The church of Santa Ana on the river
In 2006, in the backwater of the Iron Gate, the Danube broke its flow record since this data is measured : about 13,400 cubic meters per second. At this point its waters accelerate, they are channeled through a gorge to begin to wind between the impressive mountains of the Djerdap Nature Park, Serbia . Despite the fact that its capricious outline establishes the border between the Balkan country and Romania, both shores are under the Serbian government, in order to avoid old disputes over this sweet enclave.
Such an amount of water is the first thing that overwhelms the traveler, who arrives at the town of Golubac, number one target of Serbian weekenders and vacationers . On the small beaches of the Danube, young apprentice architects bathe, take their first steps with their sand castles, and older ones indulge in the good life of fishing or water sports. Doing all this at the gates of the Iron Gate gives it a somewhat epic touch. The imposing walls of the Golubac fortress make the bathing suit give way to the multipurpose pants of Coronel Tapioca. The adventure begins.
The ruinous Golubac castle stands on the southern slopes of the start of the Iron Gate, a crack through which the Danube finds its way in search of other landscapes. Despite the fact that its conservation is terrible, this fortress still maintains its powerful walls erect, miraculously built on the escaping slopes of the cliff. Up close, it can hardly be visited due to its unfriendly orography and its poor condition. . The only battlement on which you can safely walk overlooks a small tower that rises above the waters.
The castle of Golubac
The road begins crossing its walls, it is a real roller coaster that penetrates the national park bordering the river. There are numerous viewpoints that open up in the ditches and that reveal breathtaking views of the gorge, although two are of special interest. The Church of Santa Ana is a small hermitage built by the Romanians on your side of the throat. Its beauty lies in its size, its ridiculous proportion compared to the mountains that protect her.
Another impressive image is not far away. On a smooth rock, also on the Romanian side, a gigantic face fires the gorge . Is God? Santa Claus? A mythical local cornflower? As with Golubac, there are no sources that explain its origin, there are many theories about what or who is drawn. Its author is not known, although many voices point out that it is the artist who designed this face who is represented on it.
The unknown face of the Danube
In addition to the spectacular postcards that leaves this place, it is necessary to review its archaeological wealth. Specifically, in Donij Milianova prehistoric remains of great importance have been found . In this city, the largest in the entire gorge, most of the budget allocated by the Government for excavations is being invested in finding the origins of man in the Balkans.
To this day, the most curious of the findings are some tombs on the riverbank where some sculptures with the head of a human and the body of a fish have been found, which shows that the river has always commanded respect and has always had many Similarities to any deity. In the preambles to the access to this deposit some wooden houses survive, a little ethnographic gem that for the visitor has more aesthetic than historical value.
The city of Kladovo sets the eastern boundary of the park. As a good river port, it is more worthwhile at night than during the day, when its discos liven up the roost with live performances by folkloric-electronic groups. Far from the most popular is the bar owned by Mihail, a former military man who made friends with soldiers from all over Europe, which explains his good taste in music (compared to the scene at night) and his ability to communicate in any language.
From this point on, the Danube calms down, returns to its parsimonious run run , to his slow walk through flat lands after having shown that he also knows how to be a river lord.