Medgidia

Last updated • 7 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Medgidia
Municipality
Piateta Decebal 5.jpg
Decebal Plaza in Medgidia
ROU CT Medgidia CoA.jpg
Coat of arms
Medgidia jud Constanta.png
Location in Constanța County
Romania location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Medgidia
Location in Romania
Coordinates: 44°15′01″N28°15′41″E / 44.25028°N 28.26139°E / 44.25028; 28.26139
CountryRomania
County Constanța
SubdivisionsRemus Opreanu, Valea Dacilor
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2024) Valentin Vrabie [1] (PNL)
Area
90.17 km2 (34.81 sq mi)
Elevation
75 m (246 ft)
Population
 (2021-12-01) [2]
34,612
 • Density380/km2 (990/sq mi)
Time zone EET/EEST (UTC+2/+3)
Postal code
905600
Area code (+40) 02 41
Vehicle reg. CT
Website primaria-medgidia.ro

Medgidia (Romanian pronunciation: [med͡ʒiˈdi.a] ⓘ or [med.d͡ʒiˈdi.a] ; historical Turkish names: Karasu or Carasu, Mecidiye or Megidie) is a city in Constanța County, Northern Dobruja, south-eastern Romania.

Contents

History

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1912 6,252—    
1930 6,466+3.4%
1948 6,916+7.0%
1956 17,943+159.4%
1966 27,981+55.9%
1977 40,328+44.1%
1992 46,657+15.7%
2002 43,867−6.0%
2011 36,008−17.9%
2021 39,780+10.5%
Source: Census data

Archaeological findings show that Dobruja was inhabited since the Neolithic period. Starting with 46 BC the region was administered by the Roman Empire. A castrum was built in the Carasu Valley, becoming the cradle of the settlement.

In 1417, the Turks invaded Dobruja. From the 15th century onwards, the region started to be colonized with a Muslim population. The settlement named "Karasu" (Turkish for "Black Water") was mentioned on the map of Iehuda ben Zara in 1497, in the notes of Paolo Giorgio (1590) and Evliya Çelebi (1653). [3]

Modern Medgidia was built by the Ottoman administration on the place of the old Karasu beginning with 1856. It was built as a planned city to accommodate refugees from the Crimean War and to serve as an economic hub for the central zone of Dobruja. The town was named in honour of the sultan Abdülmecid I, the Ottoman sovereign of the period. [4]

After the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, Northern Dobruja became part of Romania. Medgidia was the last capital of Silistra Nouă County (1878–1879) before it was merged into Constanța County.

Geography

Medgidia is located between the Danube and the Black Sea, 39 km (24 mi) away from Constanța. The city is crossed by the Danube–Black Sea Canal west to east; the river Medgidia discharges into the Canal in Remus Opreanu village.

The general aspect of the relief is that of a low plateau with a limestone structure, covered with thick deposits of loess. The natural resources in the area consist of limestone deposits and kaolin sand. The limestone structure of the earth permits a natural filtering of the groundwater.

Climate

The climate is temperate-continental, with short and cold winters and very hot summers.

Local administration

Medgidia became a municipality in 1994.

The town infrastructure is continuously developing and offers the inhabitants 4 high schools, 8 primary schools, 12 nurseries, 4 cultural centers with a hall for cultural activities, 2 show and cinema halls, 3 clubs and 5 libraries, a 30,000-seat stadium, a sports hall, and a swimming pool. Medgidia also houses a 500-bed hospital.

The following villages are administered by the municipality:

Politics

The current mayor of Medgidia is Valentin Vrabie  [ ro ] (PNL). [1] The Medgidia Municipal Council, elected in the 2024 local government elections, consists of 18 councillors. The National Liberal Party holds 10 seats, the Social Democratic Party holds 5 seats, the Alliance for the Union of Romanians holds 2 seats, and one seat is held by the S.O.S. Romania party. [5]

   PartySeatsCurrent Council
  National Liberal Party (PNL)10          
  Social Democratic Party (PSD)5          
  Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR)2          
  S.O.S. Romania (SOS)1          

Economy

Trade union cultural center Casa de Cultura a Sindicatelor.jpg
Trade union cultural center

The economic landscape spotlights the existence of a town fully involved in its progress. Out of 1,200 registered enterprises, only 30 are state-owned and 15 are joint ventures.

Beside the agricultural activities (milk-processing, milling, bakery and wine growing), the main industry deals in cement and building materials, agricultural machinery and forging equipment, wood processing and furniture factories.

Medgidia lies in the center of an agricultural area of several tens of millions hectares, with a fertile soil and provided with irrigation systems.

The area offers:

The Medgidia clinker storage facility was completed in 2009 and is the world's largest dome-type cement clinker storage facility.

The Romanian Air Force operates a WSR-98D radar station in Medgidia. The facility is officially designated and operated as a civilian radar station by the National Meteorological Administration, however the data is fed into the NATO Integrated Air Defense System as well.

