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Introduction to Tulcea:

Tulcea (pronounced Tool’cha) is an old city in the historical region of Dobrogea, Romania and is the administrative center of Tulcea county. It has a population of about 92,000 and has been an important harbor since ancient times since it is where the famous Danube river finally ends its journey through Europe as it empties into the Black sea creating the famous Danube Delta.

The town has successively been under Byzantine (5th - 7th century), Genoese (10th - 13th century) and Ottoman rule before finally being reunited with Romania in 1878.

Tulcea is busiest in August and December, when its regular festivals take place: the International Folk Festival of the Danubian Countries, held in odd-numbered years, and an annual winter carnival.

The local Lipovani Russian and Turkish minorities lend the city a multi-ethnic flavora.

Trivia & Quick Points:

• The city of Tulcea, laid out on seven hills like Rome, was founded in the 7th century BC by the Dacians. Aegyssus, as the city was known in antiquity, was conquered by the Romans who rebuilt it after their plans, their technique and architectural vision.

• Aegussyus was first mentioned in the documents of Diodorus of Sicily (3rd century BC) and later, in the works of the Latin poet, Ovid, attesting that the name traces its origin back to its founder, a Dacian named Carpyus Aegyssus.

• Tulcea is located at the end of the second largest river in all of Europe- the Danube, where it empties into the Black Sea... Just beyond the city is one of the largest wetlands on earth known as the Danube Delta.

Facts & Information:

History

Tulcea was founded in the 7th century BC under the name of Aegyssus, mentioned in the documents of Diodorus of Sicily (3rd century BC). Ovid referred to it in Ex Ponto, saying that its name would have originated with that of its founder, a Dacian named Carpyus Aegyssus.

After the fights from 12-15 B.C., the Romans conquered the town. They rebuilt it after their plans, their technique and architectural vision, reorganizing it. The existing ruined walls and defending towers serve as a testimony of this. Also an inscription found at the Tulcea Museum of Archaeology mentions the name Aegyssus for the town. The Aegyssus fortified town is mentioned also by other documents until the 10th century: Notitia Episcopatum in political geography "De Thematicus".

It was then ruled by the Byzantine Empire (5th - 7th century), the Bulgarian Empire (681-c.1000; 1185-14th century), the Genoese (10th - 13th century), it was part of the local Dobrujan polities of Balik/Balica, Dobrotitsa/Dobrotici, and, for a brief while after 1390, ruled by the Wallachian Prince Mircea cel Bătrân.

In 1416 it was conquered and ruled, for the next 460 years, by the Ottoman Empire.

In the 17th century Tulcea was mentioned by the Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi as a settlement with 600 houses, inhabited by Vlachs.

Around 1848, it was still a small shipyard city, being awarded city status in 1860, when it became a province capital. It became a sanjak centre in Silistre Eyaleti in 1860 and Tuna Vilayeti in 1864.

In 1878 Tulcea was eventually awarded to Romania, together with the Northern Dobruja (see Congress of Berlin). Tulcea was occupied by Bulgaria between 1916-1918 during World War I.

Some City Culture

Tulcea is the site of the Concursul George Georgescu, a music competition created by teachers at the Tulcea Arts High School and held annually since 1992.

Named in honor of conductor George Georgescu (1887-1964), an important figure in the development of Romanian classical music who was born in the surrounding county, it was at first open only to Romanian music school and high school students but began admitting international students in 1995.

Organizers include the Romanian Ministry of Education and Youth, the School Inspectorate of Tulcea County, the Tulcea County Council, the Tulcea Mayoralty, and surviving members of Georgescu's family.

Travel & Tourism:

Highlights & Features of the City:

Some of the highlights include St. Nicholas' Church (1865), the Azzizie Mosque (1924), the Danube Delta History Museum, the Art Museum, and the History and Archeology Museum.

St. Nicholas' Church (1865)-
In the centre of the Tulcea, at the intersection of Frumoasa Street, Babadag Street and Progresului Street you can find Saint Nicolas Church, the Cathedral of Tulcea. Made of stone and brick, the building is 30 metres tall, in Byzantine style with three towers: two in front and the third (the largest one) is situated in the middle. Inside, the cell is made of 15 bolts lay down on eight massive poles made of stone and brick.

The paintings, in Renaissance style, were made by painter and professor D. Marinescu, from the School of Art in Bucharest, between 1905 and 1906.

Azzizie Mosque (1924)- is an exotic and culturally rich heritage structure with quaint minarets.

