Constanța#History

{{See also|History of Dobruja}}

{{Quote box

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| align = right

| bgcolor = #B0C4DE

| title = Historical affiliations

| fontsize = 90%

| quote = Roman Republic 29 BC–27 BC

Roman Empire 27 BC–395

{{flagicon|Byzantine Empire}} Byzantine Empire 395–680

First Bulgarian Empire 680–971

{{flagicon|Byzantine Empire}} Byzantine Empire 971–1186

{{flagicon|Second Bulgarian Empire}} Second Bulgarian Empire 1186–1356

Despotate of Dobruja 1356–1411

{{flagicon|Ottoman Empire}} Ottoman Empire 1411–1878

{{flagicon|Romania}} Romania 1878–1918 (de facto until Oct. 1916)

{{flagicon|German Empire}}{{flagicon|Austria-Hungary}}{{flagicon|Ottoman Empire}}{{flagicon|Kingdom of Bulgaria}} Central Powers May 1918–Sept. 1918 (de facto from Oct. 1916)

{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} Bulgaria Sept. 1918–Nov. 1919 (de facto until Dec. 1918)

{{flagicon|Romania}} Romania 1919–present (de facto since Dec. 1918)|-

}}

File:Orasul antic Tomis - Therme.jpg

File:Statue of Ovid and National History Museum in Constantza.jpg

File:Casino de Constanța en 1944 (I).jpg after the occupation of the port of Constanța by Soviet sailors in 1944.]]

Tomis was founded in the 6th century BC as a Greek colony{{Cite book |author=Eusebios–Hieronymos |author-link=Jerome |editor=Ibarez, Josh Miguel Blasco |title=Hieronymi Chronicon |page=167 |url=http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/jerome_chronicle_05_latin_part1.htm |year=2005 |access-date=2007-04-27 |language=la |archive-date=23 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240123202835/https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/jerome_chronicle_05_latin_part1.htm |url-status=live }} as were nearby the colonies of Histria, Orgame and Kallatis in the same era.

The site had the advantage of a fine harbour, the Carasu valley offering an inland shortcut from the sea to the Danube, and fertile land nearby.Zaharia, L.; Pișota, I. (2003). "Apele Dobrogei" (PDF). Analele Universității București: Geografie (in Romanian): 116–117 The peninsula on which it was sited has high cliffs protecting Tomis from cold winds and from attack.Alexandru Suceveanu, (1977): 42, Maria Barbulescu, (2001): p 23

Most of the ancient city is covered by the modern day Constanta, making archaeology difficult.

In the 5th century BC it was under the influence of the Delian League, passing in this period from oligarchy to democracy.{{cite book|author=Aristotle |author-link=Aristotle |title=Aristotle's Politics |editor=Jowett, Benjamin |chapter="Politics", Book V, 6 |url=https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/a/aristotle/a8po/complete.html |chapter-url=http://ebooks.library.adelaide.edu.au/a/aristotle/a8po/book5.html |year=2000 |location=Adelaide |publisher=University of Adelaide |access-date=2007-04-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080222064513/http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/a/aristotle/a8po/ |archive-date=February 22, 2008 }}

The war for the emporion of Tomis took place in the middle of the 3rd century BC.Memnon, FHG III, p. 537.

In 29 BC the Romans captured the region from the Odrysian kingdom and annexed it as far as the Danube.

It was a member, perhaps the capital, of the Hexapolis alliance of Greek cities with Histria, Callatis, Dionysupolis, Odessos and Mesambria.

In AD 8, the Roman poet Ovid (43 BC–17 AD) was banished to Tomis by Emperor Augustus for the last eight years of his life.{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ovid-Roman-poet | access-date=February 22, 2024 | title=Ovid | first=Edward John | last=Kenney | series=Encyclopaedia Britannica | archive-date=2 February 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240202234450/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ovid-Roman-poet | url-status=live }} He lamented his Tomisian exile in his poems Tristia and Epistulae ex Ponto. Tomis was "by his account a town located in a war-stricken cultural wasteland on the remotest margins of the empire".The Cambridge Companion to Ovid ed. Philip Hardie p.235.

A number of inscriptions found in and around the city show that Constanța stands over the site of Tomis.{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Constantza|volume=7|page=11}} Some of these finds are now preserved in the British Museum in London.{{cite web|url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/search.aspx?people=95085&peoA=95085-3-9|title=Collection search: You searched for|website=British Museum|access-date=2016-07-22|archive-date=2015-10-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017194816/http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/search.aspx?people=95085&peoA=95085-3-9|url-status=live}}

The city was afterwards included in the Province of Moesia and, from the time of Diocletian, in Scythia Minor of which it was the capital.

