Tulcea

Tulcea Municipality – the seat and the largest city of the Tulcea County, lies at the extreme east - south-east of Romania, in the central north of the Dobrogea Region, on the right side of the Tulcea arm at the crossing of 45⁰ N parallel with the 29⁰ E meridian. The municipality can be reached by road, rail, river and air. The Bucharest City, which is 343 km far from Tulcea, can be reached by travelling on DN2-DN22A national roads (crossing Harsova – DN2 national road). The DN22 national road connects the Tulcea Municipality with the Galati Municipality (crossing Braila Municipality), 93 km far from the Tulcea Municipality and the Constanta Municipality, which is 125 km far from the Tulcea Municipality. Trains travel 343 km to reach the Bucharest City and 144 km to reach the Constanta Municipality. There are 71 km of river and marine travel to reach the Black Sea and the Danube Delta Airport is 15 km far from the Tulcea Municipality.

Tulcea Municipality, also known as “the city of the seven hills”, was established on the Neolithic precints of a settlement (IV^th – III^rd millennium B.C.). According to archaeological finds, the name of the ancient Aegyssus fortress, a Gaetae – Dacian fortress (III^rd century B.C.) is derived from the name of the founder of the fortress.

The current name of the city was first mentioned in 1595 in the chronicles written during the rule of Prince Mircea cel Batran (Mircea the Elder).

On November 14, 1878, after five centuries of Ottoman domination, the Romanian State regained the governance of the Dobrudja Region and the Tulcea Municipality became the administrative seat of the Tulcea County. In the years before and after World War II and since 1870 until the year 2000, the Tulcea Municipality underwent a steady industrial and social development, ranked II^nd among the most important cities of the Dobrudja Region.

Tulcea Municipality is an important and modern industrial centre, and an industrial, mineral shipping, tourist and commercial port, it is a reed collection centre and the single city in the country where calcined alumina is produced. The fishing and fish processing industry as well as the grape growing and wine production are important sectors of the local economy taking into account the specific geographical and climate conditions.

Large market places, a mall, hospitals, outpatient hospitals, private consulting rooms and dental clinics, pharmacies, educational institutions for all school study levels and orphan care centres are operational in the Tulcea Municipality.

Also called “the city at the gates of the Danube Delta”, the economy of the city developed mostly based on tourism, a fact demonstrated by the constructions and investments made for hotel building. A number of 5 hotels rated from 2 stars to 4 stars have been built in the Tulcea Municipality. They offer travels to the Danube Delta and the surroundings of the city, the archaeological sites and the monasteries and convents.

Tourism has three branches: scientific tourism in the Danube Delta, historic tourism at the archaeological sites and fishing and hunting tourism in the Danube Delta.

Tulcea Municipality has no protected areas and the green space per capita is rather small. There are many tourist and cultural attractions in the city such as the Civic Square (Piata Civica) dominated by the on-horse statue of Mircea cel Batran (Micea the Elder), the four museums including the “Denube Delta” Eco-Tourism Museum, where the main attraction is the aquarium at the basement of the building, the Museum of Arts, the Museum of History and Archaeology, the Museum of Ethnography and Popular Art, the Saint Nicholas Cathedral, a monument of Romanian architecture built in the interval 1862-1865, the Aziziye Mosque, the Synagogue, the Saint George Church or the Clock Church, the Feast of the Announcement Cathedral or the Greek Church, the House of Culture, the “Jean Bart” Theatre, the Galleries of the Fine Arts Work Centre, the Monument of the Independence War and the Aegyssus Fortress situated on the Monument Hill.  

Another tourist attraction is Tulcea Esplanade, a promenade place where sports competitions are organized. Tulcea Municipality has also recreational areas such as parks, the Bididia area where there is a small camp, a small botanical garden, field tennis courts, a karting track, a library, a cinema hall, sports clubs, the “Delta” sports ground and the Tudor Vladimirescu beach (opposite to the city esplanade).

The cultural and artistic events attract large audiences – the “George Georgescu” International Contest for Performing Artists, the “White Water Lily” Festival for Light Music Singers, the “Golden Fish” International Folklore Festival for Children and the Youth, the Danube International Festival, the “TRAGOS” International Festival of Theatre, the “Tulcea Folk Fest”, the Dobrudja Day.                                                  

Source: www.primaria-tulcea.ro,  www.wikipedia.ro, www.info-delta.ro/orasul-tulcea-23/, www.insse.ro