‘Sunt convins că anul viitor veți vedea aici și scriitori și artiști străini, într-o primă fază din zona dunăreană. Vrem ca de anul viitor să demarăm un proiect cu capitale culturale dunărene. (…) Cred că Tulcea, prin modul în care este organizată, prin multiculturalitatea sa, poate deveni un factor de distribuție culturală mai important decât marile orașe cu sute de mii de locuitori, pentru că are o apetență deosebită către cultură și pentru că Delta nu este doar o zonă de interes turistic, ci și de interes cultural’, a declarat, într-o conferință de presă, directorul Muzeului Național al Literaturii Române București, Ioan Cristescu, unul din inițiatorii evenimentului din Tulcea.

Deschiderea oficială a festivalului a avut loc miercuri după-amiază, după cea a târgului de carte din Piața Mircea cel Bătrân, cu un concert susținut de quartetul Chromatic, în jurul orei 17,00, Casa Avramide găzduind primele lansări de carte, printre care ‘Lumea ca literatură-Amintiri’, de Ioan Groșan, și ‘Manuscrisul fanariot’, de Doina Ruști.

‘Este un roman scris cu dragoste de istoria națională și din pasiunea mea pentru arhive. (…) Este modul în care am încercat să definesc o epocă pe deplin iluministă, bucureșteană care face parte din istoria noastră’, a afirmat Doina Ruști.

Manifestările culturale au continuat cu un atelier de improvizație teatrală semnat de trupa ‘Improviseneyland’, cu un recital al Adrianei Trandafir dedicat Mariei Tănase, prima zi urmând să se încheie cu un concert susținut de Ada Milea.

Joi și vineri, evenimentele culturale vor continua cu lansări de carte, concerte, lecturi publice de poezie susținute de poeți din București, Constanța, Galați și Tulcea, spectacole de teatru, concerte de jazz și cu un eveniment devenit tradițional pentru manifestare ‘Conferințele Danubius’, invitatul acestuia fiind academicianul Mircea Martin.

Cea de-a III-a ediție a Festivalului de cARTE Danubius este organizat de Consiliul Județean Tulcea, Primăria municipiului Tulcea și Asociația Publicațiilor Literare și Editurilor din România.

AGERPRES / (A, AS — autor: Luisiana Bîgea, editor: Marius Frățilă)

Unii dintre ei au urcat în ring zilele acestea la Tulcea, alții i-au admirat, antrenat ori le sunt modele celor mai tineri sportivi care doresc să ajungă la marea performanță.

‘Un prieten, Mihalis Teodoridis, un grec din Galați despre care nu mai știu nimic, m-a împins spre box. După cinci luni de antrenamente, am ajuns campion național al României. Atunci, am spus că voi fi pe locul întâi și am început marea performanță”, a declarat, pentru AGERPRES, Alec Năstac, câștigător al medaliei de bronz de la JO din Montreal, 1976, al medaliei de argint la Campionatele Mondiale din Havana, 1974, supranumit și ”Mister KO”, după ce a câștigat fără drept de apel 200 din cele peste 300 de meciuri naționale și internaționale.

La ”Centura Dunării”, competiție care reunește zilele acestea, la Tulcea, membri ai loturilor naționale de box din Croația, Germania, Moldova, România, Ucraina și Ungaria, unul din KO-uri a fost înregistrat în semifinale, Kresimir Sporcic (Croația), învingându-l în a doua repriză pe Asan Amar (România), la categoria 81 de kilograme.

”M-am apucat de box pentru că mama mea spunea că sunt gras. Cel mai mult îmi place să lupt. Meciul cu Vitali Pokuliak (Ucraina) a fost greu, dar un test bun pentru mine”, a afirmat, joi seara, Peter Kadiru (Germania), după ce și-a învins adversarul cu 3-0 la categoria +91 de kilograme. Peter a câștigat Campionatul European de tineret din Zagreb 2014, iar modelul lui este celebrul american Mike Tyson.

În semifinală, pe ringul din Sala Polivalentă au urcat și Robert Jitaru (România) și Petrosian Zaravor (Ucraina), la categoria 56 de kilograme, Robert învingându-și adversarul. ”Meciul a fost obositor, dar eficient. Cu cât adversarul este mai puternic, cu atât este mai bine pentru mine. Îmi doresc să ajung la marea performanță, dar am mult de muncit”, a afirmat Robert Jitaru.

Robert este considerat o speranță pentru boxul din România, după ce anul trecut a câștigat locul al doilea la Campionatul European pentru tineret. ”Când boxam, mă gândeam doar la locul întâi. Era cu adevărat o împlinire sufletească atunci când câștigam titlul de campion”, a rememorat maestrul emerit al sportului Paul Dobrescu, supranumit ”Buldozerul” de colegii din ring. Fost campion balcanic în anii 1969 și 1976, Paul Dobrescu a câștigat medalii în șase turnee internaționale, dar la un moment dat a fost învins de alți campioni.

”Sper să ajung la Campionatul European. Concursul de la Tulcea a fost greu, pentru că am avut un adversar puternic din partea României. Dar a fost un bun antrenament”, a declarat Vlad Gavriliuc, în vârstă de 16 ani, campion al Republicii Moldova în anul 2014, învins în primele meciuri ale competiției.

Antrenorul lui, maestru în sport de clasă internațională, Mihail Muntean, a obținut medalie la Campionatul Mondial de la Moscova, în 2008, a fost campion național în mai multe rânduri și recunoaște că nu e deloc ușor să fii antrenor. ”Sunt antrenor doar de doi ani și nu credeam că poate să fie o meserie atât de provocatoare”, a afirmat Muntean (Republica Moldova).

Antrenorul federal Valentin Vrânceanu, reprezentant al Federației Române de Box

Antrenoratul presupune, potrivit reprezentantului Federației Române de Box, Valentin Vrânceanu, o implicare atât în viața sportivă, cât și în cea privată a elevilor. ”Eu nu am avut o rezistență nativă care să-mi permită accesul în elita mondială a boxului, astfel că n-am participat la Jocurile Olimpice. Am avut antrenori foarte valoroși care mi-au călăuzit însă viața spre antrenorat. Mi-au fost elevi Francisc Vaștag, Leonard Doroftei, frații Simion și nu numai. Antrenoratul presupune implicare atât în viața lor privată, cât și în cea sportivă. Trebuie să-i înveți să privească înainte, dar și importanța unor amănunte, ca de exemplu un ‘bună ziua’ sau un ‘mulțumesc’, care dau valoare unui campion”, a afirmat reprezentantul FRB care în anii 1980 a fost atât antrenor, cât și reprezentant al României la competiții internaționale.

