On the Danube river, on the border between Serbia and Romania, at the exit from the Djerdap gorge near the town of Golubac, there is the famous medieval Golubac fortress.
Hungarian books mention that the fortress dates back to 1335, but it is not known exactly who built the fortress and in what year.
It was built on the remains of a Roman fortres, and either Serbs or Hungarians are mentioned as its creators.
As an important military fortress in a strategic position to control the flow of the Danube River, it is claimed It was extended until the end of the 15th century, when it got its present appearance - nine towers of different shapes and sizes.
The power over the fortress was decreasing between the Hungarian, Serbs and the Turks.
In 1481, the Turks conquered it for the second time and began their centuries-long rule. The rule of the Turks ended after the second Serbian uprising, and in 1868 the Golubac fortress finally passed into the possession of Serbia.
In the middle of the 20th century, in the era of communism, during the construction of the main road, part of the fortress was demolished in order for the road to pass through it.
At the beginning of the 21st century, reconstruction of the fortress is being considered. Reconstruction began in 2011 and ended in 2019, when the fortress was officially opened to the public.
The road that passed through it was moved, two ruined gates were rebuilt, all the towers were rebuilt...
There are interesting legends about the Golubac Fortress that people have passed down over the centuries of its existence.
From the origin of the name of the fortress, which in translation means "Pigeon", about the battles between the Hungarians and the Turks (when the Romanian count Vlad Cepes and the Polish knight Zavisa fought against the Turks), the battle between the Serbs and the Turks, about the change of power over the fortress...
By the name of the fortress and it is not surprising that there are a lot of pigeons
In memory of the Polish hero, a memorial plaque was placed above the water source that bears his name.
If you are in good shape, you can visit all these towers with guided tours.
The most interesting to me was the Hat tower(it got its name from the roof of the tower, which looks like a hat).
At the foot of the Hat tower, you can see a wall damaged by the impact of a large stone thrown by a catapult, which is still there, in the tower wall.
The interesting fact is that it was on the other side of the river in Romania, during the fighting against the Turks. in the 15th century, a fortress was built to house the army that fought against the Turks.
Unfortunately, the Romanians have not yet rebuilt their fortress.
I looked through the binoculars, it seems that they are preparing for reconstruction...
The view from the top of the tower at the entrance to the Djerdap gorge and the Danube is phenomenal.
By visiting the Tower and the museum area, you can see objects from that period of life.
I visited several towers, I entered them and had a great view of the surroundings, river Danube and fortress wall.
If you are ever passing through the Danube or in this part of Europe, be sure to stop by the Golubac Fortress.
