Danube Delta LAG
Tulcea County is situated in the Eastern part of Romania, in the Northern part of the historical area called Dobroudja, having the capital city of Tulcea – the town that was founded in the 7th century B.C. under the name of Aegyssus, mentioned by the late ancient Greek historian Procopius and by the Roman poet Ovidius, the latter recording a local tradition that ascribed the name of the city to a mythical founder, Aegisos The Caspian.
The county’s territory belongs to an ancient continental promontory – with strategic locations for guarding the Danube particularly under the Roman period, then partially submerged in the meadow and Danube Delta. Near the city of Tulcea, the Danube River divides into three branches: Chilia branch in the North (the border with Ukraine), Sulina branch (the only one navigable by large ships) and Sfântu – Gheorghe branch in the South.
The most significant feature of Tulcea County is the Danube Delta, which occupies about 1/3 of the entire surface and is located in the North-East side of the county.
Considered one of the most beautiful destination for ecotourism, the Danube Delta has a threefold conservation status: Biosphere Reserve designated internationally by the UNESCO MAB Committee, Wetland of International Importance designated by the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention and the Natural Site of Universal Natural Patrimony recognized by UNESCO. Danube Delta is among areas included in Natura 2000 network, listed by WWF within the European Priority G200 Ecoregions.
Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve (DDBR) represents a labyrinth of water and land shared between Romania and Ukraine. It is made up of countless lakes, channels and islands at the end of a 2,860 km-long Danube river. It is the largest European wetland and reed bed and constitutes Europe’s largest water purification system.
Danube Delta hosts extraordinary biodiversity and provides important environmental services. The area is particularly known for its abundance of birdlife, with the presence of more than 360 important bird species – among which most of the European population of common pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus) and curly pelican (Pelecanus crispus) – many of which use Danube Delta as an important stopover and breeding area. About 135 fish species are present on this area, including populations of sturgeon (Acipenser). Romanian Delta is also one of the last refuges of the European mink (Mustela lutreola), the wildcat (Felis silvestris), the freshwater otter (Lutra lutra).
Altogether, it is said that the Danube Delta is home for 3,450 animal species and 1,700 plant species. The Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve has the third largest biodiversity in the world (over 5,500 flora and fauna species).
The Danube Delta is a low alluvial plain, mostly covered by wetlands and water, but it also includes many canals bordered by willows and reeds, floating islands, lakes, sand dunes, subtropical forests, pastures, marshes, which allow tourists to discover the charm of the beautiful magic nature landscapes, biodiversity and human settlements.
The area has significant potential for developing sustainable tourism based on nature and culture. Tourism in Danube Delta can be experienced via a diverse range of activities such as:
• recreation trips (offered by the tourism companies, with accommodation in one of the hotels on the territory or on floating boats);
• individual trips;
• specialized trips – scientific tourism (for ornithologists, specialists, researchers, students);
• special youth programs (for nature knowledge, understanding and appreciation);
• aquatic sports;
• angling;
• kayaking and canoeing provide exciting alternatives to traditional boat tours
• rural tourism (when the tourists are hosted and guided by the local people; including local gastronomy, traditions and crafts);
• sunbathing and helio-marine cures (in Sulina and Sfantu-Gheorghe, on the sea coast);
• cultural tourism – history, archaeology, traditions of different ethnic communities.
During the latest 5 – 10 years, the concept of ,,slow tourism,, has been started to be applied within some small communities situated in DD – experiencing the delta in a slow way, by tasting the local food, knowing the local traditions preserved by the ethnical groups, making short trips with traditional boats.
Concerning cultural and historic touristic sightseeing, there are different opportunities for tourism development, mainly in the area around Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, due to the fact that Tulcea County, as a destination, comprises some very important archaeological sites on the Danubian and maritime Black Sea coast and those of the Razim – Sinoe Lagoon Complex. Danube Delta region contains a valuable cultural heritage – tangible and intangible – that encompasses historic monuments and archaeological sites, as well as a range of tradition and folk customs that have been preserved over time. This heritage reflects the multi-ethnic territory and the related evolution of the communities in the Dobroudja region.
The Danube Delta appears as an interethnic habitat. Initially a land inhabited by Romanians coming from Transylvania, Moldavia and Oltenia (different Romania’s regions), then by people who came here from Russia, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey, Danube Delta area shares the coordinates of co-ethnicity with Dobroudja region with certain differences determined by the habitat on one hand and by particular features of the ethnic groups living in the area, on the other hand. Thus, the resulting villages are, in fact, a complex mixture of Romanian, Lipovan, Ukrainian, Greek, Bulgarian, Aromanian (Macedonian), Tatar and Turkish cultures and spiritual beliefs.
The things that unite these communities are the uprooting process as the first step towards appropriating a new territory and the insular way of living in the community. Nowadays, human life is running mainly in traditional villages in the area of Danube Delta , but also in small cities where the population of diverse ethnicities coexists in good relationships and friendship, preserving their traditions, customs and culture, architectural style of building their houses.