”Nivelul competiției de la Tulcea este unul bun pentru pregătirea altor starturi. Frații Vladimir și Vitali Kliciko, dar și toți ceilalți campioni ai Ucrainei reprezintă un model pentru mine”, a declarat Ramil Gadjiev (Ucraina), care în semifinala Centurii Dunării l-a învins cu 2-1 pe Leo Cvetkovic (Croația).

Meciurile din semifinalele competiției de box ”Centura Dunării” au fost apreciate de câteva sute de amatori ai acestui sport, cel mai disputat după zgomotele din tribune părând a fi cel dintre Adam Olah (Ungaria) și Dumitru Gumen (Republica Moldova).

”Este o onoare pentru lotul Germaniei să fie aici și să lupte împotriva unor adversari atât de puternici. Sperăm ca și sportivii noștri să câștige”, a afirmat antrenorul AIBA Christian Morales (Germania).

Unul dintre cele mai apreciate momente de sportivi și antrenori a fost vizita de joi dimineața, la Centrul Ecoturistic Delta Dunării, iar cel mai așteptat este excursia în Deltă, care are loc vineri. ”Eu n-am fost niciodată în Delta ucraineană și abia aștept să o văd pe cea din România”, a spus antrenorul lotului de pugiliști ucraineni, Viktor Zverev.

La meciurile din semifinalele concursului de box a asistat și Ion Alexe, considerat de presa de specialitate cel mai titrat ”greu” al României din toate timpurile. ”Pentru mine cele mai frumoase momente din viața de sportiv au fost cele în care se intona imnul național”, a mărturisit Ion Alexe. Vicecampion olimpic în 1972, la Munchen, și câștigător al unui titlu european în 1969, la București, Alexe a luptat la categoria cea mai grea a vremii, +81 de kilograme, și s-a confruntat cu două legende ale acestui sport, George Foreman (SUA) și Teofilo Stevenson (Cuba).

”Dacă ar fi să le recomand ceva sportivilor ar fi să facă artă. Am văzut meciuri bune și chiar foarte bune. Boxul este pentru mine o artă. Ar fi frumos ca anul viitor, competiția de aici să numere și mai mulți participanți cu un nivel și mai ridicat. Toți așteptăm frumusețe de la un sport”, a adăugat Ion Alexe.

Alec Năstac și Paul Dobrescu

Finalele primei ediții a concursului internațional ”Centura Dunării” vor avea loc sâmbătă, începând cu ora 17,00, în Piața ”Mircea cel Bătrân”, din centrul orașului Tulcea, dacă vremea va permite desfășurarea în aer liber a meciurilor.

Competiția sportivă de la Tulcea este organizată de EUBC, AIBA, Consiliul Județean Tulcea, Primăria municipiului Tulcea, Ministerul Tineretului și Sportului, prin Direcția Județeană pentru Tineret și Sport, FRB și Vimetco Alro și este al doilea concurs internațional de box găzduit de Tulcea în ultimii aproape 25 de ani. În octombrie 2014, loturile de box feminin din Italia, România și Turcia s-au întrecut în orașul tulcean Babadag, în timpul unei competiții organizată în memoria lui Aurel Toma, singurul pugilist din România care și-a construit o carieră în boxul profesionist american.

AGERPRES/(A, AS-autor: Luisiana Bîgea, editor: Mihai Țenea)

Cea de-a IV-a ediție a singurului festival de film din România despre mediu și oameni “Pelicam” a început joi la Teatrul “Jean Bart” din Tulcea cu trei scurt-metraje de animație pentru copii grupate sub titlul “Poveștile mării”.

Filmele sunt destinate copiilor cu vârste cuprinse între 3 și 6 ani, iar sala instituției de cultură din municipiu a fost neîncăpătoare, potrivit organizatorului evenimentului, Benjamin Ribout.

“La toate proiecțiile de filme pentru copii și adolescenți, sala teatrului va fi neîncăpătoare. Festivalul are un aspect puternic educațional și încercăm să-i aducem la Tulcea atât pe elevii din mediul rural tulcean, cât și pe cei ai unor școli din țară”, a declarat Ribout.

Proiecțiile din prima zi a festivalului dedicată copiilor și adolescenților vor continua, conform programului oficial al organizatorilor, cu “Povestea prițesei Kaguya”, film regizat de Isao Takahatam și nominalizat la secțiunea “Cel mai bun film animat al anului” a premiilor Oscar din acest an, și “Amazonia”, film regizat de Thierry Ragober, o odă adusă pădurii tropicale și diversității ei.

De altfel, copiii și adolescenții au fost și cei cărora li s-a adresat prima acțiune a festivalului, “Marea hămăceală”. Desfășurată miercuri după-amiază, în parcul ecologic de pe malul lacului Ciuperca, acțiunea a adunat aproape 40 de participanți. “Eu am vrut să duc copii din Tulcea la Cluj pentru ‘Marea hămăceală’, dar nu am reușit încă. Așa că am adus de la Cluj la Tulcea 15 hamace cu voie-bună. De fapt, hămăceala asta e mai mult o stare de spirit decât un businness”, a menționat responsabilul de acțiune, Marcel Fodorean, din Cluj-Napoca.

Tinerii au cântat și au apreciat momentele oferite. “Este mult mai fain decât în locurile noastre obișnuite. Încep să simt că Tulcea se mișcă și că o ia într-o direcție hippy, ceea ce este minunat”, a afirmat Iulia, în vârstă de 17 ani.

Peliculele selecționate în cadrul festivalului vor putea fi vizionate atât la Teatrul “Jean Bart”, cât și în Piața “Mircea cel Bătrân” și la Muzeul de Artă.

