mehedinti county

MEHEDINTI COUNTY A JOURNEY DOWN THE

DANUBE

Mehedinti County

A journey down the Danube, an emblematic axis of the region we live in, is a genuine journey in time. The Danube, flowing the past through the present into the future, carries on its waters a flux of cultures and civilizations from nine European countries. Those who have ever sailed or will be inspired to voyage on the Danube and pass through the unique area of the Hollows, will bear in mind lasting memories of this magnificent scenery. In an almost symmetrical concatenation, on both banks of the Danube, natural and historical sites, relics of the Roman and Medieval past pass before the insatiable eyes of travelers yearning for beauty.

Drobeta Turnu Severin – the overtime town

It is the capital of Mehedinti County. A town and a harbor since 1833, now it is considered

one of the most beautiful Romanian towns on the Danube. Known since ancient times under the name of Drobeta, the town has become an important place that links Central Europe to the Middle East. Population – 118,000 inhabitants. Climate – temperate continental with Mediterranean influences; it is the gentlest climate in Romania

Drobeta Turnu Severin

Drobeta Turnu Severin – The Iron Gates Museum

Its historical and archaeological collection contains relics of the old culture in this area.

The Natural Sciences section contains exhibits telling about the geological structure of the region, its fauna and flora.

The museum has also a valuable section of ethnography.

The ruins of the camp Drobeta

The camp was built in 103 – 105 AD by emperor Trajan and rebuilt under Justinian the Great. Here many military units of the Roman empire camped out, the most important one being the 5th legion “Macedonica”.

Trajan was an emperor of the Roman Empire between 98 – 117 AD. He conquered the Dacian Kingdom in 106 AD, and captured 165 tones of gold and 331 tons of silver.

The ruins of Trajan’s bridge

The bridge was built by the architect Apollodor of Damascus, between the two wars against the Dacians, under the rule of Trajan. It was the most daring work of engineering in the whole Roman antiquity. The technical secrets used in building have remained unknown to this day. Apollodor of Damascus was a Roman architect, one of the favorite architects of the emperor Trajan. To build the bridge over the Danube, he used oak wood from over 200 hectares.

The ruins of the medieval fortress Severin

Situated on top a hill, the fortress was built around 1230. Its position in the Iron Gates region, midway between Central Europe and the Middle Danube basin, gave it strategic importance. The check point of the whole Danubian navigation was there.

Orsova – the town where the sun never sets

Situated at the confluence of the river Cerna and the Danube, the harbor town Orsova, named Dierna in Roman times, is an altogether a new town now. The old town disappeared under the Danube waters when the Iron Gates dam was built, in 1964. The new town lies on the shore of a small gulf.

The town faces the sun all day long, and that is why people who live there can never see the sunset. The phenomenon is special: the town seems to be from another world, with only two cardinal points to see: North and South, the East being in the water and the West being hidden by a hill. Population – 17,000 inhabitants. Average temperature – 11 C. Climate – temperate continental, the exception being made by the Northern sector of the area, the mountains Godeanu and Cerna

Orsova - attractions

The Roman Catholic cathedral is a modern construction, built between 1972 – 1977, unique by its architecture, considered the most beautiful building in Orsova.

Mehedinti County

The Iron Gates Natural Park is the second largest environmentally protected area, the first being the Danube Delta. The park is situated on the Romanian bank of the Danube, between Bazias and Drobeta Turnu Severin. It got the status of procetion in 1998 and it contains 14 scientific reservations. The fauna and flora in the area include several rare species: Herman’s turtle, the horned viper and the hollows tulip.

The Danube Hallows

The Danube Hallows are situated in Ieselnita area. They represent the most spectacular part of the iron gates Natural park. Before building the Iron Gates Dam, the place was very dangerous for navigation because of the rocks hidden close to the water surface. Here, passing through a narrow corridor, the Danube seemed to boil as in a cauldron, with dark and foamy bubbling.

Decebal’s Statue

King Decebal’s Statue is situated in the middle of the Little Hallows, being the biggest monument of this type in Europe, being only 6 meters shorter than the Statue of Liberty and 10 meters higher than the Colossus of Rhodos.

Decebal, the Dacians’ king, was well known for his honesty and bravery.

Decebal ruled the Dacian kingdom between 87 and 106 AD. His defeat was such an important event, that the citizens of Rome were spared taxes for a whole year.

Mehedinti County

A PowerPoint presentation made by students and

coordinator teacher in

“Lorin Salagean” Technical College,

Drobeta-Turnu-Severin

ROMANIA

September 2010

mehedinti county

Education