Macin

The Măcin Town is situated in the north-west of the Tulcea County in the historical region of Dobrudja, not far from the Old Danube and the New Danube – the Smârdan Point. It is an important crossroad that leads to the Muntenia, Transylvania and Moldova Regions, in the transit zone that leads to the Danube Delta and the seaside.

The Măcin Town can be reached by travelling from the Tulcea Municipality, the seat of the Tulcea County, and the Brăila Municipality on E87 European expressway and crossing the Danube with the ferryboat at the Smârdan Point, and from the Galaţi Municipality on DN22 national road and crossing the Danube with the ferryboat at I.C.Bratianu Point. The Măcin Town can also be reached by river transport from the Tulcea, Galaţi and Brăila Municipalities.

Măcin is an ancient settlement, dating back from the III^rd century B.C., acknowledged as an urban commune in the Ottoman writings of the XVI^th century. The ancient origin of this settlement can be identified in the name Arrubium given by the Celts in the III^rd century B.C.

Since antiquity, this settlement had an important religious role in the life of the local inhabitants. The settlement took its name from the Jupiter Arrubianus deity, which the ancient inhabitants used to worship.

The Roman Arrubium fortress, whose ruins are sited on the territory of the Măcin Town, was first mentioned in ancient writings about the year 100 A.C. The archaeological diggings inside the fortress revealed a number of inscriptions, military poles, engraved tiles and two large Roman imperial monetary treasures, which brought to life valuable information about the Roman fortress and the flourishing economic life of the fortress in the I^st and II^nd centuries A.C. In the middle ages, the town, which grew on the ruins of the ancient Arrubium, was named Măcin and would play an important role in the economic and administrative life of the province.

The economy of the Măcin Town has an agricultural-industrial structure. The traditional local industry includes granite quarrying from the European well-known “Granite Triangle”: Măcin, Greci, Turcoaia; wood cutting and processing, clothes manufacturing, traditional handicrafts (reed and osier knittings), mechanical parts manufacturing for agricultural machinery. At present, the industry of the town is facing problems related to the adaptation to the exigencies of the market economy. The current well-developed industrial branches in the Măcin Town are as follows: light industry, mining industry – granite quarrying from the Măcin Mountains, food industry and wood industry. The Măcin Town is an industrial port at the Danube together with the Turcoaia Port.

Tourist attractions consist of elements of the natural tourism potential (geographic landscape, nature reserves and nature monuments) and elements of the anthropic tourism potential (historical and architectural monuments, cultural and popular art facilities).

At present, tourism is little practiced in the Măcin Mountains, as those mountains are far from the Carpathian Chain, and are eclipsed by the famous delta of the Danube.

The natural tourism potential is mainly represented by the “Macin Mountains” National Park situated on the oldest geological formation of the country, Natura 2000 site. The Măcin Mountains National Park is the sole national park in the country that protects important steppe vegetation areas – the Balkan-Pontic Steppe. This kind of vegetation is very rare in Europe. One of the major reasons for the establishment of the National Park is the very large number of endangered plant species of which many grow in the Dobrudja Region only, most of them unprotected in other nature reserves.

Other tourist attractions are the Dealul Bujoarele (Bujoarele Hill) fossiliferous point (natural geological reserve), the “Valea Fagilor” (the Beeches Valley) Forest (nature botanical reserve), Popina Blasova (nature reserve) in the Balta Brăilei (the Brăila Moorland), the site called “Piatra fetii” (the Face’s Rock) the Old Danube or the Măcin Branch. Tourist amenities are absent in the mountains, but there are some tourist amenities in the Măcin Town.

The most important element of the anthropic tourism potential is the Arrubium – Măcin Roman camp (I^st century A.C.) and the Roman fortresses of Troesmis, in the proximity of the Turcoaia Commune, the Dinogeţia Roman-Byzantine Fortress not far from Garvan, the Old Inn and Mosque of Macin, the “Panait Cerna” Memorial House (in the Cerna Commune), the specific Dobrudjan architecture of the houses (in the Luncaviţa, Văcăreni, Gârvan and Jijila Communes), the Heroes Monument in the Măcin Town, the Măcin Convent with a wooden church.

The Măcin wines, produced by Alcovin Company (“Sarica Niculiţel” Vineyard, Terente’s Cellar, the Dobrudjan Press House) have earned a good reputation and top awards at both national and foremost international levels.

The Măcin Town has a modern hotel and there are two campsites with houselet accommodation on the Tulcea-Macin national roads: Culmea Pricopanului Campsite, in the proximity of the Lacul Sarat (the Salt Lake), 5 km far from the Măcin Town and the Căprioara Campsite in the proximity of the Pasul Carapelit (the Carpelit Pass), 35 km far from the Măcin Town.

Source:  www.primariaorasuluimacin.ro,  www.wikipedia.ro,  www.macin.ro,   www.fasttravel.ro