Benjamin Ribout, organizatorul festivalului de film ‘Pelicam’

PUBLICITATE

“Unele din proiecțiile care vor fi prezentate vor fi urmate de workshop-uri în timpul cărora cinefilii îi vor putea cunoaște pe regizori și sta de vorbă cu ei. Îi vom avea alături de noi pe fostul comisar european pentru Agricultură, Dacian Cioloș, pe alpinistul Alex Găvan, regizorul Dominique Marchais, iar numele importante în domeniu le veți găsi inclusiv în juriul festivalului”, a afirmat Benjamin Ribout.

Deschiderea oficială a festivalului va avea loc vineri, la ora 19,30, la Teatrul “Jean Bart” și va fi urmată de proiecția filmului “Descoperindu-l pe Gaston”, regizat de Patricia Perez, peliculă înscrisă în secțiunea de lung-metraje a concursului și prezentată în premieră națională, precum și de cea a filmului “Dialoguri de baltă”, regizat de Ildiko Zonga Plajas, peliculă înscrisă în secțiunea Black Sea Docs a concursului și prezentată în premieră mondială.

Proiecțiile filmelor realizate de regizori din aproape 20 de state din lume vor continua zilele următoare, iar duminică, la ora 10,00, vor fi prezentate atât filmele documentare de mediu realizate de adolescenții participanți la eveniment, cât și reportajele radio ale studenților din România, Bulgaria, Albania, Armenia, Republica Moldova, Ungaria și Macedonia care s-au înscris la atelierul pe tema Deltei Dunării derulat zilele acestea în colaborare cu Organizația Internațională a Francofoniei.

Ceremonia de închidere a celei de-a IV-a ediții a Festivalului internațional de film despre mediu și oameni “Pelicam” va avea loc duminică, la ora 20,00, la Teatrul “Jean Bart” și va fi urmată de prezentarea peliculei “Cântecele orezului”, regizat de Uruphong Raksasad.

La ora 21,00, în Piața Mircea cel Bătrân va fi prezentat filmul “Mistrețul sălbatic” regizat de Williem Baptist și va avea loc concertul susținut de Robin and the Backstabbers.

Pelicam este organizat de Asociația Les Herbes Folles cu sprijinul financiar al BRD, VIASAT, NEXTGEN, UP România (fosta Cheque Dejeuner), precum și al Centrului Național al Cinematografiei, Primăriei Municipiului Tulcea, Consiliului Județean Tulcea, Institutul Cultural Român, cu ajutorul partenerilor instituționali Organizația Internațională a Francofoniei, Ambasada Statelor Unite ale Americii la București, Institutul Francez, Ambasada Elveției, Ambasada Olandei, Institutului francofoniei pentru dezvoltare durabilă, Institutului Goethe și al Delegației Valonia-Bruxelles.

AGERPRES/(A, AS — autor: Luisiana Bîgea, editor: Cristian Anghelache)

Foto: (c) Bogdan BĂRBULESCU / Arhiva AGERPRES

Pentru acest preparat, este nevoie de o știucă de cel puțin un kilogram și jumătate de pe care, cu ajutorul unei linguri sau al unui cuțit, se scoate pielea.

‘Această operațiune (scoaterea pielii de pe știucă n.red.) trebuie făcută cu foarte mare grijă să nu se rupă carnea. Se scot apoi șira spinării și carnea știucii, doar ultima fiind tocată prin mașină. Se adaugă ceapă, un morcov, un cartof răzuit, condimente, piper și sare, care se călesc la foc mic timp de cinci sau zece minute’, spune Mihaela N., în vârstă de 30 de ani, din satul Murighiol.

După ce umplutura călită s-a răcit, se umple știuca, apoi se coase acolo unde peștele s-a tăiat pentru a fi umplut, iar totul se dă la cuptor. ‘Din când în când, știuca se unge cu ulei din tavă pentru a nu prinde crustă’, afirmă Mihaela.

Preparatul, potrivit sursei, se servește rece, cu lămâie, ca aperitiv, sau caldă cu garnitură de legumă, ca fel principal, alături de un pahar cu vin alb sec sau demisec, după preferința celui ospătat.

AGERPRES / (A — autor: Luisiana Bîgea, editor: Marius Frățilă)

Foto: (c) Cristian NISTOR / Arhiva AGERPRES

Directorul unui complex turistic a declarat pentru AGERPRES că încearcă să-i convingă pe turiștii care preferă să mănânce doar pește prăjit că este la fel de bun și crapul preparat la proțap, motiv pentru care ne dezvăluie rețeta.

“Pentru rețeta de crap la proțap avem nevoie de un crap de trei sau patru kilograme, de preferință proaspăt, pe care-l curățăm de solzi, urechi, de osul amar de la cap și pe care apoi îl tăiem în două pentru a-l eviscera. Îl spălăm și-l tamponăm cu un șervet pentru a scoate surplusul de apă”, spune directorul.

Crapul astfel pregătit este împănat cu usturoi și slănină afumată tăiată în felii subțiri, dar, potrivit sursei, are anumite secrete. “Împănarea trebuie să se facă la o distanță de două degete și pe o parte și pe alta a peștelui tăiat.

Apoi se sărează și se pune piper. Se badijonează pe partea despicată cu bulion sau sos de tomate într-un strat de aproape un centimetru, după care se pune din nou sare și piper într-o cantitate chiar mai mare decât s-a pus în interior”, continuă prezentarea rețetei directorul complexului turistic.

Peștele se așează pe grătar, iar coacerea este gata atunci când crusta de bulion devine dură. “Se recomandă ca aperitiv sau ca fel de bază al unei mese, alături de apă sau vin sec alb din belșug”, conchide directorul complexului turistic.

AGERPRES/(AS — autor: Luisiana Bîgea, editor: Cristian Anghelache)

Photo credit: (c) Luisiana BIGEA / AGERPRES ARCHIVE

The benefit of the lack of organization is the absence of an entry fee, an exception to this particularity being the medieval Citadel of Enisala, the most visited archeological site in Tulcea county. Near it, on the territory of Jurilovca commune, the citadel of Orgame/Argamum lies, the first town on Romania’s current territory. The archaeologically-important settlement was mentioned in a document in the 6th century BC, by Hecataeus of Miletus, and its history, which unfolded between the 7th century BC up until the 8th century AD, is still researched by archaeologists.

