Independence Monument in Tulcea

The Independence Monument dominates Colnicul Hora in Tulcea, in the park on Monument Hill. The obelisk is accompanied by an infantryman and an eagle with open wings, and a monumental staircase ascends to its platform. From here, there is a view over the city and the Danube. The ensemble commemorates the War of Independence and the return of Dobrogea to the Romanian state. The foundation stone of the first monument was laid during the visit of Carol I to Tulcea in 1879.

The work started by Giorgio Vasilescu and continued by Constantin Bălăcescu was officially inaugurated in 1904. The monument was destroyed in the First World War and rebuilt later, in a first stage without the two sculptures at the base. The infantryman and the eagle returned to the composition in the restoration of 1977, on the occasion of the centenary of independence. The obelisk, staircase and panorama form the main landmark of the hill; the Museum of History and Archeology and the remains of Aegyssus are nearby.

Photo: David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. Image cropped and resized.