In 269 the city was attacked by the Goths who succeeded in destroying only suburbs outside the walls.Wolfram, Herwig (1990). History of the Goths. Translated by Dunlap, Thomas J. University of California Press. ISBN 0520069838 pp 52-56

The city lay at the seaward end of the Great Wall of Trajan. Tomis was later called Constantiana, possibly in honour of Constantia, the half-sister of Roman Emperor Constantine the Great or his son Constantius II, a name mentioned for the town by Procopius of Caesarea. In 395, Tomis was assigned to the Eastern Roman Empire.

During Maurice's Balkan campaigns, Tomis was besieged by the Avars in the winter of 597/598. It was conquered at the Battle of Ongal by the First Bulgarian Empire in 680. It stayed under Bulgarian rule until the Byzantines under John I Tzimiskes retook it in the Rus-Byzantine War of 970-971. Tomis was then seized by the Second Bulgarian Empire during the Uprising of Asen and Peter in 1186.

By the 14th century Italian nautical maps used the name Constanza.{{Cite journal |last=Andrews |first=Smaranda |title=Greek cities on the western coast of the Black Sea: Orgame, Histria, Tomis, and Kallatis (7th to 1st century BCE) |url=https://www.academia.edu/98870194 |journal=Academia.edu |access-date=12 November 2023 |archive-date=12 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231112143504/https://www.academia.edu/98870194/Greek_cities_on_the_western_coast_of_the_Black_Sea_Orgame_Histria_Tomis_and_Kallatis_7th_to_1st_century_BCE_ |url-status=live }}

After almost 200 years as part of Bulgaria, and becoming subsequently an independent principality of Dobrotitsa/Dobrotici and of Wallachia under Mircea I of Wallachia, Constanța fell under Ottoman rule around 1411.

File:Constanţa Generala 1909.jpg

File:Cercul Militar Constanta, fosta Prefectura.jpeg

File:Bundesarchiv N 1603 Bild-027, Konstanza, Siebelfähren im Hafen.jpg in 1941]]

A railroad linking Constanța to Cernavodă was laid in 1860. In spite of damage done by railway contractors considerable remains of ancient walls, pillars, etc. came to light. What is thought to have been a port building was excavated, and revealed the substantial remains of one of the longest mosaic pavements in the world.

In 1878, after the Romanian War of Independence, Constanța and the rest of Northern Dobruja were ceded by the Ottoman Empire to Romania. The city became Romania's main seaport and the transit point for much of Romania's exports. The Constanța Casino, a historic monument and a symbol of the modern city, was the first building constructed on the shore of the Black Sea after Dobruja came under Romanian administration, with the cornerstone being laid in 1880.{{cite web|title=Cazino Constanta|url=https://www.litoralulromanesc.ro/cazino.htm|website=Litoralul Romanesc|access-date=27 March 2018|archive-date=29 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180329121118/https://www.litoralulromanesc.ro/cazino.htm|url-status=live}}

On 22 October 1916 (during World War I), the Central Powers (German, Turkish and Bulgarian troops) occupied Constanța. According to the Treaty of Bucharest of May 1918, article X.b.{{cite web|url=https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/routreat.html|title=Article X of the Treaty|access-date=14 December 2018|archive-date=24 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190324234829/https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/routreat.html}} (a treaty never ratified by Romania), Constanța remained under the joint control of the Central Powers. The city came afterwards under Bulgarian rule after a protocol regarding the transfer of the jointly administered zone in Northern Dobruja to Bulgaria had been signed in Berlin on 24 September 1918, by Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R3cEDgAAQBAJ&q=berlin+protocol+dobruja+september+1918&pg=PA358|title=Entangled Histories of the Balkans|author=Roumen Dontchev Daskalov|author2=Diana Mishkova|author3=Tchavdar Marinov|author4=Alexander Vezenkov|date=30 January 2017|page=358|volume=4|publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-25075-8|access-date=3 March 2021|archive-date=22 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922021045/https://books.google.com/books?id=R3cEDgAAQBAJ&q=berlin+protocol+dobruja+september+1918&pg=PA358|url-status=live}} The agreement was short-lived: five days later, on 29 September, Bulgaria capitulated after the successful offensive on the Macedonian front (see the Armistice of Salonica), and the Allied troops liberated the city in 1918.

In the interwar years, the city became Romania's main commercial hub, so that by the 1930s over half of its exports were exiting via the port. During World War II, when Romania joined the Axis powers, Constanța was a major target for the Allied bombers. While the town was left relatively unscathed, the port suffered extensive damage, recovering only in the early 1950s.

Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the blockading of the Ukrainian Black Sea ports led to renewed interest in the port of Constanta as one possible outlet for transporting grain to the rest of the world.{{Cite web |title=Photos: Romanian port becomes key transit hub for Ukrainian grain |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2022/6/16/photos-romanian-port-becomes-key-transit-hub-for-ukrainian-grain |access-date=2022-06-19 |website=www.aljazeera.com |language=en |archive-date=2022-06-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220619145705/https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2022/6/16/photos-romanian-port-becomes-key-transit-hub-for-ukrainian-grain |url-status=live }}

Constanța is the administrative center of the county with the same name and the largest city in the Southeastern development region of Romania. The city is located on the Black Sea coast, with a beach length of {{convert|13|km|0|abbr=off}}.

File:Cazinoul din Constanta vedere laterala.jpg

File:Constanta, lighthouse.jpg]]

File:Casa cu Lei 3.jpg

File:Moscheea Carol I, Constanta.JPG.]]

File:Constanța, Catedrala Sfinții Petru și Pavel, 5.jpeg]]

File:Geamia Hunchiar (Hünkar Mosque), Constanta.jpg Hunkar mosque]]

The Emperor Augustus exiled the Roman poet Ovid to what was then Tomis in 8 AD. In 1887, the sculptor Ettore Ferrari designed a statue of Ovid which gave its name to this square in the old town. In 1916, during the occupation of Dobruja by the Central Powers, it was taken down by Bulgarian troops, and was later reinstated by the Germans.{{cite news|url=https://romania.europalibera.org/a/stergerea-memoriei-sau-rescrierea-istoriei-cand-a-daramat-romania-prima-statuie/30665862.html|title=Ștergerea memoriei sau rescrierea istoriei. Când a dărâmat România prima statuie|language=ro|first=Sabina|last=Fati|newspaper=Europa Liberă România |publisher=Radio Free Europe|date=11 June 2020|access-date=3 July 2020|archive-date=11 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611213109/https://romania.europalibera.org/a/stergerea-memoriei-sau-rescrierea-istoriei-cand-a-daramat-romania-prima-statuie/30665862.html|url-status=live}}

The statue is in front of National History and Archaeology Museum is housed in the old City Hall.{{cn|date=June 2025}}

The Genoese Lighthouse is {{convert|26|ft|m}} high.{{cn|date=June 2025}}

Commissioned by King Carol I in 1910 and designed by architects Daniel Renard and Petre Antonescu right on the seashore, the derelict Constanța Casino features sumptuous Art Nouveau architecture. Once a huge attraction for European tourists, the casino lost its customers after the collapse of Communism. In 2021 renovation of the building finally began.{{Cite web |date=2020-01-10 |title=Renovations for famous Constanta Casino in Romania can finally begin |url=https://heritagetribune.eu/romania/famous-constanta-casino-in-romania-can-finally-begin/ |access-date=2022-06-19 |website=European Heritage Tribune |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-10-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221007103336/https://heritagetribune.eu/romania/famous-constanta-casino-in-romania-can-finally-begin/ |url-status=live }}

The Constanța Aquarium is nearby.

The Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul was built between 1883 and 1885.{{cn|date=June 2025}}

Built in 1910 by King Carol I, the Grand Mosque of Constanța was originally called the Carol I Mosque.

The Hünkar Mosque was completed in 1869.{{cn|date=June 2025}}

File:Mamaia Beach (September 2013).JPG

Constanța has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa in Köppen climate classification).

Summer (early June to mid September) is hot and sunny, with a July and August average of {{convert|23|°C|0|abbr=on}}. Most summer days see a gentle breeze refreshing the daytime temperatures. Nights are warm and somewhat muggy because of the heat stored by the sea.

Autumn starts in mid or late September with warm and sunny days. September can be warmer than June, owing to the warmth accumulated by the Black Sea during the summer. The first frost occurs on average in mid November.

Winter is milder than other cities in southern Romania. Snow is not abundant but the weather can be very windy and unpleasant. Winter arrives much later than inland and December weather is often mild with high temperatures reaching {{convert|8|°C|0|abbr=on}} – {{convert|12|°C|0|abbr=on}}. The average January temperature is {{convert|1|°C|0|abbr=on}}. Winter storms, which occur when the sea becomes particularly treacherous, are a common occurrence between December and March.

Spring arrives early but it is quite cool. Often in April and May the Black Sea coast is one of the coolest places in Romania found at an altitude lower than {{convert|500|m|0|abbr=on}}.

Four of the warmest seven years from 1889 to 2008 have occurred after the year 2000 (2000, 2001, 2007 and 2008). As of September 2009, the winter and the summer of 2007 were respectively the warmest and the second warmest in recorded history with monthly averages for January (+6.5 °C) and June (+23.0 °C) breaking all-time records. Overall, 2007 was the warmest year since 1889 when weather recording began.

