(img source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/)

I wrote to you about the largest carved sculpture in Europe - the Decebal monument on the Romanian side of the Danube in the Iron Gate gorge. Here is that post if you miss it: https://noise.cash/post/w86pk5nhmp8xr

Right opposite the monument to the great Dacian ruler Decebal, on the opposite bank of the Danube, there is a reminder of the great Roman leader Trian.

This reminder of the Roman emperor Trajan has stood on the rock above the Djerdap gorge for many centuries. Named the Tabula Triana, a large inscription in Latin glorifying this great Roman ruler. The tablet was carved from 100-103 AD and was located on former Roman road, which was also carved into the rocks of the Djerdap gorge.

When Romania and Serbia united in the 1960s to build a hydroelectric power plant in this part of the Danube, a decision was made to move Trajan's Tabula up for 21.5 meters above its original location in order to stay above future water level.

Currently, access to Trajan's Tabula is possible only from the water, although the Djerdap National Park is working on the construction of an access mountain road to the board.

A couple of weeks ago, I visited this new hiking trail to assess and see how dangerous it really is for the average visitor. I approached the board at about 105 meters at the water level without the use of ropes and mountaineering alpine equipment. I assessed the further approach as very dangerous at this time of year due to heavy winter snows that may loose the rocks. The entire trail is assessed as a trail that visitors are only allowed to visit under the guidance of a trained mountaineering guide.

In a few months, I will visit the site again to re-evaluate. Who knows, maybe then I'll be able to get to Trajan's Table. That's why photo of the Trajan's Tabula is not my own but public one from Common Wiki. The rest of photos are mine, but taken with GoPro, since I didn't want to risk with full sized camera on very demanding terrain.

#photography #travel #landscape #Djerdap #gorge #IronGate #Danube #Serbia #Romania