During the entire summer season, “Greek Evenings” are organized on ‘s waterfront and tourists can enjoy dances from all over Greece, performed with great dedication and talent. Sulina was a very important Greek community
The territory of the Danube Delta is a real ethnic mosaic that brings together several nationalities who live here in complete harmony and understanding. They left their mark on the cosmopolitan culture of this area through their traditions, music and dance being perhaps the best preserved to this day.
Besides its multi-ethnical profile, representing by the specific traditions in the most part of rural communities, Tulcea County and Danube Delta are known for representing one of the most important archaeological areas in Romania. Many of the digging sites in Tulcea County became reference points in Romanian archeology research: Orgame / Argamum fortress – in Jurilovca, (L)Ibida – in Slava Rusă, Noviodunum – in Isaccea, Halmyris – in Murighiol or some others in Luncavita, Babadag and Nufăru.
The well-known Helmet of Agighiol is a Getae silver helmet dating from the 4th century B.C., housed nowadays in The National Museum of Romanian History.
Agighiol’ s treasure, dating from 5th century B.C. – discovered on Tulcea County in 1931.
Three main periods of human presence are well represented in the Northern part of Dobrogea (Tulcea County): prehistory, Greek and Roman periods and medieval. The discoveries from Ceamurlia dating from the Neolithic period attest to the existence of an intense circulation of material and spiritual goods from the South to the Danube’s mouths and back. The Hellenistic colonisation of the Western borders of the Black Sea started in the 7th century B.C., and deeply influenced the Gaetic population. In the 1st century A.D., the Roman Empire conquered and administered Dobroudja for several centuries. During the 12th and 14th centuries, the Genovese merchants, who were interested in trade on the Danube, developed an intense economic activity in this area (especially in Chilia, but also in Enisala).
Halmyris – one of the important ancient settlements and naval port – a Late Roman and Byzantine fort, is located 2.5 km west of the village of Murighiol, on LAG DD territory.
Ruins of Enisala Fortress, the single medieval fortress preserved on Tulcea County territory; built in the second half of 14th century, for military purpose, by the Genovese merchants.
In 1485, the territory became a part of the Ottoman Empire and was colonised by Turks and Tartars. The city of Babadag became the most powerful Ottoman city in this area. Dobroudja remained under Ottoman rule until the Independence War (1877 – 1878) when the Northern part became a Romanian territory and the South became a Bulgarian territory, after the Congress of Berlin in 1878.
Sulina, the small town situated also on LAG DD territory, at the Black Sea, represents the most Eastern point of Europe. Hosting the headquarters of The European Commission of the Danube (CED, 1856 – 1938), it was a well-known cosmopolite town created after Paris’s Treaty of 1856. CED was called also,,The First European Commission,, administrated by 7 great powerful states of those times, to maintain the peace and to develop the international trading partnerships.
The Lighthouse of CED in Sulina – transformed into museum
Sulina is now a port on the Danube and the Black Sea, has a beach – preferred by the tourists for its quietness and still wildness – and the delta is a short distance away. Sulina has no direct connection to the Romanian road network, nor would it be possible, being located between waters. The city can only be reached by water, either on the Danube or the Black Sea.
Tourists who choose Sulina to spend their vacation have the Danube Delta close by and can quickly reach the Letea Forest, the unique subtropical forest located on marine sand dunes, because the place where it is now located was the Sea 6,000 years ago.
There is no pollution in this small city and bird photographers are delighted with the area and return home with many beautiful shots. Families prefer to go on vacation to Sulina, because the beach is very wide, with extremely fine sand and the sea water does not deepen abruptly, being safe for children.
The Danube Delta Biosphere Administration Tourist Information Center in Sulina would be the first stop for a nature lover to fully understand the opportunities for exploring the Reserve, an interesting exhibition that will try to explain what the Danube Delta means, the flora, fauna present here and the entire network of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, as a diversity of biological resources.
Culture encompasses, therefore, local heritage as a broad concept consisting of not only wildlife and landscapes of the Danube Delta, but also the historic and archaeological sites on the whole area of Tulcea County, respectively on Danube Delta reserve and LAG Danube Delta area, showing specific and unique architectural features, historical collections, past and continuing cultural practices, including ceremonies, rituals, events, even languages, traditional knowledge and living experiences.
Cultural and Creative event in Sulina ( 2nd edition of The Danube Festival ,,With Clean Waters,, – September 2024)
Traditional Lipovan house in Danube Delta (in Sarichioi village), rehabilitated for tourism purposes – preserving the very specific reed roof and blue wooden carpentry, as the main DD local architectural characteristics.
Tourists visiting the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve have the opportunity to take part to various scientific events organized by the Administration of DDBR (DDBRA Tulcea), The National Institute for Development and Research for Danube Delta (INCDD Tulcea), The Eco-Museal Research Institute ,,Gavrilă Simion,, (ICEM Tulcea), occasions on which they could be informed and get useful information to enrich their knowledge – The World Days of the Wetlands, The Water Day, The Biodiversity Day, The Danube Day, The Earth Day, The World Animals Day, Days of Minorities Cultures, scientific seminars on different topics, events regarding books launching, cultural events, etc.