{{Weather box|width=auto

|location = Constanța (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1901-2020)

|metric first= Yes

|single line= Yes

|Jan record high C = 18.3

|Feb record high C = 24.5

|Mar record high C = 30.8

|Apr record high C = 31.9

|May record high C = 36.9

|Jun record high C = 36.9

|Jul record high C = 38.5

|Aug record high C = 36.8

|Sep record high C = 34.8

|Oct record high C = 31.8

|Nov record high C = 26.5

|Dec record high C = 21.0

|year record high C = 38.5

|Jan high C = 4.7

|Feb high C = 6.5

|Mar high C = 10.1

|Apr high C = 14.7

|May high C = 20.6

|Jun high C = 25.5

|Jul high C = 27.9

|Aug high C = 27.9

|Sep high C = 23.3

|Oct high C = 17.6

|Nov high C = 11.9

|Dec high C = 6.6

|year high C =

|Jan mean C = 1.4

|Feb mean C = 2.7

|Mar mean C = 6.2

|Apr mean C = 10.8

|May mean C = 16.6

|Jun mean C = 21.5

|Jul mean C = 23.9

|Aug mean C = 23.9

|Sep mean C = 19.2

|Oct mean C = 13.8

|Nov mean C = 8.4

|Dec mean C = 3.2

|year mean C =

|Jan low C = -1.2

|Feb low C = 0.0

|Mar low C = 3.3

|Apr low C = 7.7

|May low C = 13.1

|Jun low C = 17.6

|Jul low C = 19.7

|Aug low C = 19.9

|Sep low C = 15.6

|Oct low C = 10.8

|Nov low C = 5.7

|Dec low C = 0.6

|year low C =

|Jan record low C = -24.7

|Feb record low C = -25.0

|Mar record low C = -12.8

|Apr record low C = -4.5

|May record low C = 1.8

|Jun record low C = 6.4

|Jul record low C = 7.6

|Aug record low C = 8.0

|Sep record low C = 1.0

|Oct record low C = -12.4

|Nov record low C = -11.7

|Dec record low C = -18.6

|year record low C = -25.0

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 35.6

|Feb precipitation mm = 25.9

|Mar precipitation mm = 37.4

|Apr precipitation mm = 31.9

|May precipitation mm = 44.8

|Jun precipitation mm = 42.3

|Jul precipitation mm = 41.9

|Aug precipitation mm = 36.3

|Sep precipitation mm = 44.0

|Oct precipitation mm = 44.4

|Nov precipitation mm = 41.5

|Dec precipitation mm = 41.1

|year precipitation mm =

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 5.6

|Feb precipitation days = 4.6

|Mar precipitation days = 5.5

|Apr precipitation days = 5.2

|May precipitation days = 5.9

|Jun precipitation days = 5.2

|Jul precipitation days = 4.2

|Aug precipitation days = 2.9

|Sep precipitation days = 4.1

|Oct precipitation days = 4.9

|Nov precipitation days = 5.2

|Dec precipitation days = 6.2

|year precipitation days =

| Jan snow days =7.83

| Feb snow days =5.25

| Mar snow days =2.83

| Apr snow days =0.21

| May snow days =0.04

| Jun snow days =0

| Jul snow days =0

| Aug snow days =0

| Sep snow days =0

| Oct snow days =0.04

| Nov snow days =1.29

| Dec snow days =4.5

| year snow days =

|Jan humidity = 86

|Feb humidity = 85

|Mar humidity = 85

|Apr humidity = 83

|May humidity = 81

|Jun humidity = 78

|Jul humidity = 76

|Aug humidity = 77

|Sep humidity = 79

|Oct humidity = 82

|Nov humidity = 86

|Dec humidity = 88

|year humidity = 82

|Jan sun = 89

|Feb sun = 112

|Mar sun = 143

|Apr sun = 198

|May sun = 270

|Jun sun = 294

|Jul sun = 331

|Aug sun = 305

|Sep sun = 229

|Oct sun = 157

|Nov sun = 100

|Dec sun = 86

|year sun =

|source 1 = NOAA,{{cite web

| url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Romania/CSV/Constanta_15480.csv

| title = WMO Normals 91-20 Romania - Constanta

| publisher = NOAA

| access-date = October 20, 2023

| archive-date = 17 November 2023

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231117211556/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Romania/CSV/Constanta_15480.csv

| url-status = live

}} meteomanz(snow days 2000-2023){{cite web | url = http://www.meteomanz.com/sy3?l=1&cou=6240&ind=15480&m1=01&y1=2000&m2=07&y2=2024

| title = CONSTANTA - Weather data by months | website = Meteomanz | access-date = 6 July 2024}}

|source 2 = Romanian National Statistic Institute (extremes 1901–2000),{{cite web

| url = http://www.insse.ro/cms/files/pdf/ro/cap1.pdf

| title = AIR TEMPERATURE (monthly and yearly absolute maximum and absolute minimum)

