RITAM SRBIJE / RHYTHM OF SERBIA
nobody having managed to confirm with certainty who was responsible. The Hungarians say that it was built by Huns, while Serbian historians sug- gest that it was erected by King Dra- gutin. And certain facts support the claim that it is the legacy of Serbia – primarily the remains of an Orthodox chapel in tower number four. The ar- chitecture itself also testifies to Gol- ubac’s possible Serbian origins, first- ly because it was built in the same way as other medieval Serbian for- tresses. Serbian towers were built in such a way that each one represent- ed a fortification in its own right, so taking just one didn’t mean conquer- ing anything, as the attackers had to wrest control of all of them. The for- tress town’s upper part is older, built
between the 13 th and 14 th centu- ries, while the lower part was con- structed in the early 15 th century. The Ottomans later added a tower that is distinct from the rest, as it is the lowest and was erected to cater for cannons that only began being used in the second half of the 15 th century. Replicas of those very can- nons can also now be found there. Following the tour of the for- tress and tales of heroes, of the fact that it was never conquered despite being assaulted 120 times (power over it always shifted through “dip- lomatic” means), we board a boat and pass through the Iron Gates, and straight into a new enchantment that requires no human beautifica- tion. Here the green, calm waters
of the Danube flow beneath dra- matically carved mountain massifs, with the odd house peaking over the lush vegetation of the flanks. At one point, the captain shows me that we are at the deepest spot along the entire course of the Dan- ube, where the depth gauges man- age to record a distance of around 96 metres to the riverbed, though it is believed that it is at least 20 metres deeper in this section. The captain says that all sorts of things have been spotted emerging from those depths, but no one dare talk about it... We journey on to Donji Milan- ovac, a tourist centre of the Đerdap area that was named after Prince Mi- loš’s son Milan. The Danube turns north here, flowing beside the steep faces of Miroč Mountain before nar- rowing to form the Small and Great cazans. Here you can see the remains of a former Roman road that was carved out of the rock. Emperor Tra- jan achieved a genuine feat of con- struction even for today’s conditions here, completing the road and erect- ing a bridge over the Danube that is known as Trajan’s Bridge and which stood as the longest bridge for a thousand years after it was built. It is no longer standing, but there is the famous Tabula Traiana, Trajan’s Plaque, which is inscribed with Latin text testifying that Em- peror Trajan ordered the work on the completion of the road to Dacia. The deep waters of Đerdap Lake are tranquil beneath Trajan’s Plaque, and from there you can quickly reach the hydropower plant. Two kilometres downstream, beside the Danube and the road to Kladovo, the remains of Diana Fortress – one of the best-preserved Roman mil- itary fortifications – were discov- ered. Our final destination is the town of Kladovo, where we leave behind the boat, but not the mag- ic of this journey, as we continue to follow the course of the Danube for a few kilometres more, with the great river reflecting the rays of the setting sun and shifting colours un- til we finally part ways with it again at Golubac.
Lepenski Vir Đerdapska klisura je i mesto začetka moderne ci- vilizacije jer se na oko 36 kilometara nizvodno od Golupca nalazi Lepenski Vir, arheološko nalazište čiji je značaj nemerljiv, jer je kultura ovog lokaliteta trajala od oko 8.000. do 4.500. godine pre naše ere i predstavlja jednu od prvih ljudskih naseobina, temelj moderne civilizacije… The Iron Gates Gorge also marks the origins of mod- ern civilisation, with the archaeological site of Lepin- ski Vir located approximately 36 kilometres down- stream from Golubac. The importance of this site is immeasurable, given that the culture of this locality endured from around 8000 to 4500 BC and rep- resents one of mankind’s earliest group settlements and the foundations of modern civilisation...
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