National park Đerdap

National park Đerdap

Located on the Danube River where it borders Romania in eastern Serbia, the Djerdap National Park covers 64,000 hectares and contains some of the country's most impressive natural beauty and archeological sites. The park runs along the Danube from Golubacki Grad to the dam at Sip and has its administrative offices in Donji Milanovac.

The main feature of the national park is the Djerdap Gorge, known as the Iron Gate. The gorge stretches nearly 100 kilometers alongside the slopes of the Carpathian Mountains, creating a wide and deep section of the Danube. Here is one of the deepest river points found in the world at over 80 meters. The gorge is actually a river valley formed of three gorges (Gornja klisura, Gospodjin vir, Veliki and Mali kazan) separated by ravines. Where the river narrows to 150 meters, at Kazan, cliffs rise up over 300 meters to make for an impressive view.

The park has the greatest biodiversity within one ecosystem. It has abundant and diversified plant and animal life as well as being home to the 8,000 year-old archeological site of Lepenski Vir, where early Neolithic art forms and advanced dwellings have been uncovered. There are also fortresses at Golubacki Grad and Kladovo.

Especially so following the construction of the dam and formation of a large lake, the Djerdap National Park has become one of the most visited sites in Serbia. Hotels and tourist accommodations are located throughout the park, particularly around the area of the lake.