Drobeta-Turnu Severin (Romanian pronunciation:[droˈbetaˈturnuseveˈrin]ⓘ), colloquiallySeverin, is a city inMehedinți County,Oltenia,Romania, on the northern bank of theDanube, close to theIron Gates. It is one of six Romanian county seatslying on the Danube River. "Drobeta" is the name of the ancient Dacian and Roman towns at the site, and the modern town ofTurnu Severin received the additional name of Drobeta duringNicolae Ceaușescu's national-communist dictatorship as part of his myth-making efforts.[3]
Drobeta was originally aDacian town.[4] TheRoman fort built by EmperorTrajan at the site preserved the Dacian name.[4] (see "History" section). According to Hamp and Hyllested, Drobeta reflects a Roman misinterpretation of *Druwā-tā (the wooden place) with a postposed article, reflecting aproto-Albanian syntax for wooddruwa-tai.[5]
"Severin" was originally linked by historians with the Roman EmperorSeptimius Severus, during whose reign the name of the city was Drobeta Septimia Severiana. However, the name may be derived from Old Church Slavonicseverno ("northern"), fromsěverъ, "north".[6] Another possibility is that Severin's name was taken in memory ofSeverinus of Noricum, who was thepatron saint of the medieval colony Turnu, initially a suffragane of theDiocese of Kalocsa.[7][dubious –discuss]
Turnu ("Tower") refers to a tower on the north bank of the Danube built by theByzantines. Thus, the name of the city would mean "Northern Tower".
1907 reconstruction ofTrajan's Bridge across the Danube by engineer E. DuperrexThe city of Drobeta inside the province of DaciaTrajan's Bridge northern bankRoman fort
Trajan's bridge was built here to cross the Danube in only three years (AD 103–105) by his favourite architectApollodorus of Damascus for his invasion of Dacia which ended with Roman victory in 106 AD. The bridge was considered one of the most daring works in the Roman world.[citation needed] The bridge was composed of twenty arches between stone piers, two of which are visible.[8] Each bridgehead had its own fort and portal monument, whose remains can still be seen on both sides of the Danube.
Drobeta grew as a strategic point at the crossing of water and land routes which led to the north and south of the Danube. It became the third urban centre inDacia afterSarmizegetusa andApullum. During the reign of EmperorHadrian (AD 117–138), the settlement was declared amunicipium in 121. At this point the population had reached 14,000. In 193 during the reign ofSeptimius Severus (193–211), the city was raised to the rank of a colony which gave its residents equal rights with citizens of Rome. As a colony, Drobeta was a thriving city with temples, a basilica, a theatre, a forum, a port and guilds of craftsmen. In the middle of the 3rd century, Drobeta covered an area of 60 hectares and had a population of almost 40,000 inhabitants.[citation needed]
After the retreat of the Roman administration fromDacia in the 4th century, the city was preserved under Roman occupation as a bridgehead on the north bank of the Danube until the 6th century. Destroyed byHuns in the 5th century, it was rebuilt byJustinian I (527-565).
On the bank of the Danube are the remains of the celebratedTrajan's Bridge, the longest in the Empire.[8] Here the Danube is about 1,200 m (3,900 ft) wide.
The bridgehead fort has been extensively excavated and is visible today.
Also visible are the extensive remains of the large Roman thermal baths and amphitheatre.
When theHungarians attacked Oltenia and conquered Severin's fortress,Andrew II of Hungary organized theBanate of Severin. The firstBan of Severin, Luca,[dubious –discuss] was mentioned in 1233. This year may be taken as the date of birth of a new castle over the ruins of Drobeta, under the name Severin (Severinopolis). It was a basis for the Banate of Severin, Terra Zeurino (Țara Severinului – Country of Severin). Severin's name was taken in memory ofSeverinus of Noricum, who was thepatron saint of the medieval colony Turnu, initially a suffragane of theDiocese of Kalocsa.[7]
In 1247, theHungarian Kingdom brought theKnights of St. John to the country, giving them Severin as a residence, where they built the medieval castle of Severin (this is theCastrul Zeurini mentioned inDiploma of the Joannites in 1247). Inside the strong fort aGothic church was erected. This was presumably the headquarters of theCatholic episcopate of Severin that was there until 1502. The knights withdrew in 1259, while the fortress remained in the range of the cannons of Turks,Bulgarians andTatars who wanted to cross the Danube. The Hungarians still wanted to attack Oltenia.[dubious –discuss]
Severin Fortress was the most important strategic redoubt on the Danube. Its conquest meant to gain an important bridgehead in the region.
