The story of the destination Murfatlar continues with Murfatlar - millennia of wine-growing, a set of landmarks and tourist attractions emblematic for the city and the entire area. Even before entering the city, we can rest our eyes on the Murfatlar Vineyard, one of the most famous and oldest vineyards in Romania, which stretches over the hills that guard the city to the east, on an area of about 3000 hectares. The history of the vineyard starts from ancient times, exploiting the soils formed on sarmatic limestone deposits and the favorable exposure of the hill slopes. In the Annals of the Romanian Academy tom. XXXIV, Vasile Pârvan indicates that mythical figures crowned with shoots and grapes appear in numerous secular and religious monuments in the Murfatlar area, referring to the cult of Dionysus (Bacchus).
The assortment of vine varieties combines old Romanian varieties with those introduced from Asia Turkey and the Balkan Peninsula, before the great phylloxera invasion of the 1880s, which, in Dobrogea, was strongly felt after 1900. Subsequently, the vineyard grew and developed. both as a result of research and investments, as well as by the reputation associated after the time when King Carol II conferred the name of "Via Regală" in 1939, in recognition of the quality of wines.
How can we get acquainted with Murfatlar wines? Visiting the Tourist Point Murfatlar, picturesque located in the highest point of the vineyard, far from the urban turmoil, sending the tourist in times without names, through wine tastings, cultural and traditional gastronomic experiences (Murfatlar, access from Viilor street, tel. +40 722 165571, with reservation) or the Research and Development Station for Viticulture and Vinification Murfatlar (Calea Bucureşti, no. 2, tel: +40 241 234 305 / + 40 722 103 641), established in 1887 on 4.8 ha considered core of the current Murfatlar wine center. The resort hosts its own wine tasting events, with a prior reservation required. The "Domeniul Vlădoi" winery (Murfatlar Street, 14B, Siminoc village, tel: +40 766 539 071 / +40 722 578 768) is located in Siminoc village, at a distance of about 5 kilometers from the center of Murfatlar city. Wine cellars and wine cellar tours and vineyards can also be made within the "Domeniul Vlădoi" winery, also by reservation. The wines "Domeniul Vlădoi" are created from both local and international varieties, for white wines - Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat Ottonel, Chardonnay, Tămâioosa Românească, Feteasca Regală, Riesling Italian, and for red wines - Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Black Fetish, Syrah. We return to the city and stop at the Fântânița Tourist Complex (Calea Dobrogei, Fântânîța-Murfatlar, tel: +40 722 165 571), located at the entrance to the "Fântânița Murfatlar Forest Reserve", which awaits you with local wines and preparations, offering also conditions for accommodating guests, if you decide to spend more time in the city, to discover the other unique attractions.
If you are still at the entrance to the “Fântânița Murfatlar Forest” Reserve, you should know that Murfatlar - a wilderness, a large area near the city, which invites you to walk and explore the pure nature, awaits you.
Located on Tibişir Hill, west of Murfatlar city, there are two overlapping reservations that protect a high botanical and zoological forest, Fântânița Murfatlar Forest (access from Calea Dobrogei, intersection between DN 22C and DN 3), Natura 2000 protected area, with an area of 577.50 ha, and natural area protected by national interest. The name "Fântânița" comes from the only source of drinking water in the protected area. The custodians of the residence are RNP Romsilva - Forestry Directorate Constanta, through the Murfatlar Forestry District, and admission is free.
The forest covers a relatively steep hill, limestone, with long valleys, which represents the most interesting part of the scientific reservations, through flora and fauna, and a plateau of Sarmatian age. The area is crossed by narrow and shallow valleys, and at its base is limited by a wide valley.
The reserve is home to over 500 species of plants, characteristic of the southern area of Dobrogea, with the predominance of the pontic, but also the Balkan, continental, sub-Mediterranean and Eurasian elements. Rare species of animals present in the reserve include mammals - European poppy (Spermophilus citellus), steppe jumping mice (Sicista subtilis) and sparrow-tailed duck (Vormela peregusna), amphibians and reptiles - Dobrudian turtle (Testudo grapea) and mackerel stripes (Elaphe quatuorlineata), as well as numerous invertebrates. The scientific value of the natural reserve also consists of the presence of rare species of plants, endemic, such as Paeonia Tenuifolia - steppe peony. Furthermore, new plants for science have been described in this reserve, most of which bear the component "Murfatlar": Adonis vernalis var. murfatlariensis - Murfatlar rocket with finely divided leaves; Centaurea orientalis f. Murfatlaria - yellow centaur; Stipa lessingiana f. Murfatlarii - colilia; Carduus murfatlarii - purple violin from Murfatlar.
To continue your route dedicated to wild nature, another very little known objective, located near DN 3, at a distance of about 1.5 km south from the center of the village and 300 meters south of the Murfatlar Rock Ensemble, is the chalk lake. . The lake is extremely accessible, both by car and on foot, and unique in the landscape of the area. It formed in the basin of an abandoned lime and chalk quarry, having a clear water of intense blue-turquoise color. The legend of the place says that the water of the lake changes its color according to the season. The chalk lake is an attraction for couples in the area, who come here for spectacular wedding photos. Note, however, that the lake is not tourist-friendly.
