Once upon a time (2500 years ago) there was...

   A Greek colony in Pontus Euxinus (Black Sea), named Tomis which sees great prosperity due to the commercial exchange proceeded between Greek colonists and the native Gaeto-Dacians.

   Around 300 BC, the Tomis settlement was the battlefield of wars between Lisymah, the macedonian king and Dromihaites, the Gaeto-Dacian king in the Danubian Plane.

     Then, under the Roman domination, set up around 29 BC, Tomis made great progress. The history of the first years of our era is known due to Publius Ovidius Naso, a Roman poet exiled here between 9 - 17 AC, at Octavian Augustus's orders.

     During the 2nd century, Tomis became residence of the province ,being called " the biggest metropolis of entire Pont". In the middle of the 3rd century and the beginning of the 4th century considerable efforts were made in order to restore the town. It was then when remarcable monuments were built: the Roman building with the mosaic, thermae, residential districts with paved streets, portals and sewers, underground galleries, etc. The wall of the town was built in the same period and was subseqently restored several times, the last time in the 6th century AC.

     Between 4 - 6 century AC the fortress becomes an archiepiscopal headquarter. The inscriptions, the christian monuments and the four huge basilicas ilustrate this historical part. During the 6th and even at the begining of the 7th century, Tomis was violently attacked by the Slavs and the Avars. In the 9th century the region is reorganized by the Byzantine Empire. Tomis is recalled by several Byzantin writers under the name of Constantia or Constanta. The town is also found on medieval nautical maps  .

     During the ottoman domination, when called Kostendje, the significance of the town was minor. Town's lethargy continues until the 19th century, when some harbour arrangements were started and the railway Constanta-Cernavoda was layed out, crucial moment for further development of the town.

     After the Independence War (1877-1878) the town merges out of the othoman domination, regains its name of Constanta and becomes residence of Constanta region, integrant part of Romania. Harbour arrangements are made as well as constructions of roads, bridges, railways, townplanning modernisations.

     Constanta was seriously affected by the two World Wars, the town being reconstructed each time; after 1945 Constanta becames one of the most developped towns in Romania. Nowdays Constanta is the biggest harbour and the greatest ship yard in the South-Eastern Europe(~80 millions tones warefares), a powerful industrial commercial and touristic centre, a wide gate towards the world.Romania's second largest city, Constanta has always been a centre of ethnic and spiritual diversity(Orthodox 91%,Muslims 6,5%,Catholics 1% &others), attracting by the harmony between a successful buisness world and intense cultural life.

     Nowadays Constanta has 400 000 inhabitants and a land area of 57,4sq.km.Mass-media of the city is represented by 3 tv ,more than 7  local radio stations and 7 newspapers.There are many libraries in Constanta and the most important one has ~600 000 volumes.