the region.
Its leader, Vitalianus, native of Zaldapa, in Southern Dobrogea,
defeated the Byzantine general Hypatius near Kaliakra. During Justin
I's rule, Antes and Slavs invaded the region, but they were defeated
by Germanus. In 529 a new invasion by Bulgars and Antes was repelled
by the Gepid commander Mundus.
Kutrigurs and Avars invaded the region several times, until 561-562,
when the Avars under Bayan were settled south of the Danube as foederati.
The Fortress of Callatis
In central Mangalia on the Romanian Rivieria
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The Archaeology Museum
Worth an afternoon. It does rain in
Mangalia, and this place is a great "Plan B"!
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Contantine IV
Ruler of the Byzantine Eastern Roman province
of Thema Scythia
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Byzantine Dobrogea, c1025
Under
Byzantine leader
Basil II, Dobrogea was fortified with three ramparts to
protect from invading tribes in Wallachia and Moldova
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Cuman Art Figures
Museum of carved stone art in the museum
at Dnepropetrovsk.
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During the rule of Mauricius Tiberius, the Slavs devastated Dobrogea,
destroying the cities of Dorostolon, Zaldapa and Tropaeum.
In 591-593, Byzantine general Priscus tried to stop invasions, attacking
and defeating the Slavs under Ardagast in the north of the province.
In 602 during the mutiny of the Byzantine army in the Balkans, a
large mass of Slavs crossed the Danube, settling south of the Danube.
Dobrogea remained under loose Byzantine control, and was reorganized
during the reign of Constantine IV as Thema Scythia.
From the Rest Romania Website at
895:
The Hungarians Invade Bulgarian Dobrogea
In 681 Dobrogea became part of the First Bulgarian Empire. However,
during the following three centuries of Bulgarian domination, Byzantines
still controlled the Black Sea coast and the mouths of Danube, and for
short periods, even some cities.
At the beginning of the 8th century, Justinian II visited Dobrogea
to ask Bulgarian Khan Tervel for military help. In 895, Magyar tribes
from Budjak invaded Dobrogea and northeastern Bulgaria. An old Slavic
inscription, found at Mircea-Vodă, mentioned Zhupan Dimitri, a local
feudal landlord in the south of the region in 943.
On Nicephoros II Phocas demand, Sviatoslav I of Kiev occupied Dobrogea
in 968. He also moved the capital of Kievan Rus' to Pereyaslavets, in
the north of the region.
From the Rest Romania Website at
However, Byzantines under John I Tzimisces reconquered it in 971 and
included it in the Thema Μεσοποταμια της Δυσεον (Mesopotamia of the
West). In 986 the southern part of Dobrogea was included in the Bulgarian
state of Samuil, the northern part being reorganized by the Byzantines
in an autonomous klimata.
In 1000 Basil II the Bulgar-Slayer reconquered it, organizing the
region as Strategia of Dorostolon and, after 1020, as Thema Paristrion
(Paradunavon). To prevent mounted attacks from the north, the Byzantines
constructed three ramparts from the Black Sea down to the Danube, in
the 10th-11th centuries.
From the Rest Romania Website at
1036: Pechenegs Invade Byzantine
Dobrogea
Beginning with the 10th century, Byzantines accepted the settling
of small groups of Pechenegs in Dobrogea. In the spring of 1036, an
invasion of the Pechenegs devastated large parts of the region, destroying
the forts at Capidava and Dervent and burning the settlement in Dinogeţia.
In 1046 the Byzantines accepted the settling of Pechenegs under
Kegen in Paristrion as foederati. Some form of domination was established
by them until 1059, when Isaac I Comnenus reconquered Dobrogea. In 1064,
the great invasion of the Uzes affected the region.
In 1072-1074, when Nestor, the new strategus of Paristrion, came
to Dristra, he found a ruler in rebellion there, Tatrys.
In 1091, three autonomous, probably Pecheneg, rulers were mentioned
in the Alexiad: Tatos or Chalis in the area of Dristra (probably the
same as Tatrys), and Sesthlav (Σεσθλάβου) and
Satza (Σατζά) in the area of Vicina.
