The city is known in Bulgarian, Russian and Ukrainian as Тулча,romanized:Tulcha; in Greek as Αιγισσός,romanized:Aigissós; in Hungarian asTulcsa;[3] and in Turkish asTulça.
Tulcea was founded in the 7th century BC under the name ofAegyssus, mentioned byProcopius.[4]Ovid recorded a local tradition that ascribed its name to a mythical founder, Aegisos the Caspian.[5]
Aegyssus was built on a high hill, a strategic location for guarding the Danube particularly under the Romans.The amphorae discovered from 1st century BC to 1st century AD suggest the town was an important trading centre of the period.
After theGetic raids from 12–15 AD[6] theRomans conquered the town and soon after built a new city.
The baths were built at the end of the 1st century AD and used until the beginning of the 5th century after several reconstruction phases, in the third of which a largepalaestra was added on the north side.
In the second half of the 3rd century AD, thecohors II Flavia Brittonum (from Britain) was garrisoned here, and in the next century thevexillatio Aegyssensis ofLegio I Iovia. During the 4th-5th centuries, the city still preserved its military statute (headquarters ofcuneus equitum armigerorum, praefectus ripae legionis primae ariae cohortium quinque pedaturae inferioris). It was destroyed during theHun's invasions in the 5th century and rebuilt underJustinian I along with the monumental reconstruction of the Danubian limes.
The town was abandoned by the first half of the 7th century after theAvars-Slavs' attacks and the downfall of Danubian limes.[7] The town is mentioned inNotitia Episcopatuum andDe Thematibus on the list of the bishoprics of Dobrudja.
Inhabitation was restored in the second half of the 10th century, as the Byzantines built a fort on the spot after reconquering the region. The fort was soon destroyed in 1064 by an attack of theUzes, however some inhabitation continued.[7] A settlement, larger than the one in the 11th century, is archaeologically attested beginning with the 14th century. TheOttoman rule was imposed around 1420, and would last for the following four centuries.[7]
The town was first documented under its modern name in 1506 in the Ottoman customs records, described as an "important centre for the transit trade".[7]
Around 1848, it was still a smallshipyard city, being awarded city status in 1860, when it became a province capital. It became a sanjak centre inSilistre Eyaleti in 1860 andTuna Vilayeti in 1864.
In 1853,The Times of London noted that "Toultcha" was "the last fortified place held by the Turks on the Danube, and which has a garrison of 1,200 men."[8]
During theRusso-Turkish War of 1877–1878, Northern Dobruja and specially Tulcea would be the sites of massacres and conflicts between MuslimCircassians and Christian Bulgarians, Russians, and Ukrainians. TheCircassians of Dobruja had settled there in 1864 after theCircassian genocide, and through their raids to other peoples of the region and handing over part of their gains to the Ottoman authorities, they would end up indirectly financing the construction of buildings that still stand in Tulcea today: the modernTulcea Art Museum and theAzizyie Mosque. The Dobrujan Circassians were expelled from the region after the end of the war.[9]
In 1878, after the end of the war, Tulcea was awarded to Romania, together with the rest of Northern Dobruja (seeCongress of Berlin). Tulcea was occupied by theCentral Powers between 1916–1918 duringWorld War I, and became part of their condominium following theTreaty of Bucharest in May 1918 (until November 1918). During that time, the statue ofMircea the Elder was taken down byBulgarian troops, since it was during his reign thatDobruja was incorporated intoWallachia.[10]
Tulcea's climate is transitional betweencontinental and temperate (Köppen:Dfa/Cfa),[11] with cold winters and hot summers. Daily minimum temperatures drop below 0 °C (32 °F) for roughly 79.5 days per year from October to April, with 17.2 days where the daily maximum temperature is also below 0 °C (32 °F). Snow cover, on average, is observed for 27.6 days per year.[12]
Tulcea is the site of the "George Georgescu Contest", a music competition created by teachers at the Tulcea Arts High School and held annually since 1992. Named in honor of the conductorGeorge Georgescu (1887–1964), an important figure in the development of Romanian classical music who was born in the Tulcea county, the contest was at first open only to Romanian music school and high school students but began admitting international students in 1995. Organizers include the Romanian Ministry of Education and Youth, the Education Board of Tulcea County, the Tulcea County Council, the Tulcea Mayoralty, and surviving members of Georgescu's family.[13]
Port of Tulcea (2016)Tulcea at the end of the 19th century
The Monument of Independence represents one of the main attractions of the city, because of its placement and of the panoramic view that it offers. It is located on the same hill as the ruins of Aegyssus and the history museum. The monument itself is represented by an obelisk with a statue of an eagle on one side and the statue of a soldier on the other. The monument was erected to commemorate theWar of Independence that made Dobruja part of Romania. Construction began on October 17, 1879, in the presence of PrinceCarol I of Romania.[14]
The Monument of independence - TulceaThe city viewed from the top of the monument hill at night
^Alexe, Virginia; Bărbulescu, Gabriela; Dascălu, Violeta; Ioniță, Daniela (2021).Földrajz: Tankönyv a IV. osztály számára [Geography: Textbook for grade four](PDF) (in Hungarian). Translated by Opra, Zsuzsanna-Maria; Albert, Andreea; Deregan, Sidonia. Bucharest: Litera.ISBN978-606-33-8271-0.Archived(PDF) from the original on August 7, 2022. RetrievedAugust 7, 2022.
^abcdStănică, Aurel (2004). "Tulcea. Un centru economic la Dunărea de Jos în secolul al XVI-lea".Peuce. S.N. II(XV). Tulcea: Institutul de Cercetări Eco-Muzeale: 199.ISSN0258-8102.
