Author - Ivan Andrejić
WWW.SECRETSEDITION.COM
KLADOVO
From prehistory to modern tourism jewel of Serbia The plain-terraced fields on the coast of the Danube have always been attractive for formation of permanent settlements, due to natural resources which are plenty in this river and its surrounding. For more than 10000 years, traces of some of the oldest ancient European civilization have been recorded within this region, both on its coast and bigger river islands (currently flooded), as well as the first open-air Neolithic habitats which are well known for their eponymous localities, such as Lepenski Vir – Starčevo – Vinča. During the first six centuries of the new era, this part of the Danube, the Roman Danubius, was part of the Roman province Moesia which was later named Moesia Superior (Serbia, South of the Sava and the Danube) and it was integral to the unique, military-strategic defense system of the Great Roman Empire, known as the Roman Limes. Next to these Roman military locations, the first towns were created and their names were noted in literary sources, first of all in Roman travel cards-itineraries, as well as in inscriptions. Kladovo Municipality includes: Transdierna (Old Tekija), Ducis Pratum (Adakale island), Caput Bovis (Trajan – Sip channel, Old Sip), Diana/Zanes (Karataš, Davidovac), Transdiana (The Island of Banat), Pontes (Kostol), Egeta (Brza Palanka). During the late VI and early VII century, this six century old Roman, late Roman, early Byzantium limes, permanently fell before the invasive attacks of the Avars and the Slavs. The late started organizing their permanent settlements on the coasts and/or islands of the Danube. At this time, appeared the new, early medieval, Slavic cultures which actually started the Medieval Age in this region.
The Turks first conquered this territory in XIV century. Having destroyed the earlier fortifications and settlements, they started building their typical buildings, using the material from the demolished older structures. They located the river base for further conquests and control of the Danube, known as Fetislam (Fet(h) islam), on the coast, i.e. were the old Medieval castle used to be. Civilian settlements, ports and technical facilities started developing around the aforementioned military locations, and they had the capacities required for, first of all, traffic and traffic control in this part of the Danube which was full of natural dangers that for safe navigation. Near the settlements, there are necropolises and Medieval temples (churches and/or mosques). The first record of the place under the name of Kladovo – Novigrad (Cladova, Kladowa), was in XVI century. As a passive agricultural area, Kladovo saw both WWI and WWII. Both wars took numerous victims. It is a historical fact that the channel of Sip, as an important strategic point, had been attacked and conquered a day before the bombing of Belgrade on April 6th, 1941. That was how German occupation forces tried in a diversionary action to take control over the Danube. In 1964, significant works start on the construction of the Hydroelectric Power Plant Ä?erdap 1. In a joint venture with Romania, a hydropower and navigation system was constructed, which, apart from the important production electric power, completely resolved the issue of navigation on the Danube. With the construction of the Hydroelectric Power Plant Ä?erdap 1 Kladovo also gained greater significance and started a faster development, so the number of citizens increased from i 2.600 to 10.000.
The Đerdap National Park Đerdap gorge (the Iron Gate) and the nature surrounding the gorge, as a spatial unity which occupies the area of 63 608 h, is known for its tremendous cultural and historical values, significant ecosystems whose contents are of extraordinary value and rarity, native flora and fauna and well-preserved forests of natural composition and excellent appearance. In 1974, this territory was put under protection asthe Đerdap National Park, the biggest national park in Serbia. One part of the national park is located in Kladovo Municipality area also. The public company “the Đerdap National Park”, with their seat in DonjiMilanovac and with one of the two work units in Tekija, is in charge of the national park. The National Park gives tremendous opportunities for development of various types of tourism in the nature (bicycling, mountaineering, bird observation), as well as of hunting and fishing tourism, complying with the rules for behaving in a national park.
Kazan After the gorge in DonjiMilanovac, the Danube enters the19 km long Kazan. That is the narrowest (140 m) and the deepest (90m) point of the Danube. Before the construction of the Hydroelectric Power Plant Đerdap, in the deep whirpools of Kazan, beluga and sturgeon coming from the Black Sea used to spawn here. Boulders and Veliki and Mali Štrbac ranges are found in Kazan, with 800 m high cliffs which vertically come down to the river. The rocky cliffs change their coulours depending on the sun and the time of day, which provides a remarkable experience. From the Ploča rock, above Kazan, one can get the most beautiful view of Đerdap. Hajdučka vodenica is located at the exit from Mali Kazan.
Beledrija waterfall Blederija Waterfall, an exceptional natural attraction, is located near the village Reka, around 15 km from Kaldovo. The Blederija river source is at the height of 190 m and it flows towards the South-East. The water, which from the height of 7 m and after spilling over a tufa rail, vertically falls down in the form of a water curtain into a tufa tub, a big whirpool or a small lake, is of turquois-green colour. On the side of the big waterfall, there is another small one which, during the summer period, when the water capacity in the river drops, disappears, however it always reappears in the spring when the river is rich in water and when the flow is several hundred meters per sec. Around 2 km above the waterfall, on the right side, there are sub-thermal water springs with the temperature around 17ºc. It is interesting to say that this is where a shortcut of the Roman road from Poreč, to Miroč and towards the Danube and Ključ used to be, until Trajan made a road through Kazan. Apart from that, in the village Reka, we have the only water mill in this region that is still operational.
