If you are into prehistory and ancient civilizations then the Lepenski Vir culture is something you have to experience. The museum, built on the shores of the Danube (actually the lake formed by the Iron Gates 1 hydro plant) contains a reconstruction of the settlement discovered several meters underwater on the original shore. It is an amazing place where you can learn about the culture, and witness their architecture and art. While the museum is in Serbia, the Lepenski Vir Mesolithic culture (spanning between the Ice Age paleolithic cultures and the neolithic farming cultures) dominated both sides, evidence being discovered in Serbia as well as in Romania. The Serbians have built an extraordinary museum as part of a cross-border project with Bulgaria. I only wish more such places could be created for visitors.
It is also the site of the oldest (so far) archaeoastronomical alignment in Europe! Our friends from the “Vlasici” Archaeoastronomical Society in Serbia have analyzed this site in detail and published peer reviewed articles on the topic. We are also organizing special summer solstice sunrise tours there so get in touch with us or follow our page for updates!
A few tips
Our interest in ancient cultures as well as in archaeoastronomy has led us to organize a tour of the region by starting in Timisoara, crossing the Danube by ferry at Banatska Palanka (Serbia) on our way to the museum and by driving over the Iron Gates 1 dam on return. A full-day trip that must be perfectly synchronized with the ferries in Serbia (especially the 9:30 AM one – be careful to not forget the +1h time zone difference between Romania and Serbia if you start in Timisoara: 10:30 AM Romanian time). Now you can cross the mighty Danube from Romania by ferry as well but the same careful synchronization applies (the ferry leaves from Moldova Noua at 9:00 AM Romanian time). If you choose this you can combine it with a visit to the Chindiei 2 cave rockart and make it a 2-day adventure while enjoying a fish soup near Coronini in Romania. We also organize tours there during the Summer Solstice. We are more than happy to guide you as we know all about the history and ancient astronomy of the sites!
The mermaid and the paleoneolithic astronaut
Our tour was a bit different than a traditional one as we drove there in several cars stopping to see the Golubac Fortress along the way. We started in Timisoara and crossed the Danube by ferry in Serbia right where the small Nera river is creating a new delta at the confluence with the Danube. Unfortunately being on the border and in a remote area, means that the place cannot be visited.
While waiting for the ferry we explored a bit the area and found this image of the Sun-Moon eternal love in a local restaurant. This was a good sign for our visit to the oldest astronomical site in Europe.
Be careful with the GPS as the directions take you sometimes on a road parallel to where the ferry actually departs and you will have to turn around. It happened to us on another occasion and almost missed it but fortunately, the guys running the ferry turned around…
It was the first time we drove along the Serbian side of the Danube which is not as impressive as the cliffy Romanian side but allows for a faster route. Marc enjoyed the “heated” discussions around the mermaids and historical knowledge and learned about the so-called Liubcova astronaut, a Neolithic figurine now in the Museum of the Mountainous Banat in Resita.
Hercule’s baths
On return, we stopped in Baile Herculane (Hercules Baths – Herculaneum) a spa town dating back almost 2000 years from when the Romans conquered Dacia. The place is so beautiful that even Austrian Emperess Sisi used to visit and had a special place built by the locals.
One thing to remember when planning a visit there is that the museum is closed the entire month of February! Also, given the huge glass enclosure, it can get quite hot during summer days!
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