Piața Ovidiu Constanța

Piața Ovidiu is the main public space in the historic centre of Constanța municipality, located on the old peninsula of the city, on the site of the former agora of ancient Tomis — the civic and commercial centre of the Greek colony and later of the Roman city. It bears the name of the Roman poet Publius Ovidius Naso, exiled to Tomis around 8 AD by decree of Emperor Augustus, where he lived until his death in 17 AD. At the centre of the square stands the statue of Ovid, created in 1884 by Italian sculptor Ettore Ferrari and inaugurated in August 1887 — the first monumental statue in Romanian Constanța — standing 2.60 m tall on a stone pedestal of 2.68 m, with a stanza from the Tristia inscribed in white marble. The square is surrounded by buildings of architectural significance: on the northern side stands the National History and Archaeology Museum of Constanța (MINAC), housed in the former City Hall Palace, built in 1921 in an eclectic style with Baroque influences, which holds the treasury of sculptures from Tomis and the Glycon Snake — a unique piece in the world. On the eastern side, steps descend toward the Casino promenade and the Tomis Harbour, from where the Genoese Lighthouse is visible to the north. Beneath the square's surface and in the adjacent areas, remains from the Greek, Roman and Romano-Byzantine periods of Tomis have been discovered over time, confirmed by systematic excavations and by chance finds made during municipal works. The square represents the natural starting point for any tourist itinerary through the old centre of Constanța.