The Genoese Lighthouse in Constanța: a Black Sea light reborn
The Genoese Lighthouse (Farul Genovez) is a small historic lighthouse on the waterfront of Constanța, on Romania’s Black Sea coast, just behind the statues around the bust of Mihai Eminescu and close to the Casino. It is a short, easy stop on a stroll through the old centre, with a story that mixes medieval legend, railway engineering and an Armenian love tale.
The Genoese Lighthouse may have no proven link with Genoa at all. Its name could come from an Ottoman phrase meaning “Genoese fortress”, and its lamp, dark since 1913, shone again in 2020.
The history of the Genoese Lighthouse
A long-standing local tradition says that the story begins around 1300, when Genoese merchants who traded at the port are supposed to have built a first lighthouse here. It would have guided ships from about two nautical miles out at sea towards the small harbour of Constanța. Historians of the city dispute this account, and no known document confirms that the Genoese ever built a lighthouse on this spot.
The name may have another origin. The local historian Petre Covacef has suggested that it goes back to the Ottoman Turks, who ruled the region until 1878. Impressed by the thick-walled stone buildings they found in Constanța, they are said to have called them Geneviz Calee, “Genoese fortress”. He argues that the label was applied to several structures in the city, including a Genoese quay and Genoese warehouses, as well as the lighthouse.
The tower that stands today was completed around 1860 by the French-Armenian engineer Artin Aslan. He worked on the orders of the British-owned Danube and Black Sea Railway Company, which was then modernising the port of Constanța and building the Cernavodă–Constanța railway. Romanian sources give the building period as 1858–1860 or 1860–1861. The Armenian community of Constanța preserves a tender story about its builder: wounded in the Crimean War, Aslan is said to have recovered at an inn near the ruins of the old lighthouse, fell in love with Mairam, a niece of the innkeeper’s widow, and married her. The year of the wedding is said to match the year the lighthouse was finished.
The new lighthouse worked with a static, non-rotating light and stayed in service until 1913. In that year it was replaced by a new lighthouse named for King Carol I, built on the breakwater of the commercial port, and the old tower fell dark.
Restoration began in 2015 as a joint project of the Constanța city hall and the local Armenian community, who set out to bring back the original lighting system, including its lens, glass core and support structure. In February 2020 the lamp was lit for the first time since 1913, with the new light source placed so that it does not interfere with shipping in the port. The restored tower is square at the base up to about 3.5 metres and octagonal above, and a stone spiral staircase winds up inside.
Curiosities about the Genoese Lighthouse
- Historians doubt that the Genoese ever built a lighthouse here, and no known document confirms it. One theory says the name comes from the Ottoman phrase Geneviz Calee, “Genoese fortress”.
- The Armenian community of Constanța tells that the builder, Artin Aslan, was wounded in the Crimean War, fell in love with an innkeeper’s niece called Mairam and settled in the city.
- The lamp was off for 107 years: it went dark in 1913 and was lit again in February 2020.
- Sources disagree on the height, from about 8 metres to as much as 21 metres, depending on whether it is measured from the ground, from the terrace or from sea level.
- The inside is cylindrical, with a spiral staircase in stone, and the top is finished by an eave on brackets that carries the metal lantern housing, which also forms the roof.
- The lighthouse stands right behind the statue group built around the bust of the poet Mihai Eminescu by the sculptor Oscar Han.
Tours near Genoese Lighthouse
Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:
GROUP Guided Day Trip to the Danube Delta, Tulcea - Letea
See details ›
Guided Birdwatching day trip to the Danube Delta - private program
See details ›
Danube Delta Tour from Tulcea to Mila 23, Letea Forest and Sulina
See details ›
Danube Delta PRIVATE boat trip to Letea Forest (guided tour)
See details ›Visiting the Genoese Lighthouse: what to see
- The tower is on the Constanța waterfront, behind the group of statues centred on the bust of Mihai Eminescu, close to the Casino, so it fits into a walk through the old centre.
- Look at its shape: a square base up to about 3.5 metres and an octagonal tower above, finished with a bracketed cornice and a metal lantern.
- The restored lamp was relit in 2020, so the tower is worth a glance after dark too; its light is arranged not to disturb ships.
- Histria, the ancient Greek and Roman site, is the nearest other place on this site, about 43 km away; Mangalia Mosque is about 41 km away.
- Details of access to the tower itself are not given in the sources, so check locally before you go.
Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.
Map: where Genoese Lighthouse is
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors
Photos of Genoese Lighthouse
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Questions
Where is the Genoese Lighthouse?
It stands on the waterfront of Constanța, on Romania’s Black Sea coast, behind the group of statues with the bust of Mihai Eminescu and near the Constanța Casino.
Did the Genoese really build the Genoese Lighthouse?
Local tradition says Genoese merchants built a first lighthouse around 1300, but historians dispute it and no known document confirms it. The present tower was completed around 1860.
Who built the Genoese Lighthouse?
The present lighthouse was completed around 1860 by the French-Armenian engineer Artin Aslan, for the British-owned Danube and Black Sea Railway Company.
How tall is the Genoese Lighthouse?
Sources differ, with figures from about 8 metres to as much as 21 metres depending on the point of measurement. The most commonly quoted height is around 8 metres.
Does the Genoese Lighthouse still work?
It was retired in 1913, but after a restoration that began in 2015 its lamp was lit again in February 2020. The light is placed so as not to interfere with shipping.
What can you see near the Genoese Lighthouse?
It sits beside the Eminescu statue group and the Constanța Casino. Further afield, Mangalia Mosque is about 41 km away and the ancient site of Histria about 43 km.
Also nearby
Esmahan Sultan Mosque
Mangalia · Romania’s oldest mosque, from 1575
41 km away
Histria
Dobruja · Greek colony of the 7th century BC, ruins by a lagoon
43 km away
Anghel Saligny Bridge
Cernavodă · 1895 Danube railway bridge, once Europe’s longest
55 km away
Cernavodă Bridge
Cernavodă · steel truss bridge carrying road and rail over the Danube
55 km away