Trajan’s Board As part of the operation against the Dacians (the territory of present-day Romania), Roman emperor Trajan constructed a road from Belgrade through the Iron Gate gorge, up to the point where he constructed a bridge over the Danube (Trajan’s Bridge). He finished the road in 103, and the whole construction period was perpetuated with a name board. The board is now known as Trajan’s board (Tabula Triana) The board has the following words in Latin engraved: CAESAR, THE EMPEROR, THE SON OF GODDESS NERVA, NERVA, TRAJAN AUGUST US GERMANICUS, THE SUPREME PRIEST, THE REPRESENTATIVE OF PEOPLE FOR THE FORTH TIME, HAVING CONQUERED THE ROCKS OF THE MOUNTAINS AND THE DANUBE, IS NOW CONSTRUCTING THIS ROAD. After the Đerdap Hydroelectric Power plant had been constructed, the Roman road – the only land access was flooded, thus the site is visible only from the Danube.
Diana Zanes Diana Fort was constructed on the coast of the Danube, on hill located near the village Sip. Construction of the oldest earthen and wooden fort is linked to the arrival of the first military formations to the Danube, at the beginning of the first century. The stone fort of bigger dimensions was constructed during the construction activities of Trajan the Emperor. During the period of six centuries, Diana had a significant economic centre with a port and a harbour. A building with an apse, military barracks and other structures were discoveredinside of the fort, while the principia with a portico was discovered in the central area of the fort. Outside of the walls, a sanctuary has been identified, the explored remains of martyrium and one part of necropolis, as well as the part of the settlement located West of the military camp. The first sonic excavations started in 1964 and they have been conducted, with some pauses, up to today. Diana is one of the best preserved Roman forts in the region, and the explored structures have been conserved
Trajan’s Bridge The remains of Trajan’s Bridge and the Pontes Fort are located near the village Kostol, 5 km downstream from Kladovo. The bridge, constructed between 103 and 105, in only two years, was the work of the Syrian architect Apollodorus from Damascus, and it represents one of the most remarkable ancient construction works. The length of the bridge, together with the portals, was 1133,90 m, while the part across the riverbed had the length of 1071 m. Auxiliary camps, Pontes on the right and Dobreta (Romania) on the left coast of the Danube, were constructed simultaneously with the bridge. The remains of the 16 columns of Trajan’s Bridge were discovered in 1932. Half a century later, archeologists managed to discover 12 of them, and the remaining four had probably been swept away by the water. The remains of the first columns on the both sides can even today be seen on the coasts of the Danube. Protective archeological excavations and conservation works started in 1979. A support land column of the bridge, 5 m high and 3.5 m wide, has been preserved near Kostol.
Fetislam This fort on the Danube was constructed by the Turks in 1524. They named it Fetsialm, which means ‘the victory of Islam’ and separated it in two parts – the Small town and theBig town. As it is presumed, the Small town was an artillery base protected by circular towers. The gates leading to the fort have marble plates installed on them which honoured the Sultan Mahmud II. The fort also included an open-air amphitheater, while near the fort there was a sports centre with a complex used for recreational and professional sports.
St. George’s Church As early as 1735, the town of Kladovo had a small St. George’s Church, where manuscripts were kept, thanks to which even today we can clarify some part of the history of the Orthodox community, and maybe even the origin of the name of the town. The existing St. George’s Churchwas constructed in 1856, during the rule of Obrenović royal family, and it was consecrated a year after. This church is also the only one in Kladovo and religious service is still performed in it. The church also organizes religious education for children and adults.
Kladovo’s old bazaar The pedestrian zone in Kladovo is protected by the Institute for Protection of Cultural Monuments as a cultural-historical unity. In the old bazaar, there is the reconstructed Municipality building, a variety of trade and catering shops and other buildings of public importance, which is why this area represents the social centre of Kladovo.
Đerdap Archeological Museum The Archeological museum in Kladovo was founded and opened in 1996, as a branch-museum within the National Museum in Belgrade, with the task to collect and preserve expert and scientific documentation, presentations, publishing, i.e. interpret the cultural heritage of the Danube region-Đerdap. The rich and diverse archeological Đerdap Collection was collected for more than 50 years, as part of the archeological excavations and exploration of prehistoric, Roman, Medieval sites, within the actions taken under the multidisciplinary Project Đerdap – Project Diana / Zanes. The museum exhibition is being innovated and improved on the yearly basis, depending on the theme chosen for that season, by adding new finds, exhibits, presentation manners. The most important finds are permanently exhibited, since they represent, in the best way, the millennial past and importance of these ancient coasts of the Danube. All exhibitions, presentations and events organized in the museum are always connected by the same title (headline), free translation of the sentence by Pliny the Younger, which was firstly promoted to the public in 1998: … It is magnificent to stand on the coast of the Danube…/… Magnum est stare in Danuviiripa…
Hydroelectric Power Plant “Đerdap I” The hydropower and navigation system “Đerdap 1,, a complex and multipurpose facilty, was constructed at 943rd km of the Danube from the confluence with the Black Sea, during the period from 1964 to 1970. The currently biggest hydrotechnical facility on the Danube, with the total length of 1278m, is completely symmetrical and designed so that each country (Serbia and Romania) has equal parts of the main structure available which they use according to the agreement and conventions on construction and exploitation. Each party has one electric power plant, a ship lock and 7 spillway bays each, out of the 14 located in the common overflow dam. The state boundary is the central line of the structure. The two electric power plants are connected, so that in case it is needed, the Serbian electric power plants can supply electric power to the network in the Romanian part, and vice versa. The facility represents an extraordinary attraction in the field of industrial heritage.