After centuries of fighting the Byzantine Empire, Bulgarians and
Hungarians, the Pechenegs were annihilated as an independent force at
the Battle of Levounion by a combined Byzantine and Cuman army under
Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos in 1091. Attacked again in 1094
by the Cumans, many Pechenegs were slain or absorbed. They were again
defeated by the Byzantines at the Battle of Beroia in 1122, on the territory
of modern day Bulgaria.
From the Rest Romania Website at
1094:
The Cumans Invade Byzantine Dobrogea
Cumans, a Turkic people from the Volga River region north of the
Black Sea in a region called Cumania, came in Dobrogea in 1094 and maintained
an important role until the advent of the Ottoman Empire.
In alliance with the Wallachians and the Bulgarians during the Vlach-Bulgar
Rebellion by brothers Asen and Peter of Tarnovo, the Cumans are believed
to have played a significant role in the rebellion's final victory over
Byzantium and the restoration of Bulgaria's independence in 1185.
Dobrogea fell under Cuman rule, as the Cumanian empire expanded to control
present-day Wallachia, Moldova and Dobrogea, as well as parts of what
is now northern Bulgaria.
The Cuman influence in the region was so strong that the earliest
Wallachian rulers bore Cuman names. The rulers Tihomir and Bassarab
I governed territories formerly ruled by local leaders, although the
Cuman oligarchy became assimilated through the decades into their principalities.
Thocomer (or Toq-tämir, Romanised as Tihomer) was the Cuman leader
who united Oltenia and Muntenia to form a cohesive Wallachian state,
and his son Basarab is considered the first ruler of the united and
independent Wallachia.
The Wallachian Cumans then joined forces with the Bulgarians to the
south to unite against the Byzantine Empire. Prince Basarab
I later obtained independence from Hungary in the early 1300s.
The name Basarab is considered as being of Cuman origin, meaning "Father
King", and the Dobrogean placename of Comană,
amongst others, is of Cuman origin. To the north of Dobrogea
today, the counties Galaţi and Vaslui are both
Cuman names.
1241: Tatars and Mongols Invade Byzantine
Dobrogea
In 1241 the first Tatar groups, under Kadan, invaded Dobrogea starting
a century long history of turmoil in the region.
In 1263-1264, Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palaeologus gave permission
to Sultan Izz al-Din Kaykaus II to settle in the area with a group of
Seljuk Turks from Anatolia. A missionary Turkish mystic, Sarı Saltuk,
was the spiritual leader of this group; his tomb in Babadag (which was
named after him) is still a place of pilgrimage for the Muslims. Most
of these Turks returned to Anatolia in 1307, while those who remained
became Christianized and adopted the name Gagauz.
In the second part of the thirteenth century, the Turkic-Mongolian
Golden Horde Empire, which then included the Cumans, extended its sway
over Dobrogea. The Mongol elite quickly became both Ottoman and
Islamic.
From the Rest Romania Website at
1320:
Bulgarians Take Control of Dobrogea
Dobrogea was held by the Second Bulgarian Empire during the reigns
of Ivan Asen II and Theodore Svetoslav. In the 1320s it appeared in
documents under the name of Principality of Karvuna.
In 1325, the Ecumenical Patriarch nominated a certain Methodius
Metropolitan of Varna and Carbona. After this date, a local ruler, Balica,
is mentioned in Southern Dobrogea.
 In
1346, he supported John V Palaeologus in the dispute for the Byzantine
throne with John VI Cantacuzenus by sending an army corps under his
son Dobrotici and his brother, Theodore, to help the mother of John
Palaeologus, Anna of Savoy. For his bravery, Dobrotici received the
title of strategus and married the daughter of megadux Apokaukos.
After the reconciliation of the two pretenders, a territorial dispute
broke out between the Dobrogean State and the Byzantine Empire for the
port of Midia. In 1347, on John V Palaeologus' demand, Emir Bahud-din
Umur, Bey of Aydin, led a naval expedition against Balica, destroying
Dobrogea's seaports. Balica and Theodore died during the confrontations,
Dobrotici becoming the new ruler.
1352: Tatars Take Northern Dobrogea
Between 1352 and 1359, with the fall of Golden Horde rule in Northern
Dobrogea, a new state appeared, under Tatar prince Demetrius, who claimed
to be the protector of the mouths of the Danube.
