Orșova City – Asociaţia Pro-Mehedinţi

Thematic Route: The Cultural Heritage Route

Name of the Touristic Attraction: Orşova City

Location: in Mehedinţi County. The town is located 29 km away from Drobeta Turnu Severin, on the road that connects this town to Timișoara, DN6.

Description: Orşova is a town with a great history and an impressive story. It was built on the shore of the Iron Gates I lake and it is surrounded by hills that create unique natural landscapes. Therefore, Orșova is a place worth visiting for the natural scenery surrounding it, and not only: ”Ion Dragalina” Park, located in the center of the city, hosts a small coastal island and from the city you can take a boat ride on the Danube. In the city you can visit a number of nationally-recognized tourist attractions, such as: St. Ana Monastery, the Roman Catholic Cathedral, or the Church of St. Nicholas. Recently, a subsidiary of the Iron Gate Region Museum, which tells stories about the sunken island, Ada-Kaleh or the underwater city, Old Orșova (Orsova Veche), opened its doors in Orsova.

Legend / Story / Impressions / Recommendations. The town of Orşova has a story dating back to the Dacians and Romans, when the city was known as Dierna. Originally part of the Roman province of Dacia, the Romans built here a castra, Dierna. In the area of the locality were discovered the traces of the Dacian-Roman settlement Dierna, rose to the rank of city in 193. During the entire medieval period, the Orșova fortress retained its importance, being disputed by all the powers of that time. Thus, Orșova constituted a subject of dispute between the Lithuanian prince Litovoi and the Kingdom of Hungary. The settlement remains in the possession of the Wallachian rulers. It was, with the appointment of Iancu of Hunedoara as Leader of Severin, in Hungarian possession. In 1524, the entire Orșova fortress was conquered by the Turks who took possession of it until 1688, when the town became under Austrian domination, and in 1768 it became the headquarters of an Austrian border garrison, attacked and destroyed in 1819 by Tudor Vladimirescu. In 1916, the settlement was released by the Romanian army. In 1923 Orșova was declared a town and since 1968 it is affiliated with Mehedinţi County.

Information and Contact:

Orșova City Hall: tel: +40252 361 233, http://www.primariaorsova.ro

Route close to other thematic routes:

In the area you can visit:

– The Danube Cluster

– Dubova Commune

– Eșelnița Commune

– Vodița Monartery

– The Iron Gates Dam 1

– The Iron Gates Hydropower Plant Museum

– Drobeta Turnu-Severin

Other useful information