Iron Gates of the Danube

Between the Carpathians and the Balkan ranges the Danube squeezes into a series of gorges, and the narrowest section, the Cazanele Mari or Great Cauldrons, is the sight people come for: the river compressed to a few hundred metres between limestone walls that rise sheer for hundreds more, with the water turning slow and deep. The road along the Romanian bank threads through tunnels and along ledges with viewpoints at intervals, and boats run into the narrows from Orșova and Dubova. Carved into the cliff above the water is the Decebalus rock sculpture, a colossal face completed in 2004. The character of the gorge changed permanently when the Iron Gates dam was completed in 1972: the water rose, the notorious rapids that once made navigation lethal disappeared, and the island of Ada Kaleh with its village was submerged. The Ponicova cave and Veterani cave open onto the water in the narrows.

History

People have lived in the gorge since the early Neolithic, and the Iron Gates Mesolithic culture of about 13,000 to 5,000 years ago is named after it. Apollodorus of Damascus built Trajan's bridge east of the Great Kazan in 103-105, by 1831 István Széchenyi had a plan drafted to make the passage navigable, and the walled island of Ada Kaleh, with its mosque and a fort built by the Austrians in 1669, was flooded when the dam was built (Wikipedia, Iron Gates).

Highlights

• The Great Cauldrons - the narrowest, deepest section of the gorge.
• Decebalus rock sculpture - the colossal carved face on the cliff at Dubova.
• Boat trips - the standard way to see the walls from water level.
• Riverside caves - Ponicova and Veterani opening onto the gorge.

When to go

April to October for boat trips and clear roads. Spring and autumn have better light and fewer visitors than August. Morning mist on the water is common and can either make or ruin the view.

Before you go

The road is winding, narrow in the tunnels and busy with lorries, so driving takes longer than the map suggests. Boats do not run in poor weather or low season and schedules are informal. The gorge is impressive but tamed: the rapids and the drowned island are gone under the reservoir, and knowing that changes how the place reads. Facilities along the bank are sparse.

Nearby

Orșova sits at the eastern end; the Cerna valley and Băile Herculane lie north.

Key facts