The Tatars apparently enjoyed their new northern Dobrogean home,
and this was the beginning of almost 550 years of Tatar presence in
Dobrogea. The Tatars survived well in their stubborn enclaves,
only being removed during the forced migrations after the Russo-Turkish
wars in the late 19th century. Working side by side in neighbouring
villages with Bulgars, Turks, and later, German settlers, the Tatar
culture profoundly influenced Dobrogean culture for over 5 centuries.
From the Rest Romania Website at
1357:
The Rise of Dobrotici, Ruler of Dobrogea
In 1357 Dobrotici (sometimes "Dobrotiţa" or دوبرجه)
was mentioned as a despot ruling over a large territory, including the
fortresses of Varna, Kosak (near Obzor) and Emona.
In the same year, with the help of Byzantine emperor John V Palaeologus,
he took Anhialos and Mesembria from Ivan Alexander, Tsar of Tarnovo.
In 1366, John V Palaeologus visited Rome and Buda, trying to gather
support for a campaign in Dobrogea, but on the way home was captured
by Dobrotici and was imprisoned at Varna.
A crusade under Amadeus VI of Savoy, supported by Venice and Genoa,
was initiated to free the Byzantine Emperor Palaeologus from his Dobrogean
seaside prison.
After the crusaders conquered some Dobrogean forts, Dobrotici freed
John and negotiated peace, his daughter marrying the son of John Palaeologus,
Michael. In 1368, after the death of Demetrius, he was recognized as
ruler by Pangalia and other cities on the right bank of the Danube.
In 1369, together with Vladislav I of Wallachia, Dobrotici helped Prince
Stratsimir to win back the throne of Vidin.
1375: Dobrotician Dobrogea
Between 1370 and 1375, allied with Venice, Dobrotici challenged
Genoese power in the Black Sea. In 1376, he tried to impose his son-in
law, Michael, as Emperor of Trebizond, but achieved no success.
Mircea the Elder
With the help of the Hungarians, the Wallachian
prince siezed Dobrogea from the Turks in 1388
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Dobrotici supported John V Palaeologus against his son Andronicus
IV Palaeologus. In 1379, the Dobrogean fleet participated in the blockade
of Constantinople, fighting with the Genoese fleet. In 1386, Dobrotici
died and was succeeded by Ioankos, who in the same year accepted a peace
with the Ottoman Sultan Murad I and in 1387 signed a commercial treaty
with Genoa.
1388: Wallachians Invade Turkish
Dobrogea
Ioankos was killed in 1388 during the expedition of Grand Vizier
Çandarli Ali Pasha against Tarnovo and Dristra (old Durostorum). The
expedition brought most of the Dobrogean forts under Turkish rule.
In 1388 to 1389, the Wallachian leader on the other side of the
Danube, Mircea the Elder, defeated the Turkish Grand Vizier. This brought
Dobrogea and Silistra under the control of the Wallachians for the first
time.
Bayezid I conquered the southern Dobrogea in 1393, attacking Mircea
one year later to gain the northern portion held by Mircea, but without
success.
In 1395, the Wallachians under Mircea did regain the lost Dobrogean
territories for two years, with the help of its Hungarian allies.
Mircea maintained close relations with Sigismund of Luxembourg, the
king of Hungary, relying on their common interest in the struggle against
Ottoman expansion. But the Hungarian and Wallachian forces failed a
second time, pushed back by the Ottomans again in 1397.
From the Rest Romania Website at
1404:
Wallachian Dobrogea
The third Ottoman occupation of Dobrogea lasted from 1397 to 1404,
although in 1401 an Ottoman army was roundly defeated by Mircea in Dobrogea.
Luck continued for the Wallachians, as the defeat of Sultan Beyazid
I the next year opened a period of instability in the Ottoman Empire.
Being a canny Wallachian, Mircea the Elder took advantage of it to organize
a new anti-Ottoman campaign: in 1403 he occupied the Genovese fort of
Chillia at the mouths of the Danube, thus being able, in 1404, to impose
his authority on Dobrogea for the next decade.
