Sulina

Sulina is located at the eastern extremity of Romania (currently the easternmost point of the European Union), in Tulcea county, in the Dobrogea historical region in the Danube Delta, at the mouth of the Sulina Arm. The town of Sulina is not directly connected to road and railway networks in Romania and is accessible only by water: either on the Danube – Sulina Canal to Tulcea, or the Black Sea towards Constanta and the canals that cross the Danube Delta towards the surrounding villages.

Most information about the settlement referred to as Solina, Selina, Sunne dates more than a thousand years back, when the settlement was already a port. The name of the town comes from the old form of the Romanian anthroponyms of today, Sorina and Sorin, related to East and meaning, according to an old legend, the daily (re)birth of the Sun from the Black Sea.

According to its functions of river port on the Danube and seaport on the Black Sea, port facilities have been built on the right bank of the Sulina Canal along the city waterfront, allowing berthing of both sea vessels and ships for the local traffic of passengers and freight. Sulina port includes equipped precincts – Shipyard, Free Trade Area – for the transit of various goods, as well as undeveloped perimeters that provide alternative solutions to possible investors.

Tulcea is the only access point to Sulina and the transport is done by conventional and fast passenger ships.

By Order no. 125 of August 31, 2000, declaring the town of Sulina and the surrounding area as a national interest objective, Sulina have the privileged status of national interest objective.

The town is located within the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, a site with world natural heritage value (UNESCO) and a wetland of international importance – waterfowl habitat according to Ramsar Convention. The whole administrative land of Sulina is included in NATURA 2000 ecological network, which also includes the sites ROSCI0065 Danube Delta and ROSCI0066 Danube Delta – Marine Area, ROSPA0031 Danube Delta and the Razim-Sinoe Complex, and ROSPA0076 the Black Sea and the Scientific Reserve of Vatafu-Lungulet Complex (1,625 ha) (according to IUCN).

The town of Sulina and its surroundings have an outstanding natural tourist potential, but which is poorly used.

The Danube is a key corridor for tourism development in the area given the beauty of the landscape, the hunting and fishing opportunities in the meadows and marshes near the river course and the transport facilities.

Recreation areas in Sulina and surrounding areas are: the beaches from the seashore to the vegetation area, for sunbath; the canals and ponds in the vicinity for sports fishing; the youth tourist complex at Lacul Rosu for thematic tourism, boating or sports fishing.

Sulina has a high concentration of built heritage and its historic city is an urban set of buildings having cultural heritage value of national interest (historic monument of exceptional value), old houses in vernacular Delta style  using reed and wood as building materials – the Old Lighthouse, today a museum, Jean Bart Memorial House, the Palace of the European Commission of the Lower Danube, the Hospital of the European Commission of the Lower Danube, two urban sites, the Multinational Maritime Cemetery, unique in our country and even on the continent, several churches: Orthodox Cathedral of St. Alexander and St. Nicholas, St. Nicholas Greek Church, Old Rite Church of Saints Peter and Paul, Roman - Catholic Church of St. Nicholas, St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, the factory with water tower - financed by the Dutch Queen in 1897 and which is still in use today.

The large variety of tourist attractions in the Danube Delta favours and promotes several types of tourism: Delta, sunbath, sports, hunting, sports fishing, water sports, nautical, traveling, rest and recreation, scientific, foto-safari/cine-safari tourism.

Traditional folk and cultural events which are organized each year attract a large number of tourists and participants: Minorities Festival , Delta Feast, the festival Musical Performance National Contest, “Children sing the sea”, the festival National Contest of Creation and Musical Performance “Sulina” the show “Sea songs”, gastronomy and eco-cultural festival “Food for the Danube mouth”.

A series of tourist facilities have been built in the town of Sulina over the time: 4 urban guesthouses and a camp for school and preschool children. There are also many other possibilities of accommodation in hotels, 2-3 stars boarding houses, many restaurants, self-service restaurants, catering services and pastry shops.

Leisure facilities are the beach with open-air restaurants, showers, lifeguard tower located at 2km from the town, the sports fields located in the camp for school and preschool children “Danube Delta”, Culture house, cinema, city park and the Danube Pier.                                   

Source: www.primaria-sulina.ro,  www.cazareinsulina.ro, www.insse.ro, General Urban Plan of Sulina Town