Iron Gate Dam, Locks and Gorge
Iron Gate, Danube River, Serbia - 2022 Danube River cruise. The Iron Gates of the Danube River were a series of rapids situated in four narrow gorges and three wide basins spread over several miles of the river dividing Romania and Serbia. The Rapids were submerged with the completion of the Iron Gate I Hydroelectric Power Station in 1972. It is the largest dam on the Danube River and one of the largest hydro power plants in Europe. The dam has two sets of double locks, one on the Serbian side and one on the Romanian side of the river. They are the largest locks on the Danube, each of the four lock chambers is 310 metres (1017 feet) long by 34 metres (111 feet) wide and lift or lower boats almost 14 meters (45 feet).
Once through the locks we headed upriver though the Iron Gate Gorge with spectacular towering cliffs on either side of the river.