Danube Delta History Museum- is located at 32 Progresului St (Tel: (240) 515.866) and is a good introduction to the region's flora and fauna plus the traditional way of life of the Danube Delta's fishermen. The live fish collection comprises local prey and domestic species from lakes, rivers and seas, as well as exotic species from Latin America, South America, southwest Asia and central Africa.

The Art Museum- is located at 2 Grigore Antipa St (Tel: 240)513.249) and houses over 700 glass and wooden icons, as well as an interesting collection of vanguard paintings and sculptures by some of Romania's prominent artists: Nicolae Tonitza, Theodor Pallady, Nicolae Grigorescu, Frederic Stork, Ion Jalea, Oscar Han, and Victor Brauner.

History & Archeology Museum- is located on Gloriei St and presents a history of the northern Dobrogea region from ancient times to the medieval age. On display are some 90,000 archaeological objects, numismatic pieces and old documents organized in special collections which include ceramics, bronzes, sculptural and epigraphic pieces, jewels and paleo-Christian objects.

Beyond the City of Tulcea

Beyond the city proper of Tulcea is a fascinating Romanian world to discover... To many travelers, most prominent on the list is exploring the mouth of the famous Danube river, otherwise known as the Danube Delta.

Located at the tip of three incoming river channels, Tulcea IS the place to start for exploring this famous wetlands. Arrive early enough to catch one of the ferries that depart everyday at around 1:30 pm.

The Danube Delta- is in fact one of the greatest wetlands on earth. It consists of an intricate network of waterways and lakes divided between the three main estuary channels of the Danube. The great Danube River, (the second largest river of the continent), has deposited its waters here for the past 16,000 years, building at its mouth with the Black Sea one of the most beautiful deltas in all of Europe, perhaps in the whole world.

The area of floating reed islands, forests, pastures and sand dunes covers 3,000 square miles and is home to a vast array of wildlife. It is the end of a course of over 2,840 km of incoming waters from a vast hydrological basin that exceeds 8% of the area of Europe.

The current geomorphology of the delta is the result of the interaction between the river and the sea during the Holocene period. At the beginning of the Holocene, when the level of the sea reached approximately the nowadays level, there was the so-called Danube Gulf.

At its mouth, between the Jibrieni promontory to the north and the Murighiol- Dunavãt promontory to the south, formed the Letea- Caraorman levees. The alluvial materials were carried along the sea shore, by the marine currents, to the north, to the mouth of the Nistru, Bug and Nipru rivers.

Nearby Towns & Villages

There are several villages and towns nearby the city of Tulcea that offer travelers a true Romanian experience. Many of these are located on the three channels of the Danube Delta.

Access to these towns is either by car or scheduled boat service. Some of the more commonly visited settlements include Chilia Veche, Periprava, Tatanir, Pardina, Crisan, Sulina, Maliuc, Mahmudia, Murighiol, Babadag, Enisala, and Jurilovca.

Where to Stay

Information on where to stay in Tulcea, Romania is coming to this site soon...

Getting There & Away

By Air:
There is no regularly scheduled air service to Tulcea, however, the following airport is open for charter flights from/ to any city in Romania.

Tulcea Cataloi Airport
Address: Sos. Tulcea - Constanta, Km. 15
Telephone: (240) 512.910
Email

The closest international airport is Mihail Kogalniceanu International Airport (CND), located 72 miles south of Tulcea, nearby Constanta.

By Train:
There are several daily trains to Tulcea from Bucharest and Constanta, via Medgidia. Trains from/ to other major cities in Romania connect in Bucharest. The train station is located about half a mile from downtown Tulcea.

Tulcea Train Station (Gara Tulcea Oras)
Address: Str. Portului 6
Telephone: (240) 513.706

By Bus
The Tulcea bus terminal is located half a mile from the city centre, near the railway station and ferry terminal.

Tulcea Bus Station (Autogara Tulcea)
Address: Str Portului 28A (next to the Navrom Ferry Terminal)
Telephone: (240) 513.304

By Car
If you're fortunate enough to be able to afford renting a car and up for the road trip...

The recommended car route from Bucharest to Tulcea is:
Bucharest - Urziceni - Slobozia - Harsova - Tulcea (E60 - Route 2A - Route 22A)

The recommended route from Constanta to Tulcea is:
Constanta - Ovidiu - Navodari - Babadag - Tulcea (DN22 - E87)

Getting Around

Getting around Tulcea, (or any other place in Europe for that matter), and the surrounding areas is a matter of personal preference, style, and budget. If you can afford it, the method of travel that affords the most personal freedom and possibilities for exploration is rental car. Car rentals are available in Tulcea, but you might get a better deal in one of the larger and more touristed cities nearby like Bucharest or Constanta.