A One-Day Trip Through Eastern Serbia – The Iron Gates

Golubac Fortress

Golubac Fortress, in all of its grandeur, is located at the very entrance to the Iron Gates, where the Danube River flows as wide as a sea. It looks just like a fairy tale. The fortress, consisting of ten towers, was built in the 14^th century. According to legend, its name comes from the pigeons (golubovi) which were fed by the lonely Queen Jelena, imprisoned in the tallest tower of the fortress.

Đerdap National Park and the Gorge

            Europe’s longest and largest gorge through which the Danube flows, uniting the beauty of nature with the remnants of history.

Lepenski Vir

            An archeological site first excavated in 1965. The settlements which were found here are estimated to be 8000 years old, and belong to the pre-historic period. The name of the site comes from the whirlpool (vir) of the Danube. Numerous urban settlements from our distant history were discovered here. The houses were generally trapezoidal in shape, covered in wood, leaves, and the hides of wild animals. Inside the houses were hearths, small sacrificial altars, and stone sculptures which represented the deities of this particular culture. This site is a part of the rich treasury of Europe’s oldest artwork. 

Viminacium is an archeological site located 60 km downriver from Belgrade. The Roman military camp and city were established in the 1^st century and it was the capital of the Roman province Moesia Superior, which covered a large part of modern-day Serbia. Having been overrun by Huns in the 5^th century, the city was entirely destroyed. Today, the historical city has taken up a life of its own. Camps for children, festivals, and concerts are organized on its grounds, promoting a familiarity with the site’s cultural heritage and the way of life in an ancient, pre-historic age. In 2013 a public performance of the opera Aida was held in the reconstructed amphitheatre.

Mammoth Park

            This park was the site at which a mammoth was excavated in 2009. The most significant find was the skeleton of a mammoth, called Vika, who is completely preserved, even after 5 million years.