| work = Romanian Statistical Yearbook: Geography, Meteorology, and Environment

| publisher = Romanian National Statistic Institute

| year = 2007

| access-date = March 21, 2015

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927210503/http://www.insse.ro/cms/files/pdf/ro/cap1.pdf

| archive-date = September 27, 2007

}} Deutscher Wetterdienst (humidity, 1973–1993){{cite web

| url = http://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_154800_kt.pdf

| title = Klimatafel von Constanta (Konstanza), Dobrudscha / Rumänien

| work = Baseline climate means (1961–1990) from stations all over the world

| publisher = Deutscher Wetterdienst

| language = de

| access-date = November 23, 2016

| archive-date = October 22, 2021

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211022120420/https://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_154800_kt.pdf

| url-status = live

}}

|date= August 2010

}}

{{Weather box|width=auto |collapsed=y

|location = Constanța (1961–1990 normals)

|metric first= Yes

|single line= Yes

| Jan high C =3.7

| Feb high C =4.9

| Mar high C =8.1

| Apr high C =13.8

| May high C =19.3

| Jun high C =23.8

| Jul high C =25.9

| Aug high C =25.8

| Sep high C =22.4

| Oct high C =17.0

| Nov high C =11.6

| Dec high C =6.4

| year high C =

| Jan mean C =0.5

| Feb mean C =1.6

| Mar mean C =4.6

| Apr mean C =9.9

| May mean C =15.5

| Jun mean C =20.0

| Jul mean C =22.0

| Aug mean C =21.8

| Sep mean C =18.3

| Oct mean C =13.1

| Nov mean C =8.0

| Dec mean C =3.2

| year mean C =

| Jan low C =-2.3

| Feb low C =-1.0

| Mar low C =2.1

| Apr low C =6.9

| May low C =12.1

| Jun low C =16.2

| Jul low C =18.0

| Aug low C =17.9

| Sep low C =14.6

| Oct low C =9.8

| Nov low C =5.0

| Dec low C =0.5

| year low C =

| Jan dew point C =-1.7

| Feb dew point C =-1.1

| Mar dew point C =2.0

| Apr dew point C =6.5

| May dew point C =11.7

| Jun dew point C =15.3

| Jul dew point C =17.0

| Aug dew point C =16.9

| Sep dew point C =14.1

| Oct dew point C =9.7

| Nov dew point C =5.2

| Dec dew point C =1.3

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation mm =30

| Feb precipitation mm =29

| Mar precipitation mm =26

| Apr precipitation mm =30

| May precipitation mm =38

| Jun precipitation mm =40

| Jul precipitation mm =30

| Aug precipitation mm =33

| Sep precipitation mm =29

| Oct precipitation mm =31

| Nov precipitation mm =42

| Dec precipitation mm =38

| year precipitation mm =

| Jan snow cm = 7.0

| Feb snow cm = 7.0

| Mar snow cm = 4.2

| Apr snow cm = 0.0

| May snow cm = 0.0

| Jun snow cm = 0.0

| Jul snow cm = 0.0

| Aug snow cm = 0.0

| Sep snow cm = 0.0

| Oct snow cm = 0.0

| Nov snow cm = 5.5

| Dec snow cm = 3.4

| year snow cm =

| Jan sun =83.4

| Feb sun =85.7

| Mar sun =133.9

| Apr sun =179.7

| May sun =264.1

| Jun sun =282.2

| Jul sun =319.9

| Aug sun =311.7

| Sep sun =241.1

| Oct sun =182.3

| Nov sun =101.1

| Dec sun =80.7

| year sun =

| unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

| precip days colour =

| Jan precipitation days =5

| Feb precipitation days =5

| Mar precipitation days =5

| Apr precipitation days =5

| May precipitation days =6

| Jun precipitation days =6

| Jul precipitation days =5

| Aug precipitation days =3

| Sep precipitation days =3

| Oct precipitation days =4

| Nov precipitation days =6

| Dec precipitation days =6

| year precipitation days =

| source = NOAA{{Cite web |url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1961-1990/RA-VI/RO/15480.TXT |title=Constanta Climate Normals for 1961-1990 |access-date=February 14, 2024 |website=ncei.noaa.gov |publisher=NOAA |no-pp=y |archive-date=14 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240214071916/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1961-1990/RA-VI/RO/15480.TXT |url-status=live }}

}}

{{As of|2021}}, 263,688 inhabitants live within the city limits, a decrease from the figure recorded at the 2011 census.{{cite web| url = http://www.recensamantromania.ro/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/sR_Tab_8.xls| title = Population at 20 October 2011| date = 5 July 2013| access-date = 16 June 2016| publisher = INSSE| language = ro| archive-date = 18 January 2016| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160118131243/http://www.recensamantromania.ro/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/sR_Tab_8.xls}}

After Bucharest, the capital city, Romania has a number of major cities that are roughly equal in size: Constanța, Iași, Cluj-Napoca, and Timișoara.