Transport

The Danube-Black Sea Canal in Medgidia C.D.M.N.jpg
The Danube–Black Sea Canal in Medgidia

The town is a road and rail node and an inland port to the Danube–Black Sea Canal. The Canal crosses the town for about 6 km (3.7 mi) of its length.

The Danube–Black Sea Canal has a capacity of 11.2 million tons/year and can admit ships of 5,000 tonnes deadweight (DWT). Provided with road and rail links, the harbor offers storage facilities and cranes able to lift up to 16-ton weights. Beside a SNCFR marshaling yard, along the Canal there is a Free Trade Area in course of being finalized.

The A2 highway from Bucharest to Constanța, partially financed by the European Union, bypasses the town, allowing the development of associated services (hotels, petrol stations and a parking yard for trucks) in the area.

Medgidia railway station Medgidia station.jpg
Medgidia railway station

Also, the Medgidia train station is an important node on the CNCFR Main Line 800. The station provides rail service to several towns and cities, including Constanța (35 km), Tulcea (144 km), and București Nord (199 km).

Landmarks

The Art Museum "Lucian Grigorescu"

It was opened in 1964 with exhibitions of Romanian contemporary painting, sculpture, and graphics, signed Lucian Grigorescu, Marius Bunescu, Ion Jalea, and others. The permanent exhibition takes in classic and modern artworks but also works of contemporary art classics, including Lucian Grigorescu, Nicolae Tonitza, Francisc Șirato, Ștefan Dimitrescu, and Iosif Iser. The museum also displays a collection of ceramic artworks.

In 1991 the museum was named after Lucian Grigorescu, a town native, who was deemed as the most Latin among the Romanian painters. The city honors the painter every year on 1 February, the anniversary of his birthday.

Because of low income due to few visitors and high maintenance costs, the museum was closed in 2009.

The "Abdul Mejid" Mosque

Abdul Medgid Mosque Geamia "Abdul Medgid".jpg
Abdul Medgid Mosque

Built in 1860 by the Ottoman Government, the mosque is an historic and architectural monument. It was named after the sultan Abdulmejid I, who reigned between 1839 and 1861.

The mosque is served by an imam and a muezzin. The building respects the traditional form of the Muslim cultural placements, decorated in the interior with oriental ornaments and inscriptions in Arabic.

The "Saints Peter and Paul" Orthodox church

The church was built in a Roman-Greek style and it was raised with the contribution of the local Christians on the ruins of a Roman castrum.

The Serbian Heroes' Monument

In 1926, Medgidia commemorated the heroism of the First Serbian Volunteer Division, which fought in Dobruja during World War I as a part of the bloody Romanian theatre, by inaugurating a monument in the group's honor. The completed memorial, featuring an iconic white marble pyramid, was the setting of a ceremony held with the participation of both Romanian and Yugoslavian officials. Wreaths were laid at the base of the monument by members of the Serbian and Romanian royal families.

Natives

Sports

The Iftimie Ilisei Stadium Stadionul "Iftimie Ilisei".jpg
The Iftimie Ilisei Stadium

CS Medgidia is the city's sports club. Its professional football club currently play in the Liga IV. Apart from football, the club also competes in handball, volleyball, wrestling, boxing, arm wrestling, swimming, chess, and rugby. The home ground for the club is Stadionul Iftimie Ilisei; opened in 1978, the stadium holds 32,700 people.

The Medgidia Festival

The festival has been celebrated each year since 1999, at the end of October, and is attended by thousands of locals.

Media

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Medgidia is twinned with: [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Dobruja</span> Geographical region in south-eastern Romania

Northern Dobruja is the part of Dobruja within the borders of Romania. It lies between the lower Danube River and the Black Sea, bordered in the south by Southern Dobruja, which is a part of Bulgaria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dobruja</span> Historical region shared by Bulgaria and Romania

Dobruja or Dobrudja is a geographical and historical region in Southeastern Europe that has been divided since the 19th century between the territories of Bulgaria and Romania. It is situated between the lower Danube River and the Black Sea, and includes the Danube Delta, the Romanian coast, and the northernmost part of the Bulgarian coast. The territory of Dobruja is made up of Northern Dobruja, which is a part of Romania, and Southern Dobruja, which is a part of Bulgaria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constanța</span> Coastal city in Constanța County, Romania

Constanța is a port city in the Dobruja historical region of Romania. It is the capital of Constanța County and the country's fourth largest city and principal port on the Black Sea coast. It is also the oldest continuously inhabited city in the region, founded around 600 BC, and among the oldest in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constanța County</span> County of Romania

Constanța is a county (județ) of Romania on the border with Bulgaria, in the Dobruja region. Its capital city is also named Constanța.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cernavodă</span> Town in Constanța, Romania

Cernavodă is a town in Constanța County, Northern Dobruja, Romania with a population of 15,088 as of 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danube–Black Sea Canal</span> Ship canal in Romania

