The History of Romania and the Danube Delta

The history of the Danube Delta is closely related to the history of Romania and the struggles for the control of this strategic region over the centuries. Located at the intersection of the great European and Asian powers, the Delta was disputed by empires, kingdoms and nations, each leaving its mark on the cultural and natural landscape of the region. From the ancient Greeks and Romans, to the Ottomans, Russians and modern Romans, the Danube Delta witnessed profound transformations that shaped it into what it is today.

Ancient Period - Greeks and Romans

Channels of the Danube Delta

The first mentions of the Danube Delta appear in the writings of ancient Greek historians and geographers, such as Herodotus, who in the 5th century BC. describe the mouths of the Danube and the populations that lived in this region. The Greeks established trading colonies along the Black Sea coast, including Histria (founded around 657 BC), located near the Delta. This fortress was one of the most important commercial centers in the area, making the connection between the Greek world and the local Geto-Dacian tribes.

After the conquest of Dacia by the Roman Empire in AD 106, under the leadership of Emperor Trajan, the Delta region entered the sphere of Roman influence. The Romanians consolidated their military and commercial presence along the Danube, building fortifications and roads. The Danube became the limes - the natural border of the empire - and the control of its mouths was essential for the empire's security and trade. After the Romanian retreat from Dacia in AD 271, the region came under the influence of various migratory peoples.

The Middle Ages - Genoese, Byzantines and the First Romanian States

In the Middle Ages, the Danube Delta and its mouths were successively controlled by the Byzantine Empire, the Genoese and the various regional powers. The Genoese established important commercial points on the Black Sea coast, including at Chilia and Licostomo (near the current Sulina branch), which they used to trade grain, fish and other goods. The Romanian principalities - Moldova and Romania - fought for the control of the fortresses at the mouths of the Danube, Chilia and Cetatea Alba being strategic objectives of the first importance. Stephen the Great of Moldavia fought important battles for the defense of the Chilia fortress against the Ottomans and the Hungarians.

The Ottoman Period (15th-19th Centuries)

The Ottoman conquest of Chilia and Cetatea Alba in 1484 marked the beginning of the domination of the Ottoman Empire over the Danube Delta, which would last for almost four centuries. Under Ottoman rule, the Delta was administered as a raya (direct military province), which meant that it was directly controlled by the Ottoman sultan, unlike the rest of Moldavia, which maintained a relative autonomy under the leadership of the Phanariot lords. The Ottomans used the Delta as an important source of fish, especially sturgeon and black roe (caviar), which were sent to the Sultan's court in Istanbul. Fishing was organized and taxed rigorously, and local communities were forced to pay fish tributes.

During this period, the community of Lipovans settled in the Delta, fleeing from Russia to keep their old Orthodox faith. They brought with them fishing and boat building traditions that deeply influenced the culture of the Delta and that are preserved to this day.

Russian Influence and the Russo-Turkish Wars

The Sulina Lighthouse, Danube Delta

Beginning with the 18th century, the Russian Empire showed a growing interest in controlling the mouths of the Danube, as part of its expansion strategy towards the Black Sea and the Turkish straits. The Russo-Turkish wars had direct consequences on the Delta: after the war of 1812, Russia gained control over Bessarabia and the northern arms of the Delta, including the Chilia arm. The Treaty of Paris of 1856, which ended the Crimean War, created the European Commission of the Danube, based in Sulina, which administered navigation on the Danube and turned the Sulina arm into the main waterway to the Black Sea.

The European Commission of the Danube has carried out important works of dredging and regularization of the Sulina branch, building dikes, lighthouses and port facilities that have transformed Sulina from a fishing village into a cosmopolitan city, with foreign offices, hotels and an active cultural life. This period was one of great prosperity for Sulina, which became a nodal point of international trade.

Modern Romania and the Union

The European Danube Commission Palace, Sulina

After the War of Independence of 1877-1878, Romania obtained full sovereignty and received as compensation Dobrogea, including the Danube Delta, through the Berlin Treaty of 1878. This was the first time that Romania exercised direct control over the entire Delta. The Romanian state invested in the development of the region, building schools, churches and transport infrastructure. Fishing remained the main occupation of the inhabitants of the Delta, and the state began to regulate the exploitation of natural resources.

In the interwar period, the Danube Delta was recognized as a natural treasure, and the first nature protection measures were taken. Letea Forest was declared a nature reserve in 1938, becoming one of the first protected areas in Romania. Romanian researchers and naturalists began to systematically study the biodiversity of the Delta, laying the foundations of scientific knowledge that will be essential for later conservation efforts.

The Communist Period (1947-1989)

The communist period brought dramatic and mostly destructive transformations for the Danube Delta. The communist regime saw the Delta as a source of resources that had to be exploited to the maximum and as a land that could be "improved" by draining the swamps and turning them into agricultural land. In the 1980s, the Delta systematization project provided for the drainage of approximately 100,000 hectares of wetlands for intensive agriculture. Drainage channels, dams and pumping stations were built which destroyed valuable ecosystems.

The most devastating project was the creation of agricultural perimeters inside the Delta, by damming and draining vast areas of land. These projects have seriously affected the ecological balance of the Delta, reducing natural habitats and disrupting hydrological cycles. However, the relative isolation of the Delta and the difficulty of working in the field meant that a large part of the ecosystem survived the communist period in relatively good condition, compared to other wetlands in Eastern Europe.

After 1989 - Conservation and Sustainable Tourism

Water lilies in the Danube Delta

The fall of the communist regime in 1989 brought a fundamental change in the approach to the Danube Delta. In 1990, the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve (RBDD) was established, and in 1991, the Delta was included in the world network of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves. This international recognition meant increased protection and access to financing for conservation and ecological restoration projects.

In the last three decades, efforts have been focused on the restoration of habitats degraded during the communist period, by re-flooding abandoned agricultural perimeters and restoring the natural circulation of water. Ecological and cultural tourism has become an important source of income for local communities, offering a sustainable alternative to the intensive exploitation of natural resources. Today, the Danube Delta is an internationally renowned tourist destination, where visitors can discover the beauty of canals and lakes, the mystery of the Letea Forest, the rich life of birds and the fishing tradition.

The history of the Danube Delta is a lesson about the importance of the balance between human development and nature conservation. From the ancient Greeks who navigated its canals, to modern protection efforts, the Delta has been and remains a place where history and nature meet in a unique way. We invite you to discover this living history through our excursions in the Danube Delta.