The metropolitan area of Constanța has a permanent population of 425,916 inhabitants (2011), i.e. 61% of the total population of the county, and a minimum average of 120,000 per day, tourists or seasonal workers, transient people during the high tourist season.

File:Le port de Kustendje.jpg

File:Constanta shipyard.JPG

As of 1878, Constanța was called a "poor Turkish fishing village." As of 1920, it was called "flourishing", and was known for exporting oil and cereals.{{cite book|last=Stoica|first=Vasile|title=The Roumanian Question: The Roumanians and their Lands|year=1919|publisher=Pittsburgh Printing Company|location=Pittsburgh|page=77|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/7314/view/1/77/|access-date=2013-10-09|archive-date=2014-03-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140303183345/http://www.wdl.org/en/item/7314/view/1/77/|url-status=live}}

Constanța is one of Romania's main industrial, commercial and tourist centers.{{cite web|url=http://www.ghidulturistic.ro/zone.php?j=13|title=GhidTuristic.Ro: Județul Constanța|access-date=2 December 2008|language=ro|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211125639/http://www.ghidulturistic.ro/zone.php?j=13|archive-date=11 February 2009}} During the first half of 2008, some 3,144 new companies were established in Constanța and its neighbouring localities, a number surpassed in Romania only in Bucharest and Cluj County.{{cite web|url=http://www.cugetliber.ro/1218661200/articol/24287/constanta-are-3144-de-firme-noi-in-primele-sase-luni-din-2008/|title=Cuget Liber: Constanța are 3.144 de firme noi, în primele șase luni din 2008|date=14 August 2008 |access-date=2 December 2008|language=ro|archive-date=28 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928111804/http://www.cugetliber.ro/1218661200/articol/24287/constanta-are-3144-de-firme-noi-in-primele-sase-luni-din-2008/|url-status=live}} The Port of Constanța is the largest on the Black Sea and the fourth largest in Europe.{{cite web |url=http://www.eosnap.com/snapshots/port-of-constanta-romania-on-the-black-sea/ |title=Port of Constanța Ranking |publisher=www.eosnap.com |date=2010-10-19 |access-date=2010-10-19 |archive-date=2012-03-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306070028/http://www.eosnap.com/snapshots/port-of-constanta-romania-on-the-black-sea/ }} The city also boasts a comparably large shipyard.{{cite web|url=http://www.snc.ro/index.php?page=about_us|title=Șantierul Naval Constanța: Despre noi|access-date=2 December 2008|archive-date=22 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922021047/http://www.snc.ro/index.php?page=about_us|url-status=live}}

Constanța has been promoted as a seaside resort since the time of Carol I of Romania, the development of naval industry has had a detrimental effect on the city's beaches.{{cite book|last=Juler|first=Caroline|title=Rumunia|series=Przewodniki National Geographic|publisher=National Geographic Polska|language=pl}}

File:A2-A4-02.jpg]]

The opening, in 1895, of the railway to Bucharest, which crosses the Danube River at the bridge at Cernavodă, brought Constanța considerable transit trade in grain and petroleum, which are largely exported; coal and coke head the list of imports, followed by machinery, iron goods, cotton and woollen fabrics.

File:Portul Turistic Tomis.jpg

The Port of Constanța includes the North Port and the South Port, and is the fourth largest in Europe. It is protected by breakwaters, with a lighthouse at the entrance. The port is sheltered from the northerly winds, but southerly winds can prove dangerous at times. The Black Sea squadron of the Romanian fleet is stationed here. A large canal (the Danube-Black Sea Canal) connects the Danube River to the Black Sea at Constanța.

The city is served by Mihail Kogălniceanu International Airport.

File:Constanta pink bus.jpg buses, formerly running on Route 44]]

Constanța's public transport system is run by CT Bus (formerly Regia Autonomă de Transport în Comun Constanța - RATC), and consists of 19 year-round bus lines, and two seasonal lines, including a sightseeing double decker open top bus line.

In the early 2000s, the city bought 130 new MAZ buses to replace the aging fleet of DAC buses. There is also a fleet of double decker Volvo buses that run in the summer, providing access to and from the resort of Mamaia. As of October 2013, the cost of a return ticket is 3 lei.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ratc.ro/|title=Regia Autonomă de Transport în Comun Constanța {{!}} Home|last=ILiNC|website=www.ratc.ro|access-date=2016-06-27|archive-date=2023-09-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922021052/https://www.ctbus.ro/|url-status=live}}

Trams were active until the late 2000s when they were decommissioned in favour of long-wheelbase buses. Two trolley bus lines were active until the early 2010s – now also decommissioned and replaced by buses.

In 2019 Constanta's new Mercedes-Benz minibusses entered service.

In October 2022 Constanta's new BYD electric buses entered service with CT Bus.

