Myth and magic........long attributed to the Balkans..........Dracula........Transylvania......

Iron Gates

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This article is about the Danube gorge. For the pass in the Bibans mountains in Algeria, see Iron Gates (Algeria). For other uses, see Iron Gate.

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The Iron Gates of the Danube

The Iron Gates (Romanian: Porțile de Fier, Serbian: Đerdapska klisura, Hungarian: Vaskapu-szoros, German: Eisernes Tor, Turkish: Demirkapı) is a gorge on the River Danube. It forms part of the boundary between Serbia and Romania. In the broad sense it encompasses a route of 134 km (83 mi); in the narrow sense it only encompasses the last barrier on this route, just beyond the Romanian city of Orșova, that contains two hydroelectric dams, with two power stations, Iron Gate I Hydroelectric Power Station and Iron Gate II Hydroelectric Power Station.
The gorge lies between Romania to the north and Serbia to the south. At this point, the river separates the southern Carpathian Mountains from the northwestern foothills of the Balkan Mountains. The Romanian side of the gorge constitutes the Iron Gates natural park, whereas the Serbian part constitutes the Đerdap national park.