Mircea the Elder and his friend the king of Hungary even engaged
in battle against the the throne of the Ottoman Empire, ruling for a
few years over Dobrogea and much more in the south, up to the Balkan
Mountains.
Towards the end of his ruling, Mircea signed a treaty with the Ottomans
who recognized the freedom of Wallachia in return for a 3,000 gold pieces
per year tribute (a small amount). After his death in 1418, his
son Mihail I fought against the amplified Ottoman attacks, eventually
losing his life in a battle in 1420.
 That
year, the Sultan Mehmet I (portrait on left)
personally conducted the definitive conquest of Dobrogea by the Turks.
Wallachia kept only the mouths of the Danube, and not for long time.
1420: The Birth of Ottoman Dobrogea
After defeating the Wallachians in 1420, the region became a Turkish
Ottoman province from 1420 until 1878, when the territory was again
seized by the Wallachians after the Russo-Turkish Wars.
Initially, it was organized as an udj (border province), included in
the sanjak of Silistra, part of the Vilayet of Rumelia. Later, during
Murad II or Suleyman I, the sanjak of Silistra and surrounding territories
became a separate Vilayet.
1512: The Tatars Arrive in Ottoman
Dobrogea
Groups of Turks, Arabs and Tatars soon settled in the region, the
latter especially between 1512 and 1514.
In 1555, a revolt led by a certain Mustafa broke out against Ottoman
administration and spread all over the region, but was repressed by
the beylerbey of Rumelia.
The Sultan and the Cossacks
Sultan Mehmed the IV wrote a letter to the
Cossacks telling them to surrender after yet another annoying
invasion into Dobrogea. The Cossacks thought the demand
preposterous, and thus composed a rather rude reply letter for
the Turkish ruler.
Read more here
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Photo:
Russian
Museum
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From the Rest Romania Website at
1771:
The Russians Invade Ottoman Dobrogea
In 1603 and 1612, the region suffered from marauding Cossack forays,
who burnt down Isaccea and plundered Constanţa, and between 1771 and
1853, the Russians moved across Dobrogea five times fighting the Turks.
The most violent invasion was that of 1829, which depopulated numerous
villages and towns. The Treaty of Adrianople of 1829 ceded the Danube
Delta to the Russian Empire. However, Russians were forced to return
it to the Ottomans in 1856, after The Crimean War. In 1864 Dobrogea
was included in the vilayet of Tuna.
From the Rest Romania Website at
1850:
Immigrants Arrive in Ottoman Dobrogea
After the initial wave of settlers in the early 1500s, Ottoman Dobrogea
saw a second influx of settlers from the late 1700s through to the late
1800s.
During the reign of Peter I of Russia and Catherine the Great, Lipovans
immigrated in the region of the Danube Delta. After the destruction
of Zaporozhian Sich in 1775, Cossacks were settled by Turkish authorities
in the area north of Lake Razim, but they left Dobrogea in 1828.
In the second part of the nineteenth century, Ruthenians from the
Austrian Empire also settled in the Danube Delta. After the Crimean
War, a large number of Tatars were forcibly driven away from Crimea,
immigrating to then-Ottoman Dobrogea and settling mainly in the Carasu
Valley in the centre of the region and around Babadag.
Dobrogean Ethnicity, 1861-2007
From around 20% before the Russo-Turkish
war to over 50% before the First World War, Dobrogea's Romanian
population soared. It is over 90% today.
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Dobrogea Ethnicities, 1903
Even after relocations and 25 years of Romanian
rule, Dobrogea was still 45% non-Romanian ethnicity
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In 1864, Cherkess fleeing from the Russian invasion of the Caucasus
were settled in the wooded region near Babadag. Germans from Bessarabia
also founded colonies in Dobrogea between 1840 and 1892. According
to Bulgarian historian Liubomir Miletich, most Bulgarians living in
Northern Dobrogea in 1900 were nineteenth century settlers or their
descendants .
From the Rest Romania Website at
1878:
Ottoman Dobrogea Divided
After the 1878 war between Russia and the Ottoman empire, victorious
Russia gained control of Northern Dobrogea. Romanian had sided
with the Russians, who forced Romania to give away Southern Bessarabia
in exchange for Dobrogea.
