Decebalus face unique rock carved sculpture
If your way passes through Serbia, then you can see the statue from the opposite bank of the river in good and clear weather. Route 25-1 passes along the Danube, at a slight distance from the high rocky coast. Leaving the car at the road, you can go to the shore through the forest (about 200-300 meters) and will see the monument behind the bridge. The distance to the nearest city of Tekiqa is about 11 kilometers.

Carved from a monolithic rock, the head of the last king of Dacians Decebalus is, in fact, the largest rock monument in Europe. Decebalus (87–106 AD) became famous for his frequent raids on the Roman Empire. According to belief, Decebalus, who did not want to give up, committed suicide by piercing himself with a sword.

Noteworthy, it took the sculptors ten years to create this impressive monument, completed in 2004. Twelve sculptors-climbers worked on a sculpture, which height is 40 meters and a width of 25 meters. Besides, the place not chosen by chance. Here, in the narrow canyon of the Danube, the Roman emperor Trajan in 105 won the final victory over the army of Dacia.

In fact, to create the composition, the sculptors used more than a ton of dynamite. The rock, which served as the basis of the monumental bust of the Dacian king, rises above the majestic Djerdap canyon (in Romanian – Porţile de Fier). Meanwhile, it was Romanian businessman and historian Joseph Constantine Dragan, who ordered the statue of Decebalus, the cost of which was more than a million dollars.

You can see the monumental sculpture of Decebalus from the shore, but the best option is to take a boat trip along the Djerdap canyon. Such trips on the Danube start from Orsowa; and excursions are available from May to October.

The sculpture, which rises above the canyon, is 17 kilometers south-west of the Romanian city of Orsov, on the border of Serbia and Romania. By the way, the monument in Serbian has the name – Djerdap, but in Romanian – Porţile de Fier (“Iron Gate”). If you travel to Romania, you can get to the sight on the DN57 highway, which runs along the picturesque bank of the Danube.

Decebalus face unique rock carved sculpture

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