Check our tours in the Danube Delta
Dobrogea is a small region on the Black Sea shore where you’ll find Europe’s youngest land and the world’s third-highest biodiversity area, the Danube Delta. The most popular summer destination for Romanians, Dobrogea offers much more than a day at the beach. You can visit ancient ruins built thousands of years ago, take bird watching tours, or even hike in Macin Mountains.
Pelican on a lake in the Danube Delta
A short history of Dobrogea
The strategic position of the Black Sea on the ancient commercial routes determined the Greeks to build colonies in Dobrogea and the Romans to conquer the region almost 2,000 years ago. After some centuries of independence, often under Byzantine influence, the Ottomans annexed Dobrogea in the 15th century.
During the Ottoman domination, its ethnic diversity increased even more. In the 18th century, the Russians who opposed the religious schism of Tsar Peter the Great also migrated to the region. Known as lipoveni, they conserved their distinct cultural traditions until today. One century later, German colonists from the Russian Empire also settled in Dobrogea. Most of them migrated during WW2.
Enisala Fortress
Dobrogea remained an Ottoman province until 1877 when it became part of the Romanian Kingdom. Its main city, Constanta, became the most important port in the country and one of the most cosmopolitan Romanian cities in the early 20th century.
Multicultural diversity on the shores of the Black Sea
Until the mid-20th century, Dobrogea was one of the most multicultural corners of Romania. In 1930, 44,2% of its population was Romanian, 22,8% Bulgarian, 18,5% Turk, 2,7% Tatar, 3,4% German, and to a smaller extent Greek. At the time, Dobrogea was one of the most multicultural spaces on the continent, with a rich diversity of languages, religions, and customs. (Source: Romania tara de frontiera a Europei by Lucian Boia, Humanitas, 2007).
While the communist regime did all it could to diminish this cultural diversity and partially succeeded, you can still taste delicious ethnic foods like suberek, borek, kobete, or giudem.
Relaxing on the Black Sea shore
The most beautiful places to see in Dobrogea
The most popular summer destination in Romania, the Black Sea coast has more to offer than crowded beaches. We suggest you take at least one or two days to uncover the ancient and fascinating land of Dobrogea.
Cities
Constanta
Romania’s most important port, Constanta, traces its history back to the 7th century BC when the Greeks from Milet founded there the ancient city of Tomis. Its time under the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Empires left a lot of interesting vestiges you can discover if you visit the city’s museums.
Constanta Casino, Dobrogea, Romania
Don’t miss the History and Archaeology Museum, the Roman Edifice with Mosaic, the Mosque, Ovidiu Square, the Casino, and the Genovese Lighthouse.
History & Culture
Ancient and medieval ruins by the Black Sea
The arid landscape of Dobrogea was once a promised land for ancient Greek and Roman colonists, but also for Genovese merchants in the medieval centuries. Their old cities and fortresses survive only in ruins on the shore of the Black Sea. Don’t miss Histria, Argamum and Enisala, Capidava, Halmyris, or Tropaeum Traiani from Adamclisi.
Enisala Fortress
Nature
The Danube Delta
A rare paradise for hundreds of bird species, the Danube Delta is one of the highest biodiversity areas in the world. A labyrinth of canals, willows, reed, fishermen villages, and lakes, the Danube Delta is a unique destination in Romania.
Enjoy it like a responsible traveler. Book locally owned accommodation and local guides.
The Danube Delta
Macin Mountains
With a maximum altitude of only 467 meters, Macin Mountains are the lowest in Romania. They’re also the oldest as some of their rocks date before the era of the dinosaurs. Ten thematic itineraries, including one for horseback riding and one for cycling, cover the area of this national park that protects over 3,400 species of flora and fauna.
Macin Mountains, Dobrogea, Romania
Photo credits: bereta
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