Constanța is one of the main focuses of the Rail-2-Sea project which aims to connect it to the Polish Baltic Sea port of Gdańsk with a {{convert|3,663|km|abbr=off}} long railway line passing through Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland.{{cite news|url=https://universul.net/rail-2-sea-and-via-carpathia-the-us-backed-highway-and-rail-links-from-the-baltic-to-the-black-sea/|title=Rail-2-Sea and Via Carpathia, the US-backed highway and rail links from the Baltic to the Black Sea|first=Alison|last=Mutler|newspaper=Universul.net|date=12 October 2020|access-date=13 July 2021|archive-date=10 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110070034/https://universul.net/rail-2-sea-and-via-carpathia-the-us-backed-highway-and-rail-links-from-the-baltic-to-the-black-sea/|url-status=live}}{{cite journal|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/347344614|title=The Three Seas Initiative as a new model of regional cooperation in Central Europe: A Polish perspective|first=Łukasz|last=Lewkowicz|journal=UNISCI Journal|volume=18|pages=177–194|year=2020|issue=54|doi=10.31439/UNISCI-101|doi-access=free|access-date=2021-07-13|archive-date=2022-02-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220201032231/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/347344614_The_Three_Seas_Initiative_as_a_new_model_of_regional_cooperation_in_Central_Europe_A_Polish_perspective|url-status=live}}

As of 2020 the mayor of was Vergil Chițac (National Liberal Party).

The mayors elected since the 1989 revolution have been the following:{{cite news|url=https://www.ziuaconstanta.ro/stiri/deschidere-editie/cine-sunt-primarii-pe-care-constanta-i-a-avut-in-perioada-1990-2015-550853.html|title=Cine sunt primarii pe care Constanţa i-a avut în perioada 1990 – 2015|newspaper=Ziua de Constanța|date=9 June 2015|access-date=15 February 2021|language=Romanian|archive-date=22 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922021049/https://www.ziuaconstanta.ro/stiri/deschidere-editie/cine-sunt-primarii-pe-care-constanta-i-a-avut-in-perioada-1990-2015-550853.html|url-status=live}}

The Constanța Municipal Council is made up of 27 councilors, with the following party composition:

{{Main|Media in Constanța}}

{{Unsourced section|date=June 2025}}

Constanța is home to several football clubs, with FCV Farul Constanța playing in the Romanian first division. The rugby team RC Farul Constanța play in Divizia Națională. The Romanian handball clubs, HCD Constanța is also based in the city.

{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Romania}}

Constanța is twinned with:{{cite web|title=Orașe înfrățite|url=http://www.primaria-constanta.ro/oras/orase-infratite|website=primaria-constanta.ro|publisher=Constanța|language=ro|access-date=2020-09-16|archive-date=2020-10-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021160339/http://primaria-constanta.ro/oras/orase-infratite|url-status=live}}

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• {{flagicon|EGY}} Alexandria, Egypt
• {{flagicon|FRA}} Brest, France
• {{flagicon|PER}} Callao, Peru
• {{flagicon|COL}} Cartagena, Colombia
• {{flagicon|USA}} Fort Lauderdale, United States
• {{flagicon|CUB}} Havana, Cuba
• {{flagicon|TUR}} Istanbul, Turkey
• {{flagicon|TUR}} İzmir, Turkey
• {{flagicon|IDN}} Makassar, Indonesia
• {{flagicon|USA}} Mobile, United States
• {{flagicon|RUS}} Novorossiysk, Russia
• {{flagicon|UKR}} Odesa, Ukraine
• {{flagicon|NED}} Rotterdam, Netherlands
• {{flagicon|RUS}} Saint Petersburg, Russia
• {{flagicon|BRA}} Santos, Brazil
• {{flagicon|CHN}} Shanghai, China
• {{flagicon|TUR}} Silivri, Turkey
• {{flagicon|ITA}} Sulmona, Italy
• {{flagicon|TUR}} Tepebaşı, Turkey
• {{flagicon|GRC}} Thessaloniki, Greece
• {{flagicon|ITA}} Trapani, Italy
• {{flagicon|FIN}} Turku, Finland
• {{flagicon|JPN}} Yokohama, Japan

{{div col end}}

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• {{flagicon|RUS}} Consulate General of Russia
• {{flagicon|TUR}} Consulate General of Turkey
• {{flagicon|ALB}} Honorary Consulate of Albania
• {{flagicon|AUT}} Honorary Consulate of Austria
• {{flagicon|CYP}} Honorary Consulate of Cyprus
• {{flagicon|EST}} Honorary Consulate of Estonia
• {{flagicon|FIN}} Honorary Consulate of Finland
• {{flagicon|FRA}} Honorary Consulate of France
• {{flagicon|ITA}} Honorary Consulate of Italy
• {{flagicon|KAZ}} Honorary Consulate of Kazakhstan
• {{flagicon|LBN}} Honorary Consulate of Lebanon
• {{flagicon|NLD}} Honorary Consulate of the Netherlands
• {{flagicon|MKD}} Honorary Consulate of North Macedonia
• {{flagicon|NOR}} Honorary Consulate of Norway
• {{flagicon|SYR}} Honorary Consulate of Syria

