...MAGNUM EST STARE IN DANUBII RIPA
... TO STAND ON THE BANK OF THE DANUBE IS MAGNIFICENT
                                              (Plinie)

Djerdap gorge offers one hundred kilometres of magnificent nature and history. The Danube is made narrower by this gorge and it goes through it towards Vlach Depression and the Black Sea. It is the oldest geological valley in this part of Europe, the largest composite valley and the biggest “breach” river on the Continent. Here the Danube is the narrowest and the deepest, and by Golubac before the entrance, the widest. Its name keeps the memory of Turkish conquerors. “Gerdap”, in Turkish, means the place dangerous for navigation, a whirlpool. Romans and Slavs called it the Iron Gate. Each  epoch from prehistory to nowadays left significant traces of the culture and the past. From the first European civilizations, Roman castrums , through medieval  and Turkish fortresses, Djerdap gorge was bridged by two marvellous engeneering projects: Trajan'bridge from the first century A.D. and hydroelectric power stations “Djerdap 1 and 2” which were put into operation in the seventies of the 20th century. These two builders colossus and the river under them symbolize Djerdap's questions of connecting and separating, culture and conquering, with unavoidable – is the Danube a bridge between the cultures or eternal border, eternal limes.

The Danube enter the Djerdap gorge by Golubac, and then it makes its 100 kilometres long way through Carpathian-Balkanian mountain massives. Right before Golubac the Danube is the widest in its whole course. Not far from there, some 20 kilometres downstream is the location Gospodjin Vir where the Danube reaches its greatest depth of 90 metres.

The Golubac fortress and fortified town Laslovar, on the Romanian side, are the «guards» of Djerdap. The first written evidence of Golubac dates from 1335., but the fact when it was exactly built,  is unknown. The one of the best preserved Middle Ages towns has nine towers and the remains of the Middle Ages harbour, while its authentic look has been somewhat disturbed by the building of a modern highway. Three kilometres upstream fom the fortress,  there is today’s town Golubac with an organized port and hotel «Golubački grad», where the hunters and fishermen gladly stop. «The Golden Pot» is a traditional manifestation when the fishermen compete in making fish specialities and sport fishing. 

Donji Milanovac is a new settlement which came into being after the hydroelectric power station  "Djerdap 1" had been built which caused the raising of the Danube's level and flooding of the old settlement in 1971. This interesting place changed its location a few times during its past. In the ancient times the military camp and settlement were named Taliata , in the Middle Ages it was mentioned as Veliki Gradac, while in the period of Ottoman Empire it developed as Poreč and it was important town during First Serbian Uprising. From 1820., the residents were leaving old Poreč and founded Milanovac, eight kilometres downstream, which existed until 1971. Probably, the most famous inhabitant of Donji Milanovac was captain Miša Anastasijević. Today's place is located in Donji Milanovac ravine and its characteristics are favourable climate, the width of Djerdap accumulation lake and famous hotel "Lepenski Vir". There is also the head office of the Public Company "National Park Djerdap". 

The Danube represented the great obstacle for the Roman Empire conquest aims. For that reason, to conquer Dacia, today's Romania, Trajan  built the bridge between today's village Kostol and Turnu Severin, in A.D. 105. The bridge was built by the architect Apolodor's from Damascus project and it falls into the most important works of Roman architecture. It was 1127 metres long, it had 20 pillars 45 metres high and 20 metres wide, with the span between the pillars of 50 metres. It was pulled down during the reign of Trajan’s successor Hadrian (A.D. 117.-138.), most probably to prevent the invasion of barbarians from eastern Europe. It was protected by the casteles Pontes (in Serbia) and Drobeta (in Romania).

Kladovo is the most important town on Serbian side of Djerdap. The  liveliest part of  the town is still Old downtown. Besides there are Djerdap Archeology Museum and St. George's church and manifestation "Kladovsko leto" (Kladovo summer).

