Constanța

Constanța began as the Greek colony of Tomis and has been a port ever since, which gives it a layered centre unlike anywhere else on the Romanian coast. The National History and Archaeology Museum holds sculpture from the ancient city including the coiled Glykon serpent, and next to it a purpose-built hall covers the Roman Edifice with Mosaic, a floor of around eight hundred square metres from a late Roman commercial building on the terraces above the harbour. The peninsula holds the Grand Mosque, opened by King Carol I in 1913 on the site of the older Mahmudiye mosque, with its climbable minaret, the Orthodox cathedral, and streets of decaying belle époque houses. On the seafront stands the casino of 1910, an Art Nouveau landmark that stood ruined for decades and has been under a long restoration. Beyond the old town the city is industrial and the port is one of the largest on the Black Sea.

History

Greek colonists founded Tomis in the 6th century BC, and the poet Ovid was banished here by Augustus in AD 8 for the rest of his life. Under Rome it became the capital of Scythia Minor and was later called Constantiana, by the 14th century Italian sea charts named it Constanza, and when the railway to Cernavodă was laid in 1860 digging revealed one of the longest mosaic pavements in the world (Wikipedia, Constanța).

What to look for

• The Roman mosaic - a vast late Roman floor preserved under cover.
• The archaeology museum - Tomis sculpture including the Glykon serpent.
• The seafront casino - the Art Nouveau landmark under restoration.
• The Grand Mosque - Neo-Egyptian and Neo-Byzantine, with a minaret to climb.

When to go

May to September for the coast, though the museums make Constanța a reasonable year-round stop. July and August are crowded and hot, with the beach resorts nearby full. Spring and September are the best compromise.

Things to know

The old peninsula is shabby and many belle époque buildings are propped and empty. The casino restoration has run for years and access has been limited. The city beach is average and the good sand is at Mamaia to the north. Museum labelling is largely Romanian.

Nearby

Mamaia is immediately north; Histria and the Dobrogean sites lie inland and north.

Key facts