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• Kázím Abdulakim (died 1917), Crimean Tatar hero of the Romanian Army.
• Haig Acterian (1904–1943), theatre director, journalist and fascist activist.
• Horia Agarici (1911–1982), aviator and World War II flying ace.
• Simona Amânar (born 1979), Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast.
• Elena Băsescu (born 1980), Member of the European Parliament.
• Victoria Bezetti (1937–2022), classical soprano.
• T. O. Bobe (born 1969), poet and screenwriter.
• Sebastian Bodu (born 1970), politician.
• Ovidiu Constantinescu (1933–2012), mycologist.
• Constanța Crăciun (1914–2002), politician and educator.
• Ligia Deca (born 1982), politician.
• Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen (1906–1994), mathematician.
• Simona Halep (born 1991), tennis player, businesswoman.
• Puiu Hașotti (born 1953), MP and senator.
• Sîdîyîk Ibrahim H. Mîrzî (1909–1959), Crimean Tatar spiritual leader, imam, Mufti of the Muslim community of Romania, and activist.
• Iusein Ibram (1953–2025), politician.
• Refiyîk Kadír (1879–1929), Crimean Tatar officer regarded as a hero of the Romanian Army.
• Ramona Mănescu (born 1972), Member of the European Parliament.
• Radu Mazăre (born 1968), ex-politician.
• Vasile Moldoveanu (born 1935), operatic tenor.
• Taner Murat (born 1959), writer, poet and translator.
• Teodor T. Nalbant (1933–2011), ichthyologist.
• Nicolae Nemirschi (born 1959), Environment Minister (2008–2009).
• Alexandru Pesamosca (1930–2011), surgeon and pediatrician.
• Marianna Radev (1913–1973), operatic contralto.
• Jacques Schnier (1898–1988), artist, sculptor, author, educator, and engineer.
• Cella Serghi (1907–1992), prose writer.
• Sevil Shhaideh (born 1964), economist, civil servant and politician.
• Alexandra Sidorovici (1906–2000), communist politician.
• Anastasia Soare (born 1957), American billionaire businesswoman.
• Dragoș Sprînceană (born 1979), businessman, political advisor, and informal diplomat.
• Alexandra Stan (born 1989), singer and model.
• Sebastian Stan (born 1982), actor.
• Dan Stoenescu (born 1980), diplomat, political scientist and journalist.
• Grigore-Kalev Stoicescu (born 1965), diplomat and politician.
• Harry Tavitian (born 1952), jazz pianist and singer.
• Ismail H. A. Ziyaeddin (1912–1996), poet.

Local high schools include Mircea cel Bătrân National College, Mihai Eminescu National College and Ovidius High School

Colleges include Ovidius University of Constanța and Mircea cel Bătrân Naval Academy

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

• Born, Robert (2012). Die Christianisierung der Städte der Provinz Scythia Minor. Ein Beitrag zum spätantiken Urbanismus auf dem Balkan [The Christianisation of the cities of Scythia Minor. A contribution to late antique urbanism in the Balkans]. Wiesbaden: Reichert, {{ISBN|978-3-89500-782-8}}, pp. 19–72.
• Livia Buzoianu and Maria Barbulescu, "Tomis", in Dimitrios V. Grammenos and Elias K. Petropoulos (eds), Ancient Greek Colonies in the Black Sea, Vol. 1 (Oxford, Archaeopress, 2001) (BAR International Series; 1675 (1–2)), 287–336.

{{commons category|Constanța}}

• {{wikivoyage-inline|Constanța}}
• {{official website|http://www.primaria-constanta.ro/}}
• [http://www.portofconstantza.com/apmc/index.jsp Constanța Seaport official site]

{{Constanța County}}

{{Cities in Romania}}

{{RoJudCapitals}}

{{Romanian Black Sea resorts}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Constanta}}

Category:Populated coastal places in Romania

Category:Populated places in Constanța County

Category:Localities in Northern Dobruja

Category:Aromanian settlements in Romania

Category:Cities in Romania

Category:Capitals of Romanian counties

Category:Roman towns and cities in Romania

Category:Byzantine sites in Romania

Category:Pontic Greeks

Category:Greek colonies in Scythia Minor

Category:Port cities and towns in Romania

Category:Port cities of the Black Sea

Category:Populated places established in the 1st millennium BC

Category:Place names of Greek origin in Romania

Category:Moesia Inferior