The Genovese Lighthouse stands on the cliff of Constanta, behind the monument depicting the bust of Mihai Eminescu.
When the Ottomans not yet trod the lands of the old continent of Europe the Genovese galleys were landed in the ancient city of Tomis in the late thirteenth century. This Italic nation had to to dominate for a long period of time, the basin of the Euxin Pontus.
Skilled navigators and innate merchants, the Genovese Italians knew the secret of that time: had under your control the Silk Road, whereby most goods and diverse around the world were circulating, then you were leading the trading and prospering in everything. And the Silk Road was passing through the Black Sea, and later coming to the West through the Romanian coast and Thus, the control of the seaside Euxinus Pontus was ensuring their global dominance of trade.
Moncastro (the White Fortress), Licostomo (Chilia), Caladda (Galațt), San Giorgio (Giurgiu) or Constanta were key points colonized by the Genoese, where carefully controlled this ancient form of globalization: the Silk Road.
They have written important pages in the history of the ancient city of Tomis, but certainly the most important symbol is the Lighthouse, a living testimony as Latin continuity of these lands.
Around 1300 the Genovese were building here, of stone. a Lighthouse, which had to wear the legends on its shoulders to this day.
Damaged by the passage of time, the lighthouse was restored between 1858 and 1860 by the Frech engineer, Armenian by origin, Artin Aslan for the English Company Danube&Black Sea Railway, which has built the railway Cernavodă-Constanța and modernized the Port Constanța,. The lighthouse pedestal is a quadrangular shape, of which an octogonal construction stands up with a platform that goes up ending with a platform that exceeds exceeding the tower and is supported by small buttresses. On this counterforce is placed a metal room with windows all around, covered with a round metal dome.
The light of lighthouse was static, representing a bright landmark for sailors at sea. It operated until 1913, from 1948, when he was restored, a tourist attraction. It has the height of 8 m, being rebuilt in the honor of Genovese merchants who contributed to the flourishing of Constanta.
