Overview
This post covers the Serbian portion our 9 country 35-day adventure across Europe and picks up the adventure as we leave Bulgaria. This included a trip to Transylvania in Romania, a 23-day Viking River cruise across Europe from Bucharest to Amsterdam and then a trip that we arranged after the cruise to both Belgium and The Netherlands.
An overview of this trip can be found at A European Sojourn with links to the other segments of the trip listed below in the summary.
Day 1 – Iron Gates
Kazan Gorge of the Danube River
Kazan Gorge is reported as one of the most beautiful and narrow sections of the river. It forms part of the Iron Gates, a series of gorges that create a natural border between Serbia and Romania. There are several notable landmarks here including: Trajan’s Plaque (a Roman inscription commemorating the construction of a road by Emperor Trajan), the Decebalus rock carving (the largest rock sculpture in Europe) depicting the face of the last king of Dacia, and the Mraconia Monastery.
Iron Gate Lock Number 1
Early this morning we will pass through the first of 66 locks on our way to Amsterdam. We are up at the crack of dawn to watch.
Iron Gates
It’s a little foggy and cloudy as we make our way out of the lock and through the Iron Gates.
Trajan’s Plaque
The plaque was created to mark the completion of the Via Traiana, a military road built by the Roman Emperor Trajan. This road was essential for the movement of Roman troops and supplies during the Dacian Wars. In 1969, during the construction of the Iron Gate I Hydroelectric Power Station, the plaque was raised by 70 feet to protect it from being submerged. This preservation effort involved moving the entire stone monolith, weighing about 300 tons, to its higher location.
Decebalus Rock Carving
The Decebalus rock carving is a colossal sculpture of the face of Decebalus, the last king of Dacia, who reigned from AD 87 to 106. The sculpture was commissioned by Romanian businessman Iosif Constantin Drăgan and created between 1994 and 2004. It took twelve sculptors ten years to complete this monumental task. The Decebalus rock carving is the tallest rock relief in Europe, standing at 180 feet in height and 82 feet in width.
Mraconia Monastery
The monastery’s origins date back to the 11th century, with it’s first mention in historical records before the end of the 14th century. It has witnessed numerous invasions and destructions, particularly during the Turkish raids in the 15th century. The current monastery was rebuilt after 1989, with monastic life being restored in 2007.
Donji Milanovac
The main center of the Kazan/Iron Gate Gorge is the town of Donji Milanovac and the other important center is the city of Kladovo. The gorge itself consists of several parts that make up one of the most beautiful scenes in this part of the world. At this place, the Danube changes its width, winds and falls to build a gorge of high rocky cliffs.
Iron Gate Djerdap National Park
We’ve chosen an excursion that takes us on a short drive through the countryside to Iron Gate Djerdap National Park. Here we do a fairly easy uphill hike to a vista overlooking the river inside the Kazan gorge. We even get to watch our ship sail by. We will meet up with the ship further up stream at Golubac. We may have missed sailing through part of the gorge, but this bird’s eye view was worth it!
Kapetan Mišin Breg
Before we meet up with the ship, our group stops at a gorgeous outdoor event venue where we are treated to a wonderful traditional snack. The grounds have several art sculptures and another beautiful view.
Danube River Drive to Golubac
While we missed cruising this portion of the river, we do get to drive along side the river on our way to Golubac.
Golubac Fortress
We arrive at Golubac Fortress ahead of our ship. This means we get a longer tour of the Fortress than those that remained on the ship. The first half of the tour is fairly challenging. The latter half is so challenging that Nancy stays behind and only Harrison goes on. The same goes for several of our fellow travelers.
The fortress was a medieval fortified town on the south side of the Danube River, 2.5 miles downstream from the modern-day town of Golubac, Serbia. The fortress was built during the 14th century and is split into three compounds which were built in stages. It has ten towers, most of which started square, and several of which received many-sided reinforcements with the evolution of firearms and weapons. Towers were not connected for easier defense.
Golubac Fortress has long a history as a defensive place. Here they successfully repelled over 120 attacks. Prior to its construction it was the site of a Roman settlement. During the Middle Ages, it became the object of many battles, especially between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary. It changed hands repeatedly, passing between Turks, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Serbs, and Austrians, until 1867, when it was turned over to Serbia.
Pickup at the Dock at Golubac Fortress.
Day 2 – Belgrade
We dock early in the morning in Belgrade and will be here almost the entire day. We start our morning on an included 2-hour guided excursion called Panoramic Belgrade and then we’ll be left to on our own. The dock isn’t right by the city but Viking offers a shuttle bus service to downtown. We plan to do an optional tour of the Tesla Museum, eat a late lunch in town and then just wander around.
Kalemegdan Fortress
Our first stop on the walk through Belgrade is to the Kalamegdan Fortress. This Fortress’s history dates back to the 3rd century BC when it was founded by the Celtic tribe of Scordisci. It was later fortified by the Romans and became known as Singidunum. Over the centuries, it has been rebuilt and expanded by various rulers, including the Byzantines, Ottomans, and Austrians. Situated on a high ridge overlooking the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, Kalemegdan Fortress has always been a strategic military stronghold. Its location provided a vantage point for controlling the surrounding area and defending against invasions The fortress is surrounded by Kalemegdan Park, the largest park in Belgrade. The park offers beautiful walking paths, gardens, and panoramic views of the rivers. It is a popular spot for both locals and tourists to relax and enjoy the scenery. Within the Fortress, visitors can explore several museums and monuments, including the Military Museum, which houses a vast collection of military artifacts, and the Victor Monument, a symbol of Belgrade’s victory over the Ottoman Empire.
Saint Michael’s Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of St. Michael the Archangel is a Serbian Orthodox Cathedral Church. It was built between 1837 and 1840, on the location of an older church also dedicated to Archangel Michael. It is one of the most important places of worship in the country. The Cathedral Church is one of the few preserved monuments of Belgrade from the first half of the 19th century. It serves as a reminder of the independence fight from Turkish centralism to the final freedom from Ottoman rule.
Tesla Museum
Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American engineer, futurist, and inventor. He is known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply system.
Born and raised in the Austrian Empire, Tesla first studied engineering and physics in the 1870s without receiving a degree. He then gained practical experience in the early 1880s working in the new electric power industry. In 1884 he immigrated to the United States, where he became a naturalized citizen. He worked for a short time at the Edison Machine Works in New York City before he struck out on his own. Attempting to develop inventions he could patent and market, Tesla conducted a range of experiments with mechanical oscillators/generators, electrical discharge tubes, and early X-ray imaging. He also built a wirelessly controlled boat, one of the first ever exhibited. This small 4 room museum includes many of these creations. Our tour is a true treat because they closed the museum just for us – a truly private tour! The museum docent demonstrates several of his inventions “for real”.
Lunch at Zu Zus’s
We find an adorable outdoor cafe for a late lunch. We enjoy a scrumptious Bruschetta and decide to save the rest of our appetite for dinner on the ship.
Belgrade
We spend the remainder of our time in Belgrade just wandering on our own.
Summary
Belgrade was delightful, so rich in history, architecture, art and life. We both agree there wasn’t anything compelling us to return in the future, but we’re glad we had this chance to experience it. Our adventure continues next in Croatia.
The other segments of this trip can be found here:
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