The town was founded by the
Ancient Romans in the end of the first half of the 1st century under the name
Transmarisca. The settlement was part of the Roman military boundary in the 1st and 3rd century and reached its apogee in the 4th century, when, under the personal management of
Diocletian, it was made one of the largest strongholds of the Danubian
limes. The ancient town and fortress were destroyed in the beginning of the 7th century and the modern town carrying its present name emerged in the end of the century, remaining a military centre through the
Middle Ages as part of the
Bulgarian Empire, which was conquered by the
Ottomans in the late 14th century. Tutrakan was
stormed twice during the
Russo-Turkish War in 1773. Tutrakan was liberated from
Ottoman rule during the
Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 by Russians to become part of the
Kingdom of Bulgaria. After the
Second Balkan War, it was incorporated, along with all of
Southern Dobruja, in Romania until 1940, when the pre-
World War II Treaty of Craiova returned the territory to Bulgaria. During
World War I, the town, then part of Romania, was the site of the important
Battle of Tutrakan during which Bulgarian and German
Central Powers forces defeated the Romanian forces. Today it remains a vibrant fishing village, and the historic Fisherman's Quarter continues to attract tourists, bicyclists, boaters and artists. ==Geography==