Iron Gates(1)

When the announcement came that the artificial dam, now known as the "Iron Gates," hit our small town in 1972, many of the old locals perceived it as really bad news. And indeed, to some extent, it was... People were forced to relocate up the hills to the new town, where they were given land to build new homes. Unfortunately, some lived to witness the Danube flooding their homes once the dam was completed.

As for the specifics regarding the name of the artificially created dam that connects us with Serbia, I lack details. However, it has been a fixture since my childhood, still towering over us. Despite a few maintenance repairs, everything remains largely unchanged from its original form, except for the customs, which have evolved over the years.

The Iron Gate I Hydroelectric Power Station (Romanian: Porțile de Fier I, Serbian: Ђердап I/Đerdap I) is the largest dam on the Danube river and one of the largest hydro power plants in Europe. It is located on the Iron Gate gorge, between Romania and Serbia.

The Romanian side of the power station produces approximately 5.24 TWh annually, while the Serbian side of the power station produces 5.65 TWh.

The project started in 1964 as a joint-venture between the governments of Romania and Yugoslavia for the construction of a major dam on the Danube River which would serve both countries. At the time of completion in 1972, it was the 10th largest hydroelectric power stations in the world with twelve Kaplan turbines generating 2,052 MW, divided equally between the two countries at 1,026 MW each.

The small inhabited island of Ada Kaleh was submerged during the construction.
source

I visited Serbia yesterday, and as mentioned in the previous post, I had to wait in line at the Serbian border for almost an hour. There were plenty of tourists in the area this weekend, and many of them opted to dine at Serbian restaurants. I wonder why...

Until yesterday, I had never stopped at the dam to admire the Danube from that vantage point. It offers quite a view, and the location has a timeless quality to it. Despite the windy conditions upon my arrival, I contemplated creating a video mini-tour of the dam but opted to capture some photos instead.

In our modern era, we often take many things for granted, and few may be aware of the sacrifices made during the construction of the Iron Gates. This project came at a significant cost, both financially, with support from both countries, and in terms of human lives lost during the process.

While technology back then wasn't as advanced as it is now, the end result appears remarkably reliable to me.

I decided to edit the photos featured in this post in black and white because I believe monochrome images possess a timeless quality. The weather today has also been rather dark, complementing the mood of the photographs here.

That's all from me for today. I hope everyone had a great Monday, and I'll see you all next time.

Thanks for your attention,
Adrian