The Danube–Black Sea Canal is a navigable canal in Romania, which runs from Cernavodă on the Danube river, via two branches, to Constanța and Năvodari on the Black Sea. Administered from Agigea, it is an important part of the waterway link between the North Sea and the Black Sea via the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal. The main branch of the canal, with a length of 64.4 km (40.0 mi), which connects the Port of Cernavodă with the Port of Constanța, was built in 1976–1984, while the northern branch, known as the Poarta Albă–Midia Năvodari Canal, with a length of 31.2 km (19.4 mi), connecting Poarta Albă and the Port of Midia, was built between 1983 and 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murfatlar</span> Town in Constanța, Romania

Murfatlar is a town in Constanța County, Northern Dobruja, Romania. It officially became a town in 1989, as a result of the Romanian rural systematization program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tatars of Romania</span> Turkic ethnic group mostly of southeast Romania

The Tatars of Romania, Tatars of Dobruja or Dobrujan Tatars are a Turkic ethnic group that have been present in Romania since the 13th century. According to the 2011 census, 20,282 people declared themselves as Tatar, most of them being Crimean Tatars and living in Constanța County. But according to the Democratic Union of Tatar Turkic Muslims of Romania there are 50,000 Tatars in Romania. They are one of the main components of the Muslim community in Romania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poarta Albă</span> Commune in Constanța, Romania

Poarta Albă is a commune in Constanța County, Northern Dobruja, Romania. The commune is a port on the Danube–Black Sea Canal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islam in Romania</span>

Islam in Romania is followed by only 0.4 percent of the population, but has 700 years of tradition in Northern Dobruja, a region on the Black Sea coast which was part of the Ottoman Empire for almost five centuries. In present-day Romania, most adherents to Islam belong to the Tatar and Turkish ethnic communities and follow the Sunni doctrine. The Islamic religion is one of the 18 rites awarded state recognition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mircea Vodă, Constanța</span> Commune in Constanța, Romania

Mircea Vodă is a commune in Constanța County, Northern Dobruja, Romania. It is located in the central part of the county, along the Danube–Black Sea Canal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turks of Romania</span> Ethnic group in Romania

The Turks of Romania are ethnic Turks who form an ethnic minority in Romania. According to the 2011 census, there were 27,698 Turks living in the country, forming a minority of some 0.15% of the population. Of these, 81.1% were recorded in the Dobruja region of the country's southeast, near the Black Sea, in the counties of Constanța (21,014) and Tulcea (1,891), with a further 8.5% residing in the national capital Bucharest (2,388).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cobadin</span> Commune in Constanța, Romania

Cobadin is a commune in Constanța County, Northern Dobruja, Romania. The commune includes five villages:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cogealac</span> Commune in Constanța, Romania

Cogealac is a commune in Constanța County, Northern Dobruja, Romania.

The Agi Cabul is a river in Constanța County, Romania. It discharges into the Danube–Black Sea Canal in Medgidia. Its length is 22 km (14 mi) and its basin size is 118 km2 (46 sq mi).

The Cocoș is a small river in Constanța County, Romania. It discharges into the northern branch of the Danube–Black Sea Canal in Poarta Albă. Its length is 14 km (8.7 mi) and its basin size is 65 km2 (25 sq mi).

The Medgidia is a small river in Constanța County, Romania. It discharges into the Danube–Black Sea Canal in Remus Opreanu. Its length is 13 km (8.1 mi) and its basin size is 42 km2 (16 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romania–Turkey relations</span> Bilateral relations

Romanian–Turkish relations are foreign relations between Romania and Turkey. The two countries maintain longstanding historical, geographic, and cultural relations. Romania has an embassy in Ankara and two consulates-general in Istanbul and İzmir. Romania also has four honorary consulates in Turkey in İskenderun, Edirne, Trabzon and Eskişehir. Romania also has a cultural institute The Romanian Cultural Institute "Dimitrie Cantemir". Turkey has an embassy in Bucharest and a consulate-general in Constanţa. Turkey also has two honorary consulates in Cluj-Napoca and Iași. Both countries are full members of NATO, the BLACKSEAFOR and BSEC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dobruja Day</span> Romanian holiday celebrated on 14 November

Dobruja Day is a holiday of Romania celebrated every 14 November that commemorates the incorporation of the region of Northern Dobruja into Romania on 14 November 1878.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constanța History and Archaeology Museum</span> History museum and historic site in Constanța, Romania

The Constanța History and Archaeology Museum is a museum located at 12 Piața Ovidiu, Constanța, Romania.

References

  1. 1 2 "Results of the 2020 local elections". Central Electoral Bureau. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  2. ↑ "Populaţia rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021" (XLS). National Institute of Statistics.
  3. ↑ Ziua de Constanţa, Medgidia- în clepsidra timpului ("Medgidia – in the hourglass of time") Archived 2011-07-23 at the Wayback Machine , September 4, 2006
  4. ↑ Iorga, Tatian (September 3, 2007). "Medgidia a aniversat 151 de ani". Telegraf (in Romanian). Retrieved 2008-11-18.
  5. ↑ "Local Councillors list".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ↑ Twin towns Archived 2010-01-24 at the Wayback Machine (in Romanian)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.