TOURISTIC INFORMATION

Then Constanta is the holiday and entertainment capital of Romania. Constanta attracts by the harmony between ebullient business world and intense cultural life.

The main attractions of the city are the Casino, built at the beginning of the 20th century, the Aquarium, the Dolphinarium and the Planetarium. There are various museums to be visited here, such as: the Museum of Natural History and Archeology, the Museum of the Romanian Marine, the Ethnography Museum, the Astronomic Observatory, the Musical Theatre and the Dramatic Theatre.

The ethnic diversity of the resort is underlined by the existence of three religious monuments: The Orthodox Cathedral (1898), The Catholic Church (1908) and the Mosque (1910). 

At 28 km north of Constanta there is the "Mihail Kogalniceanu" international airport with internal and international flights (especially in charter mode). It is small and efficient - and the tax-free shop has much lower prices that the main street shops in the city.

One can reach Bucharest by train, plane or bus. Constanta communicates with Mangalia through a railway and a modern European road (E87 Tulcea - Mamaia - Constanta - Mangalia). Coming from the west of the country, one can reached the littoral by the E60 European road (Oradea - Cluj - Brasov - Bucuresti - Constanta).

The city centre has broad avenues, nice parks and dusty but respectable buildings from the past. Tomis - the old Greek name - is also the name of the biggest shopping centre downtown and a boulevard next door. Even some parts of the city are named Tomis - and in order not to confuse anyone, a creative number ( 1 or 2 or 3 ) is added to each township.

The city has plenty of good restaurants, discos, outdoor cafés, pubs, bars, nightclubs, and a reasonable set of cinemas - both outdoors and indoors. 

The walking area around the Casino building is wonderful, especially in the sunset when Romanian families stroll to and from without any special destination. The Black Sea is right in front and the atmosphere is relaxed and peaceful.  The Casino is the landmark of the city and was made 100 years ago and has a twin building in Monte Carlo – a foreign company wanted to offer ~100 millions $ for the building, but  the Municipality cannot sold it – the place is a UNESCO and national patrimony building. The Casino today a restaurant in addition to being an arena for smaller exhibitions. During the commie time the Casino was one of the best restaurants in Romania, today its reputation is somewhat dodgy. Or more correct; there are far better diners around, above all in Mamaia.

Concerts of all kinds are hosted either in Constanta or Mamaia during summer. A huge outdoor cinema with 2000 seats - named TOMIS CINEMA of course - is situated in one of the central parks ,where you also can see  the ruins and remains of  Greek Tomis settlement. In Mamaia there is also an outdoor cinema, ALBATROS, though smaller. These cinemas also host pop and rock concerts at times, along with theatre halls and other stage arenas and hotels in the area.

Between Mamaia and Constanta is LUNA PARC or “SATUL DE VACANTA”. This area is organised as a kind of amusement park with some rusty rides, some not that rusty, a renovated bowling hall, a secured shopping mall and a row of restaurants where each one is supposed to be special and serve dishes typical of all regions in Romania. The place is extremely overcrowded in weekends and a paradise for pickpockets, but is beyond doubt a local come-together location with a genuine charm. Local politicians have launched the slogan " The Riviera for Everyone" - and this must be it.

Train connections are great though and there are several departures to Bucharest and all over Romania every day from the Constanta Gara, the railways station. Dead cheap however are the minibuses that leaves for Bucharest every hour between 07 and 19 daily right in front of the railway station.

The trolley trams are the most common mean of transport in Constanta, along with minibuses that run fixed routes all over the city and the Riviera all day long. From Constanta to Mamaia is 8 km, to Eforie Nord southwards about 10 km.

THE SEA MUSEUM

The exhibit is a part of the Constanta Natural Sciences Museum Complex.

It presents collections of species from the aquatic invertebrates fauna that belongs to different biological groups, mollusks, crustaceans, spongier, coelentera and echinoderms. These proceed from the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and also from oceans. 

You should see here the biggest shell in the world - Tridacna gigas, 2 m length and 250 kg weight. Its pearls has the size of a tennis ball. Another special exhibit is the cranial skeleton from the killer whale which it was donated by The Sea Museum from Stralsund.

THE NATIONAL HISTORY AND ARCHEOLOGY MUSEUM

The museum offers you an image of Romanian history and Dobrogea territory from the middle Paleolithic period (100,000-35,000 BC) until the present.

Rare and sometimes unique, the archaeological artifacts from Hellenistic and Roman eras are exhibited on the ground floor of the building. There you can see a collection of Tanagra statuettes, the wide range of vessels from the Hellenistic era, a collection of glass vessels (1st century BC), jewellery and garments made of silver, bronze or gold.

THE FOLK ART MUSEUM

The Folk Art Museum has over 16,000 exhibits from all the ethnographic Romanian regions.

The various collections show typical Romanian folk costume, the interiors of typical peasant's homes, materials used in home. There are also household and other tools made of wood and metal, as well as pieces of furniture, pieces for worship and for ceremonies.

THE STATUE OF OVIDIUS

The poet’s statue, built by the sculptor Etorre Ferrari in 1887, is the homage paid by the city to the sad “poet of the sea”. We have to underline that the same sculptor realized the statue of Abraham Lincoln in Washington and that in 1925 a copy of this work was located in Sulmona, the native town of the poet. The statue of the first great poet who lived in Romanian territory, author of the well known poems ‘Tristae’, “Ars Amandi”, “Remedia Amoris”, ‘Metamorphose”, “fasti”, is located in Ovidius’ square.

TROPHAEUM TRAIANI ADAMCLISI

The monument is the proof of one of the most interesting chapters of the Romanian history. It has been ordered by E The monument is the proof of one of the most interesting chapters of the Romanian history. It has been ordered by Emperor Traian and raised between 106-109 A.D. emperor Traian and raised between 106-109 A.D., to celebrate the victory of the Romans against the Dacians, further to a frightful battle.

Restored in the70-ies, the monument is very similar to Traian Column in Rome, the historians presume the same architect – Apolodor from Damascus, built them both.

The monument consists in a 30 m high cylindrical nine-staired pedestal, revealing   aspects from Roman-Dacian battlefield, as well as the Roman military life. The pedestal sustains a double ranged hexagonal base, with two components: the sculpture adorned trunk and the statue presenting a Roman soldier’s suit, with armour, coat of mail and helmet. At the base of the pedestal, three Dacian prisoners are compelled to look at the trophy, pointing out, once again, the Romans' victory, always thirsty for power, led by the god of war, Mars “the Avenger”, the monument' s addressee.

Considered as “the stone chronic” of the Romanian people 's identity, the Adamclisi monument stands as one of the most important proof of our national history, long-lasting across the centuries.

The words in the funerary altar are self-evident:

“In the memory of the brave men who have struggled for their country, in the war against the Dacians, and passed away.”

Adamclisi village houses the Museum of the Monument, where a visitor can admire a lot of archaeological objects discovered in time. In this area, the visitor can admire the ruins of Tropaeum Traiani Fortress, too, built in the same period as the monument. The newly born “municipium”, knew a huge development until 170 A.D., when, was destroyed further to the repeated attacks of the migratory peoples During Constantin The Great' s reign, the town was rebuilt and became an important religious centre. , The Christian churches discovered in the area as standing as an obvious evidence. The Avars’ attacks from the 6th and 7th centuries have entirely destroyed the fortress.

 The archaeological works have lately reveled the fortress' s inner wall, offering a complex image to the tourists found of history.

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