Another dimension that is revealed in the city of Murfatlar is that of the Dobrogean multiculturalism, so visible here due to the diversity of the built heritage, the traditions and customs preserved by generations and now restored through periodically organized events.
Cel mai reprezentativ monument istoric de interes național al oraşului este Complexul rupestru Murfatlar, situat la circa 1 km est de centrul oraşului Murfatlar, pe malul sudic al Canalului Dunăre-Marea Neagră. Ansamblul arhitectural și pictural este un lăcaş de cult creştin din sec. X-XI, unic pe teritoriul României, reprezentând o serie de 6 bisericuțe, chilii, cripte și morminte, galerii labirintice și locuințe săpate în creta Dealului Tibişir. Suprafața totală a sitului este de aproximativ 3500 mp, iar complexul propriu-zis este dispus pe trei niveluri sau terase care corespund cu cele trei etape de dezvoltare a monumentului. Elementele sale de planimetrie, structură și formă trimit la bisericile rupestre capadociene.
The walls of the little churches are decorated with cruciform and geometric signs, crosses of different shapes and sizes, human or animal images: liturgical scenes - human figures standing on their knees or with their arms raised (oranges), saints with nimbus and rabbits, pigeons, horses and riders, wild animals, fantastic animals - "braided snakes", dragons, or pre-Christian symbols such as the tree of life, the ship or the maze. Also, runic inscriptions appear, undeciphered, as well as inscriptions with paleoslav or Greek characters. The monument is protected by a concrete construction, the access is not allowed due to the fragility of the site, but it can be seen from the road Constanța - Ostrov - national road 3 (DN 3).
A faithful image of the ensemble was made by the Constanţa Museum of National History and Archeology together with the National Institute for Research and Development for Optoelectronics (INOE), in a collaboration for the reconstruction by 3D replicas of four churches of the six existing ones.
Also on Tibişir Hill is the "Saint Teotim" Monastery, a recent place of worship, dating from 2001. The monastery celebrates its dedication on April 20. The access is made from the road Constanța - Ostrov - the national road DN 3, on a cobbled road or on stairs that run along the hill.
At a distance of about 9 kilometers to the south of the city is the Monument "Facăra Tineretului", also known as the Monument from Straja, erected in 1988, by the Communist youth near the former village of Straja, destroyed to make way for the site and the canal. The ensemble represents an angel-shaped statue without wings and is the tallest monument in the territory of Romania.
When you return to the city, you will be able to discover the three historical monument houses located on the Fântânița Entrance, at the numbers 3, 9 and 9A, built at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, as well as the house on the Fântâniței Street without number, raised to the beginning of the century. XX. You will then cross the Danube-Black Sea Canal, one of the longest waterways in the world. Imagined from ancient times, abandoned, designed and redesigned several times in the last 2,000 years, the Danube - Black Sea Canal is the most impressive construction made so far in Romania. However, the superhuman efforts, the unimaginable resources, the human sacrifices and the martyrdom with which this project was carried out make the Danube Canal - the Black Sea and one of the most controversial achievements of the communist regime. To reach the central part of the city you will cross the canal on the Basarabi Bridge and you will be able to visit Murfatlar Railway Station, which is part of the first railway line built in Dobrogea and, at the same time, throughout the Ottoman Empire - Dobrogea, being at that time under Ottoman rule. Built by the British company "Danube and Black Sea Railway Kustendje Harbor Company Limited", the railway and railway station were inaugurated in 1860. The station is still operational today. Then you reach the old center of Murfatlar, where the administration and public institutions are concentrated. , the culture house and the main parks of the city. Also, in the historical center of the city are other protected heritage buildings, from the end of the 19th century - the beginning of the 20th century: the Stamatopoulos house from 1899 (Fântâniței Street), The Kogălniceanu Mansion (Aleea Mărgăritarelor, no. 16), one of the few Romanian mansions of the modern era kept in Dobrogea, initially belonging (1885) to the family of the politician and to the writer Mihail Kogălniceanu, currently in his precinct operating a kindergarten, which makes his house invisible. Omer Bechir Bey (Matei Corvin Street, no. 2), The Church "Birth of the Virgin Mother" (Matei Corvin Street, no. 3), built of stone between 1903 and 1906, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the reign of King Carol I of Romania, Geamia Murfatlar (Credintai Street, no. 1). , as well as other heritage buildings with local value.
Religious buildings erected in the recent period: The new church "Sf. Emperors Constantin and Elena "Murfatlar, Church" Sf. Hierarch Nicolae "in the village of Siminoc, the Pentecostal Church" Maranata "Murfatlar, the Christian Baptist Church" Bethany "Murfatlar and Geamia.