Kladovo is famous all round the world by its caviare of the protected origin. The hotel "Djerdap", on the bank of the Danube, dominates the town, and behind it, long, pebble beach stretches. Five kilometres downstream from Kladovo, Roman emperor Trajan bridged the Danube in the 2nd century  A.D., and ten kilometres upstream from Kladovo, Yugoslav and Romanian engineers started up turbines of the hydroelectric power station ”Djerdap 1”  in 1970. These two structures were the most significant projects in their respective times. In  immediate vicinity of Kladovo there is well preserved Turkish town Fetislam, which in translation means “the defender of Islam”. The fortress was founded by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1542., and later, at several times, it was enlarged. It got today's appearance after the failure of Serbian uprising, when Turks enlarged it and gave it a shape which was suitable for the waging war at that time. The town stretches over an area of five hectares and has polygonal shape, and around the town there is a ditch 20-30 metres wide. Three gates are preserved. The first gate leads to the bank of the Danube, and the other two are towards land and there were drawbridges for passing through them.

The Youth Camp Djerdap was established as a public organization in 1991. and it represents the lawful successor of the ORA (abbreviation of the "youth labour action")  "Djerdap". Thanks to the understanding and help from the Hydroelectric Power Station Djerdap and the Ministry of Education and Sport, the camp is in constant development. Since the activities and jobs had exceeded the organizational abilities of the public organization, the youth camp established the business organization The Youth Sport Camp  Djerdap in 1997., an institution for sport activities, organization and realization of different cultural, educational and sport programmes for children, young and older people. The camp organizes and realizes: the youth sport schools, sport camps, preparations of sport teams, sport competitons, workmen sport games, creative workshops, artistic colonies, ecology schools and programmes, recreational teaching and outdoor school. For all the above mentioned activities, the camp has the organizational and material prerequisites to offer the optimal conditions for realizing different projects. It also offers the services in nautical, hunting and fishing tourism and complete logistics. The camp realizes the most of its activities in the Djerdap builders' colony, then in the youth camp and in the zone of the National Park "Djerdap".

Hydroenergetic and navigational system "Djеrdap 1", complex and multifunction structure, was built at the 943rd kilometre of the river Danube from its mouth into the Black Sea. The building officially started on 7th of September in 1964. The final damming of the Danube was accomplished on 13th of August in 1969. The first hydroelectric sets were started up at the same time on both sides, Yugoslavian and Romanian, on 6th August in 1970. During the building of the main structure 13,4 million cubic meters of gravel and alluvium and 7,2 million cubic metres of rocks were dug up, 3,2 million cubic metres of concrete, 167.000 tons of iron and steel construction and 69.000 tons of equipment were built in. A highway runs over the dam. National border is vertical to the axis of  the dam and divides the structure into two symmetrical parts. The lock chambers enable the raising or lowering of the river/sea ships of a capacity up to 5000 tons, or the convoy of 12 classic vessels of a capacity up to 14000 tons. In each of two power stations, six hydroelectric sets with vertical Kaplan turbines of a nominal power of 190 MVA were built in, which together amount to 2280 MVA. Hydroenergetic and navigation system (HEPS) "Djerdap 2" is the second joint Yugoslav-Romanian hydroelectric power station on the Danube. The building had begun in 1977. and the last hydroelectric set on the Serbian side was started up in 2000. Besides its energetic and navigational significance it is of great importance for the agriculture, road and railway traffic. Each of two sides has 10 capsule type hydroelecrtric sets of total installed load of 270 MVA, together 540MVA.

The Balloon station "Varnica"

It is situated in the very centre of Djerdap between Small and Large Kazan. Right by the Balloon station, as well as by the Youth Camp in Karataš, runs the highway 25-1, popular Djerdap highway.

Former balloon station "Varnica", which served for the regulation of navigation in this part of Djerdap, has been turned into an entry tourist reception and regional information centre. Together with a few other balloon stations in a system, it served as unique traffic light on the Danube. Raised or lowered balloon was a signal to the captains of the ships to pass freely or to wait for the ship from the opposite directon. Today, "Varnica" with its marina is the only place from which one can start viewing Kazan, Trajan's board and Brigand's watermill, from the water.

Djerdap is the largest composite gorge in Europe which consists of a few narrow parts and a few wider parts. There come alternately Golubac gorge, Gospodjin Vir, Kazan and Sip gorge or Iron gate, and between them Ljupkovo, Donji Milanovac and Orsava
ravines. After the buiding of the dam was finished in 1971, Djerdap was turned into the large artificial lake which made navigation considerably easier. Before, there had been dangerous whirlpools and jagged rocks, especially in Gospodjin Vir and Kazan. In ancient times Romans had dug a passage through the rocks in Iron Gate while at the end of the 19th century Sip's canal was built and a steam engine pulled the ships upstream through it. On the other hand, the water accumulation flooded  Orsava, Tekija and Donji Milanovac, Roman fortresses, considerable parts of Roman road, Tiberius' and Domitian's boards. Three mentioned little towns were moved to new locations and continued to live at the same tempo as they used to before; Trajan's board was lifted 20 metres above the previous position, as well as the newly discovered prehistoric site Lepenski vir. Because of the universal importance of this permanent settlement which had been established in the time when other tribes had lived as nomads, this site was preserved and presented to public. At the beginning of the  Christian era, Roman emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Domitian and Trajan had built a road along the right-hand bank of the Danube which had been crowned by the great bridge behind the Iron Gate. By this road, the  fortified frontier - limes had been supplied. Romans had built, along this frontier, a series of fortifications, i.e. smaller millitary camps which had been in use until the 6th century A.D., until Roman limes had lasted. The boats which hadn't been able to sail over rapids and through the narrows, had been pulled along this road. In the 6th century, Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian had restored limes. Many of the mentioned sites, after discovering of different layers of material culture, give evidence about the continuity of man's life on the whole area of Djerdap from prehistory through antiquity and Middle Ages to modern days. Unfortunately, the greatest number of sites were submerged. Only the most important monuments from some epochs were rescued (or moved) and preserved, and they are (going downstream): Golubac Town (Middle Ages), Lepenski Vir (prehistory), Trajan's Board, Karatas - Diana and Kostol - Pontes (ancient Rome), while the movable exhibits are displayed in the Djerdap Archaeology Museum in Kladovo.

DJERDAP ARCHAEOLOGY MUSEUM

It is situated in Kladovo, on the bank of the Danube, between the fortress Fetislam and the centre of Kladovo. On the area of 560 square metres of displaying space there are 400 representative exhibits of exceptional cultural and historical significance from prehistory to Middle Ages.

TRAJAN'S ROAD

On the right-hand bank of the Danube ran the road named after the Roman emperor Trajan, during whose reign it had been built (A.D.103.). Trajan's road is in fact an extension of the previously built Tiberius' road through Upper Gorge. Only after Trajan's order, when the road had been cut through Kazans, it got its full  strategical and economic  significance for the Roman Empire. It had been cut throuhg granite and limestone rocks of Large and Small Kazan. It had been built with countless number of human victims, mainly slaves. By building this road, emperor Trajan had provided an uninterrupted transfer of his legions in both directions and their regular supplying. With this, Trajan in fact had finished his preparations for the campaign across the Danube to Dacia, to conquer it and to settle accounts with its ruler Decibal(us). When the works on building the road had been finished, emperor Trajan, wishing to leave a testimony of the great working accomplishment to the next generations, had ordered  a board to be carved in the rock above the road. Today, one can come to this Board only by water.

DIANA

The fortress Diana is located in Karatas, about two kilometers downstream from the Hydroelectric Power Station "Djerdap 1", and it had been the biggest and the most important fortress on the Upper Mcesia limes (frontier). It had been built during the emperor Trajan's reign, in the period of his first campaign to Dacia. Considering that Diana had been built at strategically important location, the assignment of the permanent military garrison was to guard the frontier and to protect downstream entry to the canal. Diana had had a function as a fortification object until the sixth century A.D.

FLORA AND FAUNA

In the Djerdap area there are exceptional ecosystems in which exist specific kinds of plants and animals, protected by law in the boundaries of tha Djerdap National Park. In the natural reservations grow rare and endangered specimens of yew, hackberry micocouller, Turkish hazel, silver and Caucassiane lime, flowering ash, while of the fauna, their residence have found mammals (lynx, bear, wildcat, chamois, otter, stone marten and pine marten), and rare birds (golden eagle, whitetail eagle, perigrin falcon, pygmy cormorant, black stork, blue tit). In the water of the Danube live sheat-fish, perch, barbel, while the dam of the hydroelectric power station has forcefully interrupted the way for spawning of barbels  and sturgeons which came from the Black Sea.