RomanianVoivodes have also fought for this powerful fortress, conquering it or claiming it from time to time. Litovoi and Basarab I died at this fortress.Mircea the Elder (Mircea cel Bătrân) established Bănia Severinului (Banate of Severin) and, in 1406, concluded a treaty of alliance withSigismund of Hungary right in Severin. After the death of Mircea, Sigismund freed the Severin Fortress occupied by the Turks, and even made some concessions to the monasteries ofVodița andTismana. Then Banate of Severin returned toJohn Hunyadi, who consolidated all the castles on the Danube. Around 1432, possession passed to theWallachianvoivodes.
After the fall ofConstantinople in 1453, attacks on the Danubian fortresses were made, moving the Banate residence toStrehaia, the Severin population migrating to theCerneți village, 6 km north, which became the capital of theMehedinți district. In 1524, after a devastating attack by the Turks led bySuleiman the Magnificent, only one tower of the Severin fortress was left standing, which led the people to name itTurnul lui Severin (Tower ofSeverinus).[citation needed] Severin remained under Ottoman rule until 1829 except a Wallachian occupation between 1594 and 1599 and an Austrian one between 1718 and 1738. Under Ottoman occupation, the territory's administration moved to the west of Oltenia and was centered inCerneţi.
In 1936, Prof. Dr. Al. Bărăcilă executed excavations at the fortress, where he managed to reconstruct the layout of the castle and recovered rich archaeological materials (rails, iron, copper, stone cannonballs, pipe of a bronze cannon etc.). The fortress was rectangular shaped with two walls made of unprocessed river stones, glued with mortar. In the center of the castle there was a chapel, surrounded by graves, built in part with materials taken from Drobeta Castrum. Also in the fortress was an oven-hearth serving a weapons workshop. Inside the interior, to the north, was a tower with three floors used for defense; to the east a second tower, thicker, at the angle of the wall. The entrance to the castle was through a gate dome and the fortress was surrounded by a deep moat.
The Palace of Culture1933 stamp commemorating the entrance of KingCarol I in Turnu SeverinRadu Negru Hall and Park in the city center
After gaining freedom from Ottoman control as a consequence of theTreaty of Adrianople in 1829, it was decided to rebuild the present city. A rigorous program started in 1836. It was followed, in 1858, by the construction of the harbor. By 1900 the national road, rail, the Carol and Elisabeta boulevards, Navigația Fluvială Românească (River Navigation of Romania), the railway workshops, the shipyard (which in 1914 was the largest in the country), the Roman Hall, the Municipal Palace, three churches and two hospitals were built. In 1883, on May 15,Theodor Costescu establishedTraian High School, which in the next century would become a modern school of national prestige. The building of industrial factories spurred the development of the city. In 1841, Severin became the capital of the county and in 1851 became a city. As a major port on the Danube, the freedom of trade facilitated the entry of goods by boat fromVienna and the exchange of material necessary for economic development. Severin experienced a steady economic, urban and social growth until 1972, when itreceived the name ofDrobeta-Turnu Severin.
In 1914, the Water Castle (Castelul de Apă) was opened. Considered an emblematic monument to the people of Severin, it gives identity to the city by being built in one of the major traffic roundabouts of the city.
The central neighborhoods were spared from the countrywide campaign of demolitions unleashed by the Ceauşescu regime, allowing the historic architecture of the city to survive. In 1968, Turnu Severin became the capital of the county, concurrently becoming a city ("municipiu"). In 1972, the name of the ancient Drobeta wasadded to the city's name, and it became Drobeta-Turnu Severin.
The region's climate gives Severin warm summers and mild winters, meaning the city is home to magnolia trees, Caucasian nut trees, andginkgo biloba as well as the almond trees, figs, lilacs, lindens, and chestnut trees more common throughout Europe.
Climate data for Drobeta-Turnu Severin (1991–2020)
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