The importance of Tulcea’s archeological sites is emphasized by the fact that five of the ten Romania archeological sites that are part of “Danube Limes Brand” project’s object are in situated in northern Dobrogea. The project “Extension of the Danube Limes UNESCO World Heritage in the Lower Danube” envisages long-term and sustainable preservation of Limes sites through nominating new frontier section for World Heritage status in the Lower Danube countries and the promotion of inter-regional cooperation in developing, improving and presenting individual Limes sites.

Photo credit: (c) Luisiana BIGEA / AGERPRES PHOTO

The citadel of Aegyssus, identified and partially researched on Hora hill, is one of the citadels that make the object of the project. The first mention of the site, according to the Institute for Eco-Museological Research (ICEM), was done by Ovidius in 12 AD, when the fortress, already under Roman control, was besieged by the Geto-Dacians. The amphorae discovered in the site place the construction of the citadel at the end of the 4th century BC — early 3rd century BC. The importance of the city was highlighted by Ovidius who saw it as “the old citadel defended by strong walls, on the banks of the Danube, in a high place, hard to reach”. Between 1879 and 1899, the citadel saw the building of a monument dedicated to the heroes of the Romanian War of Independence (known in the English world as the Russo-Romanian-Turkish War of 1877), while in 1975 the County Museum of History and Archeology was opened to the public, offering visitors the possibility to know in greater detail the county’s heritage.

Photo credit: (c) Luisiana BIGEA / AGERPRES PHOTO

The Roman-Byzantine citadel of Noviodunum, another objective of the “Danube Limes Brand” project is situated near the town of Isaccea. It was here, in 2012, that ICEM archeologists discovered a Christian basilica, and in the previous year’s archeological digs — the best kept and largest kiln in Romania. Raised on an old Get settlement, the Roman and later on Byzantine citadel of Noviodunum had a military, strategic and economic role, the development of the settlement leading to the achievement of the “municipium” status at the end of the 2nd century AD. Noviodunum was the headquarters of some detachments of the legions stationed in Dobrogea and the main home of Roman fleet Classis Flavia Moesica that controlled the lower Danube and the northern and western coasts of the Black Sea. The citadel developed in stages, up until the Ottoman conquest of 1420, these stages being at times interrupted by attacks from the Pechenegs, Udi and Cumans in the 11th century AD, but also the Tatar attacks in the 13th century AD.

Photo credit: (c) Luisiana BIGEA / AGERPRES PHOTO

Another site that is eligible to enter UNESCO heritage list, the citadel of Dinogetia, is located in Jijila commune, near the road that links the cities of Tulcea and Galati, the citadel having in its vicinity a monastery dedicated to the “Life-giving Spring” (an Orthodox holiday celebrated in the first Friday after Easter, also called Bright Friday), the building of which, according to the spokesperson of the Tulcea Episcopate Niculai Felix began in 2004. “We know that in the perimeter of the citadel, in the first centuries, numerous Christians were martyred as the book “Bishop in Romania, in an epoch of national and religious conflict” signed by Roman-Catholic Bishop Raymund Netzhammer reminds us. There are also clues that besides the ones enumerated in the book, there would also be several others martyred here, like in the case of Noviodunum and the site of Halmyris”, said the spokesperson of the Tulcea Episcopate, priest Niculai Felix.

Dinogetia was a Geto-Dacian settlement, then a Roman fortress mentioned by Ptolemy, the interior of the citadel being host to several ceramic fragments unearthed that prove the existence of a Roman fortress at the site even before the reign of Diocletian (248 — 305 AD). Currently, the citadel is administered by the Romanian Academy.

Photo credit: (c) Luisiana BIGEA / AGERPRES PHOTO

In the citadel of Troesmis, situated on a stretch of land measuring 157 hectares near the village of Turcoaia, ICEM is conducting a non-invasive research project of the site. The monument, another possible candidate to the UNESCO heritage list, was first researched in the 1860’s following the initiative of France’s representative to the European Danube Commission, E. Engelhardt. “The methodology and technique of those times based on identifying and extracting inscriptions on the wall made it that extremely few carved inscriptions, descriptive and chronological in nature, see the light of day, 24 to 55 inscriptions being sampled from Troesmis”, said the Director of the County Directorate for Culture (DJC), Iulian Vizauer.

Photo credit: (c) Luisiana BIGEA / AGERPRES PHOTO

The cultural goods identified at that time are currently in France, while research at the archeological site were continued by the Romanian side in 1890, 1898, 1939 and 1977, and, according to official data, the site was along the years the target of higher-ups who wanted to transform the site in a rock quarry, or of people not knowing the site’s importance who took stones from the area to construct churches in the city of Braila, the village of Carcaliu in Tulcea or other municipal works in the area. A site included in the “Danube Limes Brand” projects, the Troesmis archeological complex, a monument of national and international importance, was one of the most important border crossings of the Roman Empire’s frontier in this part of Europe. According to the DJC, the first information on the existence of the Troesmis name came from Ovidius, in the context of troubles in 15 AD, however it cannot be determined if the name belonged to a Geto-Dacian fortification or to a village defended by an Odrysian garrison. At the end of Marcus Aurelius’ reign (161 — 180 AD), one of the settlements here reaches the rank of ‘municipium’ — the second highest rank a Roman city could gain, the highest being that of ‘colonia’. As such, the settlement had a high degree of self-government, while its citizens had a status that was close, but not equal, to that of full Roman citizens.

The citadel of Halmyris, near the Murighiol locality, situated on the banks of the Danube’s Sfantu Gheorghe Canal was inhabited by Geto-Dacians, according to ICEM, between the 6th and 5th centuries BC. At the beginning of the 2nd century AD, it became an important station for the Danube Fleet Classis Flavia Moesica, while two centuries later it became one of the 15 important cities of Scythia Minor province. One of the most important moments of this period is represented by the construction of the episcopal basilica during the reign of Constantine the Great.

In the autumn of 2001, under the altar of this monument a crypt was discovered, housing the human remains of martyrs Epictet and Astion, hidden away and protected until the raising of the basilica by Christians from the “sailors’ village”. Near the city, at the initiative of the Tomis Archbishopric, in 2005, works to raise a church dedicated to the saints began and is currently ongoing. “The church has always been connected with the nation, the history and the people in the midst of which it serves, and the foundation of a monastery is nothing more than a message of continuity, of spiritual perpetuation, of perpetuating values, history” said the spokesperson of the Tulcea Episcopate, priest Niculai Felix.

