Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BLACK SEA COAST & LITTORAL
Constanţa
POP 260,000
Constanţa is Romania's largest and most important port city on the Black Sea; in summer,
it's also the gateway to the country's seaside resorts. Accommodation here is cheaper than
in Mamaia and maxi taxis cover the journey in about 15 minutes, so it may be worthwhile
to consider basing yourself here even if you're only coming for Mamaia's beaches and dis-
cos. While the city shows obvious signs of neglect, especially around the port area, there
are some very good museums, and a pretty portside walk. The restaurants are the best in
this part of the country.
History
Constanţa has a rich history, bathed in legend, going back to the ancient Greeks. In the
classical myth of Jason and the Argonauts, Jason is said to have fled here from King Ai-
etes. Indeed, Constanţa's name in ancient Greece was 'Tomis', which means 'cut to pieces'
- a reference to the story.
Under the Roman occupation, which began about 2000 years ago, Emperor Constantine
fortified and developed the city and later renamed it after his sister. Constanţa's most im-
portant resident, doubtless, was the Roman poet Ovid (43 BC-AD 17), who was exiled
here in AD 8 by Emperor Augustus. Ovid was one unhappy camper, apparently. He is said
to have missed his beloved Rome greatly and died less than a decade later.
By the 8th century the city had been destroyed by invading Slavs and Avars and it fell in-
to a long decline.
After Constanţa was taken by Romania in 1877, the town grew in importance as a Black
Sea port, and a railway was built from Bucharest. By the early 1900s it was a fashionable
seaside resort frequented by European royalty.
