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The ancient Greek name, as well as the Bulgarian and Turkish one means "Black Water".
At Cernavodă was discovered the most famous and emblematic Neolithic masterpiece not only from Romania, but perhaps from the entire world: The Thinker of Cernavodă dating from 5,000 BCE (better known as the Thinker of Hamangia, after the archaeological culture it belonged):
The city was founded by Greeks in 4th century BCE. In 1st century CE the Romans built a castrum at some distance from the old town.
In 5th century it became a Christian bishopric. Some 4th century Christian basilicas traces have been found, as well as a Paleochristian tomb with paintings.
After Byzantine and various Barbarian rules during dark age, it became part of Wallachia in 14th century and as the entire Dobruja, an Ottoman possesion between 1420-1878.
The Turkish administration built in 1860 the first railway in Dobruja between Constanța and Cernavodă. In 1895, under Romanian administration, was built the famous Anghel Saligny Bridge, with two segments: one at Cernavodă and one at Fetești, totalizing 4087 m, being at the time the longest in Europe. The bridges are on the the two branches of Danube: Ostrov (on which is Cernavodă) and Borcea (on which is Fetești). These two branches form the Balta Ialomiţei Island. The distance between Cernavodă and Fetești is 21 km.
The Anghel Saligny Bridge was only for railway, the road access being supplied with ferries and between 1970-1987 by the bridge at Giurgeni - Vadu Oii (some 40 km north of Cernavodă). In 1987 the Anghel Saligny Bridge was put out of use, a new bridge with both railway and road being inaugurated. Today, over this new bridge passes the A2 "Sun" Motorway linking Bucharest and the rest of the country with Constanța and Dobruja.
Anghel Saligny Bridge and the A2 Motorway Bridge. The superstructure was designed by Gustave Eiffel but the main engineer was Anghel Saligny, son of a Frenchmen established in Romania.
The main span of Cernavodă Bridge is 190 m and the other spans are 140 m long. The clearance below is 30 m.
As seen from the train from Tulcea to Medgidia, through the Dobrujan Plateau.
Lake Razelm is the largest in Romania, with ~1,000 km². Is made by several lagoons, some with fresh water and some with salty water and is part of Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve.
Enisala Castle was built by Genovese or Byzantines in 14th century.
Babadag is the oldest Turkish and Muslim center in Dobruja, established in 13th century by a deposed khalif and Sari Saltik, a Sufi mystic saint. Because of the tomb of this saint, it was a pilgrimage center during middle age to present days. This tomb was visited in 1484/1485 by Ottoman Sultan Bayezid II during a military campaign, and, after reporting an important victory, he ordered the building of a socio-religious and educational complex here (including a mausoleum to Saltik, finished in 1488), that will be destroyed during Russo-Turkish Wars.
Letea Forest near Periprava. Letea forest is the oldest natural reserve of Romania (1930) and the initial nucleus of Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve.
Presently, is one of 18 strictly protected areas inside DDBR, where the tourists' access is forbidden.
My images are taken from a small portion outside the strictly protected area, near Periprava, where there are not dunes.
The proper area of the forest is characterized by a relatively large sand desert (~30 x 8 km, the largest sand field in Europe) with dunes up to 15 km long and 3-8 m high and the forest grows in strips between these dunes, as you can see in the satelitte photo:
A small area of the forest growing on dunes is open for tourists near Letea village (video not by me):
Do you know who the people were who created the Thinker of Cerdavoda? Were they an Indo-European people, or pre-Indo-European?
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