The other archaeological sites in Romania included in the “Danube Limes Brand” project are Drobeta, Sucidava-Celei, Axiopolis-Cernavoda, Capidava and Carsium-Harsova.

Over time, the cities and citadels of Tulcea county attracted the attention of specialists and tourists, but also of some diplomats. In 2013, the Ambassador of Belgium to Romania, Philippe Beke, visited the citadel of Ibida near the village of Slava Rusa and claimed that “Tulcea is one of the most sensational counties in what regards nature and historical heritage.”

Limes is the name of the fortified frontier of the former Roman Empire, that crossed, with some interruptions, almost the entirety of Europe, from the Nistru’s mouth at the Black Sea to Hadrian’s limes in modern day Scotland. The project “Danube Limes Brand” is coordinated by the University of Vienna (Austria), with representatives from Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, Italy, Bulgaria, Serbia and Croatia as partners. AGERPRES

Photo credit: (c) AGERPRES ARCHIVE

More consistency in the development of settlements in the Delta could come from Integrated Territorial Investments (ITI), an area development instrument involving a strategy for a given territory, a set of feasible actions to achieve the strategy’s goals, and governance mechanisms to manage the investments.

It seems complicated, but it can merely turn into a story of simple folks, European commissioners, authorities, public servants, and strategies.

The European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Dacian Ciolos and his colleague in charge of Environment Janez Potocnik first mentioned this opportunity for the Danube Delta in September 2012, when they visited the Natural Reserve there and met authorities and NGOs. ‘The Danube Delta would be the perfect target for a multi-fund approach. All the financial and conceptual resources could merge into a local strategy devised by local authorities, so that Romania can negotiate such an approach with the European Union starting from 2014,’ Ciolos said in September 2012.

A couple of months later, Tulcea County officials started procedures with central authorities to create a dedicated fund for the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve; the following year, World Bank experts brought in this venture by the Ministry of Regional Development met the beneficiaries of the European financial instruments; based on a strategy, money should come from 2015 on. Currently, a taskforce of the Tulcea County Council works to determine the necessary investments in the communities within the Reserve; so far, authorities say, the estimate is 500 million euros.

One of the largest sums, 100 million euros, is necessary for the modernization of approximately 800 kilometres of roads inside and outside the communes, according to Tulcea County Council Chairman Horia Teodorescu.

Photo credit: (c) Radu TUTA / AGERPRES PHOTO

Authorities already have projects for 175 kilometres of these roads. Requests exceed 6.6 million euros for the asphalt communal roads, 12.7 million euros for gravel roads, and 20 million euros for unpaved ones. Plans also include the renovation of the culture houses and sports halls in rural areas and the thermal insulation of the education units.

According to statistics dating back in 1992, the proportion of higher education staff in the Danube Delta was 50 percent below the national average, due to poor housing conditions, unfit for the aspirations and needs of some professional categories. The deficit of qualified teachers, a situation acknowledged by competent authorities, resulted in low performances of elementary school pupils, hampering their access to secondary and higher education.

The lack of boarding facilities in Sulina, for instance, or the financial insecurity of some families, especially those with many children, and the long distances to school, often traveling in very difficult conditions are some of the explanations for the modest results obtained by pupils in national examinations.

Some private tour operators got involved in the community lives and provide for transportation of children to schools in Tulcea, the county seat; other associations have rehabilitated schools in the Delta, but such actions, while definitely welcome, are sporadic. Only a long-term strategy could improve the situation. ‘Dental care practices in schools within the Reserve, renovation of educational buildings, installing boilers — here are just a few things to do for schools in the Danube Delta to optimize the teaching process conditions and get kids to enjoy coming to school,’ General Inspector Dumitru Damian detailed to AGERPRES the priorities of the County Education Inspectorate in approaching ITI.

Environmental projects are equally important to authorities, considering the triple-protected status of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve. Human interventions over the second half of the 20th century have disregarded the evolution of natural ecosystems, thus contributing to the unbalance of the deltaic areas, including those where the so-called natural hydrological regime was preserved, according to Professor Petre Gastescu, a founding member of the Reserve. ‘Obviously, restoring the Danube Delta to its condition before 1950, even with the ecological reconstruction of several abandoned dike enclosures, is not feasible on medium-term; probably not even on long-term, due to dikes in Danube’s meadow land, now restricting the river’s flow. The Danube has no more space to breathe, pollutants are not confined within the meadows, and communities lack fishing and recreational sites,’ the scientist explained to AGERPRES.

Although meadow dikes have a durable impact on the Danube Delta, some steps to the restoration of enclosures undergoing ecological reconstruction are still necessary. Firstly, the water circulation system should be established throughout the Delta and the nearby lake complex. Professor Gastescu compares it with the preservation of the circulatory system of the human body, to ensure its vitality.
Photo credit: (c) Cristian NISTOR / AGERPRES ARCHIVE

In 2013, environmental authorities estimated the investments for renaturation within the Reserve to nearly 457 million euros.

‘Renaturation works are vital for the Danube Delta and we focus on them because, besides preserving biodiversity, they are also beneficial for human communities; the works result in the regeneration of flora and of the fishery resources. The necessary sum is huge, but to fit within the context of this financial instrument, we have selected works amounting to 195 million euros. So fare, renaturations have been carried out depending on funding from the state budget or from European funds.

We have recently signed a contract for the renaturation of Sontea-Fortuna and Matita Merhei complexes, worth 2.7 million euros. The sum might seem hefty, but it only helps solving precise problems; this is how things went to date, with works partially responding to special circumstances, for a limited time. An approach like the ITI, allowing us to manage 100 or 200 million euros funds, would make possible the renaturation of two or three complexes of the Reservation’, the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve Governor Edward Bratfanof mentioned.

As regards healthcare, investments are all the more necessary as tourism is Delta’s main opportunity. Although 14 healthcare points with subsidized, free, and special programme drugs were inaugurated in the Reserve since 2004 and the authorities attending the inauguration event then promised a long-term strategy for the area, one could almost count the drugstores in the Delta on the fingers of one hand. Physicians face the same issues as pharmacists under contract with the Health Insurance House.

