Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

ROMANIA 591

Suceava w

440 km (273 miles) N of Bucharest.

• 107,000. £ @ n Str Stefan cel
  Mare 23, (0230) 551 241.

Once the powerful capital
of Moldavia, Suceava has
long since faded from glory.
Today, the town serves as
a base for visitors who
want to explore the marvel-
lous monasteries in the
Bucovina region.
Suceava Fortress, on a
hill overlooking the town,
is the most impressive
sight here. Built during the
reign of Petru I Muşat and
occupied by a succession
of powerful rulers, it resisted
a number of seiges and
remained unconquered when
the Ottoman Empire ordered
its destruction. Only the ruins
of the citadel are
visible today.
Closer to the town
centre, the colour-
fully tiled roof of the
Mirăuţi Church of
St George can be
seen rising above
the sur rounding pine
trees. Founded by
Petru I Muşat in about
1390, this is the town’s oldest
church and was once used
for the coro nations of
Moldavia’s princes. It was
here that Stephen the Great
was crowned as prince of
Moldavia. Some of the original
murals can still be seen.

+ Suceava Fortress

Dealul Cetătii. # 9am–6pm

daily. &

R Mirăuţi Church of St George

Str Mirăuţi. # 8am–7pm daily.

Constanța e

223 km (139 miles) E of Bucharest.

* 310,000. k £ @ n B-dul

Tomis 221, (0241) 488 600.

Romania’s main port and fifth

largest city, Constanța is also

one of the oldest cities in

Romania. Known as

Tomis in the 5th cen-

tury BC, Constanța

started off as a Greek

colony. It was then

con quered by the

Romans around 20 BC

and was renamed

Constanța by the

Roman Emperor

Constantine the Great. Today,

all that remains of the city’s

glorious past is an uninspiring

array of unmarked Roman

walls, col umns and fragments

of statues in the Archaeological

Park on Bulevardul Republicii.

More interesting is the Tomis

Mosaic Museum, housing a

colourful 800-sq-m (9,149-sq-ft)

mosaic floor from Tomis’s

4th-century Roman forum. A

short walk from the museum

is Mahmudiye Mosque. Built

in 1910 during the reign of

King Carol I, it is Romania’s

largest mosque. The plain inte-

rior is brightened by a vast

Persian carpet, a gift from the

Ottoman ruler, Sultan Abdul

Hamid. One of the biggest

Turkish carpets in Europe,

it measures 144 sq m (1,550

sq ft). There are fine views of

the city from the 47-m (154-ft)

high minaret.

E Tomis Mosaic Museum

Piața Ovidiu 12. # 8am–8pm daily.

& =

U Mahmudiye Mosque

Str Arhiepiscopiei 5. #

9:30am–9:30pm daily. &^ =^

The scattered ruins of ancient Tomis, Constanţa

Danube Delta r

223 km (139 miles) E of Bucharest.

4 from Tulcea. n Str Gariii 26,

Tulcea, (0240) 519 130. 8 Navrom

boat tours from Tulcea.

Covering an area of 4,142 sq
km (1,599 sq miles), the
Danube Delta, a bio sphere
reserve, is the larg est and
best-preserved delta in
Europe. A UNESCO World
Heritage Site, it is home to a
variety of wildlife includ ing
wolves, wild cats and around
300 bird species and 150
species of fish. The start ing
point for exploring the
reserve is Tulcea, located at
the tip of the delta. From here,
three ferries a week make the
3-hour jour ney to Sulina,
once a bustling port. The
town’s old light house, built
in 1870, is now a history
museum detail ing Sulina’s
heyday as the head quarters
of the European Danube
Commission (1856–1938).
Sulina’s vast 40-km (25-mile)
The old lighthouse in the coastal town of Sulina, Danube Delta beach is also worth a stroll.

Detail in the

Mahmudiye mosque