Techirghiol (, historical name: ''Tekirgöl'') is a town in

Constanța County Constanța () is a county (județ) of Romania on the border with Bulgaria, in the Dobruja region. Its capital city is also named Constanța. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 684,082 and the population density was 96/km2. The degr ...

, Northern Dobruja,

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

Etymology

The name is derived from the Turkish ''Tekirgöl'' which means "the lake of Tekir". According to a

legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess ...

, a blind and crippled old man named Tekir and his old donkey reached the shore of the lake by mistake. Trying to pull his stubborn animal out of the mud, Tekir was miraculously healed so he could see and walk normally again. Since then the lake has become famous for its

healing With physical trauma or disease suffered by an organism, healing involves the repairing of damaged tissue(s), organs and the biological system as a whole and resumption of (normal) functioning. Medicine includes the process by which the cells ...

properties. Tekir and his donkey are featured in a statue located in the center of the town. The name also means (in Turkish) "Striped Lake" (tekir - striped, and göl - lake). This is because of the salinity of the lake; when the wind blows, white salt stripes appear on the surface of the lake.

Location

Town is in the south east extremity of Romania (Constanța County), situated on the north west shore of

Lake Techirghiol Techirghiol is a lake in Northern Dobruja, Romania, near the town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in differe ...

(11.6 km²), elevation 15–20 m, 18 km south of the municipality of Constanța and very close to the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...

(3 km). In Techirghiol the winters are mild and the summers are warm, dominant being the clear skies (the sun shines for more than 2,400 hours every year).

History

Techirghiol was first marked on the country's map in 1893, but developed steadily after 1912, establishing itself as a spa town. In 1891, Hagi Pandele opened its doors, the first hotel and cold baths establishment in the town. In 1900 the extraction of therapeutic mud initiated and this led to the construction of many bathing establishments and hotels. After World War I, in 1920, Techirghiol started to become a very popular tourist attraction due to its famous therapeutic mud.

Techirghiol Balneotherapy Center

The sapropelic mud from the Techirghiol Lake is the jewel of the resort. In 1924, at the Universal Exposition from Paris, the Techirghiol mud received the golden medal. Alphons Saligny was the first to study the therapeutic use of the mud; after this the Romanian Institute of Balneology approved it and during the 1930s the studies realized by Alphons Saligny and the Institute were the base for solid scientific proof regarding the therapeutic actions of the sapropelic mud of Techirghiol and the methodology of those treatments. The sapropelic mud of Techirghiol is used warm for different kind of procedures: *Wraps * Cataplasm *Water mixed, for baths in bathtubs *Massag

Places of interest

*"Saint Mary" Monastery *Techirghiol

Balneotherapy Balneotherapy ( la, balneum "bath") is a method of treating diseases by bathing, a traditional medicine technique usually practiced at spas. Since ancient times, humans have used hot springs, public baths and thermal medicine for therapeutic e ...

Center * Catholic Church dedicated to St. Conrad of Parzham * Bronze Statue of Saint Pantelimon * Romanian Nautical Club

Demographics

At the 2011 census, Techirghiol had: 5,646 Romanians (82.48%), 8

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Urali ...

(0.12%), 27

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

(0.39%), 336

Turks Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic languages * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic ...

(4.91%), 615

Tatars The Tatars ()Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different

(8.98%), 6

Lipovans , flag = Flag of the Lipovans.png , flag_caption = Flag of the Lipovans , image = Evstafiev-lipovane-slava-cherkeza.jpg , caption = Lipovans during a ceremony in front of the Lipovan church in the Romanian village of Slava Cercheză in 200 ...

(0.09%), 17

Aromanians The Aromanians ( rup, Armãnji, Rrãmãnji) are an ethnic group native to the southern Balkans who speak Aromanian, an Eastern Romance language. They traditionally live in central and southern Albania, south-western Bulgaria, northern and ...

(0.25%), 184 others (2.69%), 6 with undeclared ethnicity (0.09%).

Notable natives

Jean Constantin Jean Constantin (; born Constantin Cornel Jean; 21 August 1927 – 26 May 2010) was a well-known Romanian comedian of Greek ethnicity. Constantin was born in Techirghiol, and died in Constanța. Filmography *' (2010) .... Agârbiceanu *''Vin ...

, Romanian actor

References

External links

Alternative website about TechirghiolLegends of TechirghiolTechirghiol Balneotherapy CenterSaint Mary Monastery
{{Authority control Towns in Romania Populated places in Constanța County Localities in Northern Dobruja Populated coastal places in Romania Spa towns in Romania Place names of Turkish origin in Romania