Constanța (UK: /kɒnˈstæntsə/, US: /kənˈstɑːn(t)sə/;[3][4][5][6] Romanian: [konˈstantsa] ⓘ, Turkish: [Köstence] ⓘ) [a] 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[9] and principal port on the Black Sea coast.

The city still has small Tatar and Greek communities, which were substantial in previous centuries, as well as Turkish and Romani residents, among others.

Constanța has a rich multicultural heritage, as, throughout history, it has been part of different cultures, including Roman, Byzantine, Bulgarian and Ottoman.

Following the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878), Constanța became part of Romania, and the city, which at the time had a population of just over 5,000 inhabitants, grew significantly throughout the 20th century.

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.

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

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 1878, after the Romanian War of Independence, Constanța and the rest of Northern Dobruja were ceded by the Ottoman Empire to Romania.

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.

[23] On 22 October 1916 (during World War I), the Central Powers (German, Turkish and Bulgarian troops) occupied Constanța.

[25] 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.

During World War II, when Romania joined the Axis powers, Constanța was a major target for the Allied bombers.

The statue stands in front of the National History and Archaeology Museum which is housed in the old City Hall and contains a large collection of ancient art.

In the heart of Constanța, the park displays dozens of vestiges of the city's past including columns, amphorae, capitals, fragments of 3rd and 4th-century buildings, and a 6th-century tower.

A vast complex of late Roman buildings on three levels once linked the upper town to the harbor and marked its commercial center.

Today, only about a third of the original structures remain in Ovid's Square, including more than 9,150 sq ft (850 m2) of colourful, if poorly maintained, mosaics.

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.

Blending pre-Romanesque and Genoese architectural styles, this late 19th century building features four columns adorned with imposing sculptured lions.

In 1978, master choreographer Oleg Danovski formed the Classical and Contemporary Ballet Ensemble, revitalising the theater's significance.

The interior murals combine neo-Byzantine style with purely Romanian elements best observed in the iconostasis and pews, chandeliers and candlesticks (bronze and brass alloy), all designed by Ion Mincu and manufactured in Paris.

Completed in 1869, the Hünkar Mosque was commissioned by Ottoman Sultan Abdülaziz for Turks who were forced to leave Crimea after the Crimean War (1853–56) and settled in Constanța.

[49] During the first half of 2008, some 3,144 new companies were established in Constanța and its neighbouring localities, a number surpassed only in Bucharest and Cluj County.

Although 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.

Due to its proximity to other major tourist destinations, Constanța receives a significant number of visitors every year, who discover and visit the city's monuments and attractions, as well as the increasingly popular festival Neversea.

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.

[55] In July 2018 Constanța municipality signed an €18 million-contract to acquire new buses manufactured by the Turkish company Anadolu Isuzu.

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 3,663 kilometres (2,276 miles) long railway line passing through Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland.

Olympic champion gymnasts Camelia Voinea, Nicoleta Daniela Sofronie, Simona Amânar and Cătălina Ponor were born in Constanța.

Constanța and Mamaia, the neighboring summer holiday resort, are home to the Constanța-Mamaia ETU Triathlon European Cup that was held there in 2014 and 2015 and is also planned to take place in 2016.