Dobrogea was now split between the Russian controlled northern Dobrogea
area, and the new Bulgarian republic to the south, now for the first
time since the Second Bulgarian empire, free from Ottoman control.
According to the post-war settlement, the Bulgaria was given the smaller
"quadrilater" portion of southern Dobrogea -- which although ceded to
Romania for 20 years in the last century, remains today in Bulgaria.
1880: The First Population Exchange
Most of Dobrogea's population was Turkish and Tatars before
the war, but during the war the largest part of the Muslim population
emigrated to Turkey and Bulgaria. After the war, Bulgaria and
Romania instituted programs of forced migration, to give each of the
new owners of the split Dobrogea a majority ethnic population.
Ethnic Romanians (many of them shepherds from or with families previously
from the Carpathian mountains) were moved into the northern partition,
and Bulgarians (and most others also encouraged) to move south across
the new border.
Romanian Dobrogea increased it's ethnic Romanian population from
less than 20% before the war (1861 estimated at 17%), to over half by
1913.
The size of the Bulgarian ethnic enclaves in the northwest (around Babadag)
dwindled, as well as the Muslim communities spread all across the newly
Romanian portion of Dobrogea. After 1880, Italians from Friuli
and Veneto settled in Greci, Cataloi and Măcin in Northern Dobrogea,
further diluting the pre-war Muslim majority. Most of them worked in
the granite quarries in the Măcin Mountains, while some became farmers.
From the Rest Romania Website at
1913:
"Greater Dobrogea"
Between 1913 and 1938, Romania's portion of the old Ottoman Dobrogea
varied from barely half immediately after the Russo-Turkish war, to
nearly all of pre-war Turkish Dobrogea.
In May 1913, the Great Powers awarded Silistra and the area in a
3 km radius around it to Romania, at the Saint Petersburg Conference.
In August 1913, after the Second Balkan War, Bulgaria lost Southern
Dobrogea (the Quadrilater) to Romania in the Treaty of Bucharest.
This was the greatest extent of Romania's control of the region.
With Romania's entry in World War I on the side of France and Russia,
the Central Powers occupied all of Dobrogea and gave Southern Dobrogea
as well as the southern portion of Northern Dobrogea to Bulgaria in
the Treaty of Bucharest of 1918. This situation lasted only for a short
period, as the Allied Powers emerged victorious at the end of the war
and Romania regained its previous territories in the Treaty of Neuilly
of 1919.
Interbellum Street Scene, c.1922
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Antonescu and Hitler, 1943
Hitler being briefed by Romania's top general
and ally, Gen'l Antonescu during WWII
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Ceauşescu Grins, People Starve
Yet more of the dictator's ludicrous propaganda
in a street poster in 1986
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The 1989 Revolution
Romanians had enough of the hunger, waiting
in lines, and general idiocy of the Communist regime, here in
Bucharest
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1920: Dobrogea in Romania's Golden
Age
In the interbellum years, Dobrogea became a truly European province
after 3 decades of Romanian rule. The seaside resort of
Carmen Sylva (now Eforie
Sud) was luxurious and famous throughout Europe, and the port city
of Sulina was home to
an elite international community of diplomats and high culture.
Throughout the early interwar period, the exodus of non-Romanians
continued, dramatically increasing the Romanian portion of the population
from 29% in 1903, to over half at the end of the 1930s. To further
increase the appearance of being fully Romanian, King Carol II approved
the immigration of over 30,000 Aromanians from Bulgaria, Macedonia and
Greece, directed to settlein Southern Dobrogea.
At the same time, the Romanian King's counterpart in Turkey, Mustafa
Kemal Ataturk, was actively encouraging the repatriation en masse of
the Dobrogean Turks to the new Turkish Republic.
Ports in the north of Dobrogea at Sulina and Tulcea
were modernised, greatly increasing their capacity to handle
cargo and warehousing for the Danube River trade.
Constanţa remained the chief Black Sea port,
albeit with falling trade as it's fate was inexorably linked to the
instability around the Bosphorus and straights of the Dardanelles to
the south.
