Roman Fort of Hinova
Hinova, Mehedinți County · Oltenia
About Roman Fort of Hinova
On the first terrace of the Danube, north of the village of Hinova, stand the ruins of a late Roman fort built between the end of the 3rd century and the start of the 4th. The fortification guarded the left bank of the river and the approach to the province of Dacia Ripensis, and stamped bricks found here show that it housed units of the Fifth Legion Macedonica. The coins found show a peak under the emperors Valentinian and Valens, when the Danube frontier was reinforced. The fort was first destroyed in the Gothic invasions of 378–379, was rebuilt, and then burned down in the first half of the 5th century, probably during Hun attacks.
The plan is a rectangle of about 46 × 40 m, with walls almost a metre and a half thick. The enclosure had seven towers: four at the corners, two flanking the gate on the south side and one in the middle of the north side. Excavations led by Mișu Davidescu between 1976 and 1982 also uncovered a second wall inside, the trace of barracks for the soldiers. Beneath the fort, archaeologists came across a cremation cemetery from the beginning of the Iron Age.
What you can see
On the hill you can see the low stone walls, with the bases of the towers and the outline of the south gate, surrounded by farmland. From above, the Danube spreads out wide, with the Serbian bank on the far side. The place is also tied to one of the biggest gold finds in the country: in 1980, next to the south-west tower, a prehistoric hoard of 9,639 gold pieces, weighing almost 5 kg and nearly three millennia old, was found in a clay vessel. The hoard is not kept on site.
Good to know
The site is an open-air historic monument, with no museum or visitor buildings. The "România Atractivă" programme page lists it as visitable but publishes no schedule. No information about recent development works is published, and the available reports (2014, 2017) describe it as unfenced, with the ruins surrounded by grass and brambles. If you plan to go, ask Hinova Town Hall beforehand.
Information verified on 12 October 2026.
- The low stone walls of the fort, with the traces of the towers and the south gate.
- The wide view of the Danube from the terrace on which the fort stands.
- The spot where the prehistoric hoard of 9,639 gold pieces was found in 1980.
- The remains of the second wall inside, the trace of the soldiers' barracks.
Good to know before you go
- Getting there
By car: the fort is on the Danube bank, north of the village of Hinova, near the DN56A, about 17 km from Drobeta-Turnu Severin.
Public transport: there is no confirmed route to the site; the easiest way is by car from Drobeta-Turnu Severin.
- Rules
A site protected by law: do not climb on the walls, do not take anything from the ground and do not use metal detectors.
- Facilities
No facilities; open-air site
Frequently asked questions about Roman Fort of Hinova
- How long does a visit to Roman Fort of Hinova take?
- A visit to Roman Fort of Hinova takes about 30 min (estimate; ruins and view).
- Can you visit Roman Fort of Hinova with kids?
- Yes, Roman Fort of Hinova is suitable for children (open-air site, unfenced).
- How do I get to Roman Fort of Hinova?
- Roman Fort of Hinova is located at DN56A, north of Hinova village, Hinova, Mehedinți County. By car: the fort is on the Danube bank, north of the village of Hinova, near the DN56A, about 17 km from Drobeta-Turnu Severin. Public transport: there is no confirmed route to the site; the easiest way is by car from Drobeta-Turnu Severin.
- When is the best time to visit Roman Fort of Hinova?
- The best season for Roman Fort of Hinova: April – October (open-air site).
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