Oct 8 - Golubac Fortress

Today started a little oddly. The time on my phone showed 7:15 a.m., so despite the fact that it was dark outside (I rationalized that we were probably deep in a lock), I hustled into the shower and wondered why Doug wasn’t up and at ‘em by the time I was finished. Ooops – my phone was set to automatically change time zones. We were sailing on the part of the Danube that separates Serbia and Romania, and my phone had picked up the Romanian time zone which is one hour ahead. We don’t formerly change the time until tonight – J.J. had made that very clear last night at port talk but didn’t warn those of us with iPhones to override the automatic feature. We were ready for breakfast before the dining room was open, so we headed up top for a few minutes. We were rewarded with seeing a rainbow rising over the morning mist. There was much talk at breakfast of the consternation that this time change caused lots of other people. Our friends, Barry and Sherry, actually called the front desk to get an official ruling about what the real time was because they couldn’t agree! There was some extra coffee required this morning to get the human engines going.

Our activity for this morning had two parts. The first was a visit to the Golubac Fortress beside which we were moored, albeit temporarily. This is called a “technical stop” because the stop is only for 1-2 hours. The ship would be sailing further along the river to another “technical stop” location where it would moor for just 1-2 hours, long enough to get us all aboard again, do the paperwork, and set off.

The Golubac Fortress was a medieval fortified town on the south side of the Danube River, 4 km (2.5 mi) downstream from the modern-day town of Golubac, Serbia. According to recent discoveries, the fortress, which was built during the 14th century by Medieval Serbian state, 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 advent of firearms.

Golubac Fortress has had a tumultuous history. 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 the Serbian Knez, Mihailo Obrenović III. The fortress has had the distinction of successfully repelling over 120 attacks in its long history.

In the 21st century it is a popular tourist attraction in the region and a sightseeing point on Danube boat tours. This point is the widest section of the Danube at 6 km. We will be sailing to the narrowest point of the river this afternoon where the river is just 150 metres wide.

Our guide, Nikolai, gave us the history of the fort and guided us around. In the early part of the 20th century, a tunnel was cut right through the fortress to serve the road that runs along the side of the Danube. About 20 years ago, the folly of this venture was righted, and a new tunnel was bored through the mountain which surely has helped to preserve some of the structural integrity of the fortress. The palace portion of the fortress is now used for presentations and meetings, and is currently hosting an art display.Read more