The County Council intends to build a multifunctional centre in Sulina, modernizing and installing equipment on 1600 square meters. The list goes on with the establishment of one dispensary and the rehabilitation of other four, and with the setup of three sanitary rooms and the renovation of three already in place. Purchasing adequate vehicles for physicians — off-road vehicles and boats with medical equipment — is another topic under consideration. ‘Infrastructure is vital, but one of the most important components of the health system is the medical staff. Therefore, we want an extended programme for the permanent training of all the personnel in this field, according to their specific qualifications; the programme should be adapted to its target area, namely the Danube Delta or the terrace area,’ the Tulcea County Council Chairman Horia Teodorescu declared.

Tulcea County Council Chairman, Horia Teodorescu
Photo credit: (c) Luisiana BIGEA/ AGERPRES ARCHIVE

Taking into account the dynamics of agriculture and the county specific, authorities think that the financial planning needed over 2014-2020 should focus on the modernization of farms, on encouraging youth to settle in rural areas, and on extensive investments in the infrastructure. The ITI programme should allocate 40 million euros to investments in tangible assets; some of it would go to the irrigation infrastructure vital for agriculture. Six million euros are directed to fruit growing. Overall, ITI is expected to get 180 million euros from the Ministry of Agriculture only.

The European financial instrument is not restricted to remote communes in the Danube Delta; it also covers the administrative and territorial units in its immediate vicinity, with a total of 34 communes and towns in Tulcea and Constanta counties benefitting from the incoming funds. ITI should start operating next year, and the projects aimed at communities within the Reserve would no longer compete with the ones of other counties. The success of a financial instrument that could turn Tulcea Conty into a model for Romania relies on the seriousness of the public servants involved in the strategy, on the steadfastness of county authorities, and on the correct understanding of the situation of people and of nature in the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve.AGERPRES

Photo credit: (c) LUCIAN TUDOSE / AGERPRES ARCHIVE

Just like some crafts preserved in certain communities, the history of some traditions remains a mystery. One sure thing: they are pre-Christian; they have updated and survived throughout the historic ages. The celebrations of calendar events have turned into holidays for all the community members.

The Mosoaie (a name seemingly meaning ‘old women’) is a unique tradition in Romania, preserved in the village of Luncavita. Since 2013, it has been included in the Calendar of Romanian Village Holidays. Mosoaies’ cowbells are first heard on the night of December 6, St. Nicholas’ Day, kicking off the winter holidays. Wearing sheepskin coats with the fleece out, cowbells on their belts, and masks, the Mosoaie are accompanied by bands of carol singers; they reach every household, or those assigned to them, depending on the tradition of dividing the village into bands, according to the family, the clan, and the girlfriend of a member group. The feast culminates on Christmas Eve, when the Mosoaie pass through the whole village and climb on the central stage of Luncavita.

This is the most archaic Christian practice for locals, Luncavita Mayor Stefan Ilie mentions. The masks, the cowbell noise and the whip cracking are meant to cast out evil and misfortune who try to take over the old year’s end and contaminate the new year about to come.

On Christmas Day, Megleno Romanians in Cerna Village still use to ignite a big oak trunk, called the ‘botnic’, ‘Dedu Botnic’, ‘babnic’ or ‘but’, which is then left to slowly burn until the Baptism of the Lord, celebrated in January, when it pulled out from the fire, relates Dumitra Petrica, President of the Altona Association. The tradition symbolizes the rebirth of divinity; in the nearby village of Izvoarele, Greek locals used to climb on top of the Consul Hill to light a fire.

‘These customs are still practiced on a smaller scale, because tradition must be observed. The meaning is the same, even if nowadays fire is lit in the courtyard,’ the First Deputy President of the Greek Community of Tulcea County Petre Marinescu, a native of Izvoarele, told AGERPRES.

Christmas and New Year habits are found among all the populations, ethnographer Steluta Parau explains. Mask dances are preserved both among Romanians and Ukrainians — the ‘melanka.’

Wishing well with ‘sorcova’ — a decorated twig, used to gently hit the hosts, or pretend to, while singing specific songs, early on New Year Day — is practiced by Romanians, Ukrainians, and Aromanians alike. ‘I could mention some specifics of these traditions: Ukrainians carolling on Christmas Day, not on Christmas Eve, when they have ‘vecera’ [traditional supper]; or the absence of secular carols among the Lipovan [Russian ethnics in and around the Danube Delta],’ Parau details.

On the Baptism of Lord Day, tradition wants attending religious services and blessing horses; horse races follow in many Romanian villages. In Izvoarele, the Greek community has different customs; the Theophany marks a three-day celebration. After the divine service and the horse race, groups of young men led by the ‘dragoman’, the only married man in the group, visit the household of last years’ newlywed and sing songs with dedicated lyrics.

The day is called the Groom’s Bathing, reminding of the walk of the last year’s bridegroom from one well to another, until the carollers got a deal on their reward.

Next comes the Brides’ Day, when the godmothers are actually celebrated; the third day is the Old Women’s Day, dedicated to midwives. No one is allowed to offend women who drank too much on this day.

Lipovan Russians attach special significance to the day before the Easter Lent (equivalent to the Western Christian tradition of Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras), the ‘Maslenita’ or the Cheese Week, a secular celebration still held in northern Dobrogea as a merrymaking occasion.

According to Andrian Ampleev, Chairman of the Tulcea County Organization of the Lipovan Russian Community of Romania, the week begins with the meeting day; the second day is dedicated to fun; the third is the delicious day; feast day comes fourth; mother-in-law’s night ends the fifth day; sister-in-law’s night is sixths, and the week ends on Sunday, the forgiveness day. ‘The gifts offered over this week are full of significations and joy. For instance, if the mother-in-law is not happy about her son-in-law, she would not cooks special meals,’ Ampleev details.

Easter, Christmas and New Year are above all religious holidays for Lipovans. The community members go to church wearing traditional suits. The first day of each of these holidays is dedicated to family. The ‘starets’, Russian word for the paterfamilias, sits down first at the table. He is joined by the rest of the family, and then says grace. Like for other ethnic groups, some holiday meals have magic significations attached.

