Serbia
Golubac

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    • Day 13

      Oct 8 - Golubac Fortress

      October 8, 2023 in Serbia ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

      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.
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    • Day 7

      Serbia

      November 17, 2022 in Serbia ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

      Sailing on the Danube with Romania to the right and Serbia on the left. 2 locks, through the Iron Gates and onto Golubac Fortress in Serbia. Amazing sites while cruising, time to write postcards, soak in their pool aka hot tub, lovely Serbian meals and great time with fellow agents who love to travel and share with clients their experiences.Read more

    • Day 24

      Golubac Castle

      July 3, 2016 in Serbia ⋅ 29 °C

      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. Now, it is a popular tourist attraction in the region and a sightseeing point on Danube boat tours.

      The fortress has a distinction of successfully repelling over 120 conquering attacks during history.
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    • Day 3

      Ide sa do kaňonu

      June 15, 2022 in Serbia ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

      Dnes sa začína plavba po hlavnom úseku, hlavnej atrakcii, kvôli ktorej sme tu šli. Dunaj sa prediera Karpatmi v asi 120km úseku a tvorí úzky kaňon obkolesený vysokými brehmi - Železné vráta.
      A už prvé minúty ukazujú, že sa bude čím kochať. Začíname totiž preplavbou okolo pevnosti Golubac a z vizuálneho hľadiska je to asi tá naj pevnosť akú sme videli a to podľa iných zdrojov sú ešte niektoré jej nižšie časti zatopené.
      Dunaj totiž v tomto úseku po postavení dvoch priehrad Djerdap I a Djerdap II zdvihol svoju hladinu oproti pôvodnej o 30m.
      Pôvodné cesty ešte z rímskych čias, mosty, obce, dokonca pevnosti zostali navždy zatopené niekde na dne.
      A rieka Dunaj, ktorá prudko tiekla doslovne aj po žulových masívoch (žiadne pieskové dno) bola pred postavením priehrad postrachom každého námorníka a úsek, ktorý sa nazýval Dunajské katarakty už svojim názvom vyvolával rešpekt.
      No a názov Železné vráta, prebraný z turečtiny znamená, že toto miesto na obchodnej ceste bolo posledným obranným a nepreniknuteľným bodom, za ktorý sa nikto cudzí nemohol dostať. A keď vchádzate do úzkeho kaňonu okolo majestátnej pevnosti Golubac na jej začiatku, je vám jasné, že to tak asi aj bolo.
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