Rock Sculpture of Decebalus

About Rock Sculpture of Decebalus

At a glance: Monuments and historic sites in Eșelnița, Mehedinți County. Opening hours: daily open 24 hours. Ticket: Free. The visit takes ½ – 1 hours. Information verified on 30 September 2026.

Above the Mraconia bay, in the Small Cauldrons of the Danube, a limestone crag has been turned into the face of Decebalus, the last king of Dacia. The relief is 55 m high and 25 m wide, the tallest rock sculpture in Europe. The work was paid for by the businessman and amateur historian Iosif Constantin Drăgan and took ten years, from 1994 to 2004, led by the sculptor Florin Cotarcea from Orșova with a team of climber-sculptors.

The rock was first shaped with dynamite, then with pneumatic hammers and chisels from scaffolding hung on the cliff; the tools came in by boat, as no machinery could get up here. The nose, about 7 m long, cracked during the work and was rebuilt with steel and cement. Carved below the chin is the inscription "DECEBALUS REX – DRAGAN FECIT".

Good to know before you go

Getting there

By car: the sculpture is on the DN57, the Danube-side road between Orșova and Moldova Nouă, ~18 km from Orșova (about 25 minutes), past Eșelnița and before Dubova. From Drobeta-Turnu Severin it is ~48 km (about an hour), from Timișoara ~220 km on the DN6 via Lugoj, Caransebeș and Orșova (about 3 h 30), and from Bucharest ~390 km via Craiova and Drobeta-Turnu Severin (5 h 30–6 h). Further along the DN57 come the Great Cauldrons and Dubova.

Public transport: the nearest railway station is Orșova, on the Timișoara – Craiova – