Decebalus Rock Sculpture

The sculpture shows the head of Decebalus, the last king of Dacia, cut into a rock face on the Romanian bank of the Danube in the Iron Gates gorge. It was commissioned by a private businessman, took twelve sculptors and around ten years to complete, and was finished in 2004; at roughly forty metres it is usually described as the tallest rock relief in Europe. Twelve workers hung on ropes to carve it, and the face was blasted and chiselled out of the natural cliff rather than assembled. Opinions on it divide sharply between those who find it a striking piece of monumental sculpture in a spectacular setting and those who regard it as kitsch imposed on a natural gorge. Either way it has become the emblem of the Iron Gates, and the boats that run the narrows all pause beneath it. Roadside viewpoints give a distant view; the water gives the intended one.

What you actually see

• The carved head - a forty-metre face worked directly into the cliff.
• The gorge setting - the Danube narrows and the walls opposite.
• Boat approaches - the intended view, from the water directly below.
• Roadside viewpoints - distant angles from the DN57.

When to go

April to October, when boats are running; outside that season only the road views are available. Morning light falls on this bank, which is when the relief reads best. Summer weekends bring heavy boat traffic.

Honest expectations

From the road the sculpture is distant and partly obscured by trees, and many visitors are disappointed until they take a boat. Boat operators are informal, schedules loose, and prices negotiated. The carving is modern, not ancient, which surprises some visitors. There are no facilities at the viewpoints.

Nearby

Orșova is a short drive east; the Great Cauldrons narrows are immediately upstream.