Museum of Archaeology Callatis Mangalia

angalia Municipality, the largest urban settlement in southern Dobrogea, with a millennia-old and multicultural history, possesses unique historical and cultural resources capable of transforming it into a true open-air museum and a desirable tourist destination.

The Callatis Archaeology Museum is an institution dedicated to the development of museum heritage through its fundamental activities: research, documentation, conservation, and the valorization of the historical remains of the ancient city of Callatis. While the idea of a museum in Mangalia dates back to 1915, it was only in 1959, with the support of local authorities, that an archaeological museum was officially established in a villa-style building. Archaeological finds from the necropolises of the ancient city—including the unique “tomb with papyrus,” numerous sculptural and architectural fragments, such as the unusual capital with ram protomes, and a hoard of around 9,000 bronze coins from the 3rd century AD—were among the main attractions of the modest museum.

In 1978, Mangalia’s cultural assets were enhanced by a new museum building designed to present the multi-millennial history of Callatis. The Mangalia Archaeology Museum initially operated as a branch of the Constanța National Museum of History and Archaeology, gaining independent legal status in 1990. In addition to systematic and rescue excavations conducted by the museum’s team in the citadel and necropolis areas and throughout the Callatian chora, conservation and restoration efforts were carried out in 1993–1994 at the site located within the premises of the “President” Hotel, culminating in the unique in situ display of the archaeological remains.

Today, the museum’s permanent exhibition showcases various categories of artifacts, from the oldest, dating to the Neolithic, to those from the Christian era.