On the Saturday before Palm Sunday, Greeks in Izvoarele honor the tradition of ‘Lazarel’, meaning Little Lazarus. Female carollers lined up in age order wear blue or red velvet suits and white aprons with a ‘zunar’ — a metal belt; young girls also wear white headscarves decorated with silver flowers and rings.

Greek and Romanian language lyrics of the songs evoke Lazarus’s death; according to Tulcea County ethnographers, the ritual wailing are meant to ensure his resurrection in the form of flora. When the song is close to its end, the leader of the young girls group — the ‘buianci’—lays a napkin decorated with embroidered flowers on the host’s shoulder; when the carol is over, the host wishes the girls happy holidays and returns the napkin with a couple of bills folded in it. The girls then get fresh eggs for Easter and a sieve with a flour plate inside, to prepare cakes.

The ‘buianci’ throws the sieve in the courtyard, and the way it falls tells the host how the year will be — good, if the sieve is facing up, and less prosperous, if it felled face down.

Saint George’s Day, celebrated according to the ‘Old-Style’ (Julian calendar), is the day when last years’ new-borns are ritually stolen. The ‘kidnappers’ then bathe them in water with money — bidding them richness, and flowers — calling for nicely growing, and dress them in new clothes before returning them to their parents; the latter respond with presents to those who return their precious babies.

The ‘Kurban’ custom marks the end of the New Year holidays; each family sacrifices a lamb and invite friends and relative to taste the dishes prepared from it.

During the Easter Lent, on Saint Theodore’s Day, the village of Cerna had a Bulgarian tradition observed until 1940, when Romania and Bulgaria exchanged populations in Dobrogea (southeastern Romania; it includes Tulcea County) and the neighbouring province of Cadrilater (the Quadrilateral, sometimes called Southern Dobrogea — or Dobruja, in northeastern Bulgaria).

‘In 2013, in a folk festival in Nova Cerna (New Cerna) in Bulgaria, I have met relatives of people who lived in Cerna before World War II; they had fond memories of our places, and especially of the horse races back then. It was called the ‘Cosia’; it was held on Saint Theodore’s Day, on seven kilometres; the winners were awarded beehives, calves, sheep, horseshoes, or harnesses,’ the Altona Association President Dumitra Petrica recalls.

Therefore, the tradition was revived last year, after 73 years of interruption, with the support of the municipal authorities and of the Macin Mountains National Park Administration; Cerna became the host of folk events, local product fairs, and of the horse race, to be held at the beginning of each tourist season.

Aromanians, who call themselves ‘Armani’ or ‘Machidoni’, used to be ‘carvanari’, carrying precious freight in caravans from Constantinople to western Europe, or shepherds, living in the mountains from spring to autumn, says Sterica Fundulea, the president of this community in Tulcea County.

On the day of Saint Demetrius, patron of shepherds, Aromanians descended for winter to the Thessaly plain and around the Aegean Sea; the moment was marked by celebrations involving dances, songs, and various rituals.

‘One of the books dedicated to the Armanis’ way of living reads, ‘When they descended with their flocks from Xirulivad for winter, the whole plain used to echo with sheep bleating, with sheep bell sounds, and with barking of big, long-haired dogs.’ The passing of flocks itself was a savage opulence show, watched by town dwellers who got in the open to see Armanis’ sheep. As transhumance is no longer practiced in the Balkans, only the holiday remains, ‘ Fudulea recites.

The International Shepherd festival is held every year in May, in the village of Sarighiol de Deal; the town of Tulcea also hosts some folk shows of the festival. Exhibitions of specific items of the traditional trade accompany the event; guests are offered traditional food.

The ‘Hidrellez’ is a pre-Islamic holiday celebrated by Turkic people from immemorial times. For them, the 6th of May is the beginning of a new season — the summer; farmers get their animals out of the stables, which thei clean and smoke against the ‘evil eye.’ A couple of handfuls of what grains poured on the window sills on this day were supposed to bring abundant crops. Children used to rub themselves with garlic to keep bad dreams away. ‘Kalakay’ — small breads prepared by housewives the day before — are rolled down from a hill to forecast the fate of the years’ crops.

During the next morning, after the divine service, the housewives milk the cows and sheep, and pour the milk on the stable door sill to bring even more of abundance. The youth have to gather every flammable item and prepare a fire near the mosque. The village elder lights the fire after the service, and he is the first to jump through it for purification. Women jump last, when flames are down. Traditional ‘Kures’ Tatar wrestling follows. Girls sway on swings decorated with flowers; women go to cemeteries to honour the dead. The afternoon meal, served outdoors, gathers the whole family.

Irrespective of their populations, no matter how remote or promoted their communities are, all the ethnic minorities in Tulcea County preserve their traditions along the year and those related to the cycle of life; there are Rroma, Ukrainians, Germans, Turks, Lipovan Russians, Tatars, Serbs, Slovaks, Bulgarians, Greeks, Italians, Jews, Poles, Armenians, Csangos, Macedonians, and Hungarians. The multicultural character in Dobrogea is visible in dwellings’ features, traditional suits, gastronomy, legends, dances, and songs.

‘A couple of years ago, we have organized a traditional event, the Carnavale, specific to the Italian community in Greci; a guest from Italy was deeply moved by songs he hadn’t heard since his childhood, when his grandmother used to sing to him,’ the Greci Italian Community President Sorin Vals recalls.

Artist Grigore Lese, after a documentary visit to remote villages in the terrace region of Tulcea County in 2007, told AGERPRES, ‘It was an extraordinary experience to meet six men of Caugagia singing traditional polyphonic songs. It is a valuable culture that could make us famous throughout Europe.’

