When Romania took over the area in 1878, the prefect (think County Executive) wanted to have a history museum established. And so it was ... in his office. Sadly, the building soon burned down, and the remaining pieces were put into storage.
By 1912, the head of the National Museum of Antiquities asked to establish a permanent museum. This resulted in a kiosk being set up in a part. But by 1930, part of the "new" City Hall was turned into a home for the exhibits. That lasted until 1957, when the museum was moved into the Archbishop's Palace. But in 1977, it was back to City Hall for a permanent takeover of the building as a museum.
There's not a great deal to see here, but what is on display is quite interesting. The building has a variety of items from the Roman period. They range from items as small as a necklace, and a large as good-sized blocks that can be viewed on the perimeter of the building.
As you can see, a welcome to the facility is given by a smart statue in the plaza out front. It depicts Publius Ovidius Naso (43 BC–17 AD), also known as Ovid. He was banished to ancient Tomis - later called Constanta - by the Emperor Augustus. No one is sure what happened there, but there is some talk of hanky-panky. Ovid never did make it back to Rome.
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