From the Rest Romania Website at
1940:
The Second Population Exchange
In the autumn of 1940, the Nazis and other Axis power parties forged
the Treat of Craiova, which once again split Dobrogea, giving the quadrilater
back to Bulgaria.
Rather ridiculously, this only caused a second exchange of
populations. The Romanians, who had made the rather tragic
decision to side with the Nazis, really wanted the territory south to
the Balchik enclave, but the Axis powers were resolute that things revert
to the pre-1913 borders.
So, after 27 years under Romanian control, Dobrogea was split
one final time, and again a massive exodus of Romanians from the south
headed north across the newly redrawn border.
And similarly, the Bulgars, Tatars and others who remained in the
Romanian portion of Dobrogea, were cruelly forced to leave their homes
to even out the numbers. The 1940 borders were reaffirmed
in the post-war Paris Peace Treaties of 1947 and are in place to this
day.
1947: Nobody Invades Communist Dobrogea
Communist Dobrogea was a predictably grim place, with it's own labour
camps and torture facilities to make sure dissidents and people attempting
to leave the country were properly dealt with (usually no trial and
an "administrative" sentence).
Ethnic Tatars, Bulgars, Turks and others were particularly singled
out for the attentions of the state security apparatus, and life was
miserable, paranoic and hard for all. Sparse partisan resistance
in the first 5 years of communist rule, mostly by the Babadag Bandits
in northern Dobrogea (an area with a higher Bulgar, Russian and German
settler populations), proved ineffective and yet another excuse for
a cruel crackdown on ethnic communities.
Ethnic groups in Dobrogea, as even with the Romanian Orthodox Church,
were controlled by the Department of Cults and were subject to strict
regulations.
Churches could not engage in any religious activity outside officially
designated religious buildings. Severe restrictions limited the printing
and import of the Koran, Bibles and all religious books and materials,
and their distribution was treated as a criminal offense.
Although some construction work on the new hotels at Mamaia and
the youth camp at Costineşti did provide a glimmer
of higher standards, for the most part, central Dobrogea remained a
dire collectivised agrarian zone.
Peasants were forced into their regional collectives early
in Dobrogea, so that by 1955, it was the most collectivised zone in
all of Romania.
This inevitably resulted in the willful destruction of the village
working structures and economies, and gave the people on the land no
choice but to seek food and shelter in the cities of Dobrogea.
The hideous "Canal of the Dead" was the communist administration's crazed
attempt to join the Danube with the Black Sea going across from
Giurgeni to Navodări. The region was clearly
too hilly, and the dumb and mad project was finally abandoned in 1955.
Thousands died and the first canal project failed.
A more sane route was finally chosen in 1975, and work on today's canal
-- again with forced labour -- at least succeeded to make it to the
sea in 1984.
Relief from the tyranny of the state did not come to Dobrogea until
the 1989 execution of Ceaşescu in a hasty show
trial.
The Danube-Black Sea Canal
Today cutting journey times and with
modern control structures, few realise the sad price paid
in human lives for this engineering marvel.
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The photo immediately preceding this notice is Copyright (c)2005 - 2008 Rest
Romania SRL, All rights reserved.
Photo:
© REST ROMÂNIA
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From the Rest Romania Website at
2010:
Romanians Invade Romanian Dobrogea
Today, every summer, yet more Romanians invade the sunny coastline
to spend their summer holidays, few aware of how violently the sands
of time have shifted across this island of rich history and cultures.
Romanian Dobrogea, where only one out of four people were
ethnic Romanians before the territory was given to Romania in 1878,
is today more than 90% Romanian. And yet the greatly reduced enclaves
of Bulgars, Tatars, Turks, Greeks, Lipovani and others, stubborn hold
on to their remaining islands of culture, vestiges of a previous century.
The mosques are still there, at
Medgidia,
Constanţa, Babadag, Mangalia and Isaccea amongst
other places, and still attract the faithful to Friday prayers.
A recent influx of Arab students has even seen the establishment
of new prayer houses to serve the nascent new Islamic communities in
Constanţa and in Bucharest.
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From the Rest Romania Website at
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Have more info? Please Let us know!
See Transport & Trip Planning below for Tips on Touring this Region!
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City of cONSTANŢA
The
Sun and Fun of Mamaia
Mighty
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