These are just a few reasons for the authorities to host public events each year; for instance, the Children’s International Folklore Festival ‘The Golden Fish,’ hosted in Tulcea in August. It confirms once more the county’s fame of a miniature Europe. AGERPRES

Photo credit: (c) CRISTIAN NISTOR/ AGERPRES ARCHIVE

Other sports have their legends, too; in the past, Tulcea County has hosted many national and international athletic competitions. Stan Gheorghe’s book ‘Pages of Tulcea County sports history’ underlines the importance of the foundation of the European Commission of the Danube (CED) in 1856; it contributed to the development of sports in the region. According to this source, CED and the Romanian Royal Yacht Club organized what appears to be the first Romanian regatta in 1887 in Sulina, the easternmost town of Tulcea County, at one of the Danube’s mouths at the Black Sea. Seven years earlier, the town of Tulcea, the county seat and back then a free port, held extensive sailing and fishing rowing boat races and swimming contests across the Danube. Romania’s first long-distance swimming contest on the Danube was held in 1912 between Ghecet and Macin. Between 1952 and 1970 (with interruption between 1960 and 1968), the Very Long Distance Kayak and Canoe Race was held between Corabia (some 600 kilometres upstream) and Sulina. From 1975 through 1986 the town of Macin hosted international Greco-Roman wrestling events. Balkans’ boxing championship of 1977 was held in Tulcea; Romania got 7 champion titles. Tulcea also provided the venue for the 2005 qualification matches for the Men’s European Volleyball Championship and for the first international minifootbal matches of Romania, in 2011.

Tulcea County natives Dumitru Alexe and Simion Ismailciuc won the gold medals of the 1000 meters canoe sprint in 1956, in Melbourne. Vasile Daba, born in Jurilovca in 1956, was the first Romanian Olympic champion of kayak; the first to see his paddle break during the qualification race for an Olympic semifinal was Ivan Patzaichin of Mila 23. He went on with the shaft, crossed the line and went on to gold. When journalists asked him what he felt when the incident occurred, Patzaichin answered, ‘in a split second, I thought of Mila 23 and I decided to give my best to get to the finish line.’ His Olympic titles kept coming; he ended being champion 30 times at the Games and at World Championships, as recorded in the aforementioned book. Nicolae Fedosei faced the same problem. After finishing first with team Romania at the World Championships of Tampere (Finland) in 1983, his paddles began breaking one week before the next years’ competition. ‘The team’s carpenter reassured me saying he got a new lot of paddles. Then old Costica kept assembling two or three paddles a day; they broke upon the first start, and he began panicking about the chances that I break all the 20 pieces he got. After the first 15, he mounted a reinforced one, three or four hundred grams heavier, which I used for the race,’ sports reporter Ioan Eugen Diaconu quoted Fedosei in 2001.

Ivan Patzaichin is the only former champion of Tulcea involved in kayac and canoeing activities. After his retreat in 2010, he founded the Ivan Patzaichin — Mila 23 Association, linking his name to his native village in the Danube Delta. ‘I have always been and I still am very strongly bounded to the Delta, my birthplace, the place where I learned to row and paddle and where my respect for man and nature was built. I wish Rowmania [his brand for promoting ecological tourism] help the Delta become the queen of European ecological tourism as soon as possible. Therefore, most of our activities are dedicated to this region, to help communities identify the best solutions for developing local economy,’ Patzaichin said.

Photo credit: (c) ALEX TUDOR/ AGERPRES ARCHIVE

Another goal of his association is to involve children in athletic activities, all the more that the commune of Crisan alone gave 23 world and Olympic champions of rowing and paddling disciplines, then not a single Romanian champion for 15 years came from the Delta. Moreover, many locals now see rowing as humble work. This is the context for approaches in collaboration with the Tulcea County Council and the Municipality of Tulcea to set up the first Olympic canal for rowing competitions in Romania, which would also be the first ecological rowing canal in the world. It is planned on a length of 2,400 meters, 400 meters wide, on an area undergoing renaturation, near the town. It would be dedicated to professional athletes. Until works are completed, Delta’s visitors are invited each year between August 30 and September 1 to the International Rowing Boat Festival — Rowmania Fest, hosted by the town of Tulcea. It is a unique event in Eastern Europe and a platform for the recovery of rowing boat tradition, combining sports and open air activities with show and outdoor events.

Elena Fidatov Moruzov is a living legend of Tulcea athletics. World champion of half marathon with the Romanian team in Oslo (Norway) in 1994, and in Monbeliard (France) in 1995; European champion with Romania’s cross country team in Alnwich (UK) in 1994; her and her colleagues’ performances put Tulcea on the map of Romanian athletics. Another name in Romanian athletics, Ilie Floroiu, was born in 1951 in the village of Izvoarele; he competed for Farul Constanta club, defeating the best long-distance runners of his years; two of his national records, on 5,000 and 10,000 meters, set in 1978, still stand. Maybe the athletes of the Turcoaia chapter will beat them one day.

The sports history in Tulcea County would be incomplete without Dumitru Manea’s performances in Greco-Roman wrestling — bronze at the World Championships of Katowice (Poland) in 1972.

Team sports also made Tulcea County’s pride. The men’s volleyball team was among the favourites, playing the 1st division between 1975 and 1985. It returned in the top league in 1991 and stayed there until 1995, when coach Alexandru Stanciu retired. Its second comeback occurred in the 1999-2000 season, and Deltacons team became vice champion of Romania next year. In 2002-2003, the team was champion for the first time, a title it defended over the next season, when it also played the final of the Top Teams Cup, European club’s second high competition. Deltacons was the first men’s team to reach this level since the introduction of the Final Four tournament in the early 1990’s.

Photo credit: (c) CRISTIAN NISTOR/ AGERPRES ARCHIVE

One of the most elegant fighters in the 1930’s boxing was Aurel Toma, styled ‘The Champions’ Nightmare’; he was born on July 30, 1911 in the town of Babadag, in Tulcea County. He was the first Romanian boxer to enter the ring of New York’s Madison Square Garden, and the only one to build himself a professional career in the United States. In 1938, he terminated the carer of Scotsman Benny Lynched, a world and European flyweight champion whom no one else had knocked out. Toma’s record in America — 19 wins, 9 losses, 4 draws — is unique among Romanian fighters. His name is now on the frontispiece of the sports hall of his native town; since 2013, Babadag holds an annual competition named after him, to honour his memory.

Other disciplines also achieved remarkable results on national level, with Tulcea County juniors honourably competing in domestic and international competition, though many of them are members of athletic clubs throughout Romania. An athlete’s performances equally require their own perseverance and best judgment, their teachers’ qualities, and training conditions. Many youths of Tulcea got what it takes to become great, but only time will tell how many of them will find the passion and wish to outdo their masters, adding to the sports’ — or other professions’ — legend.AGERPRES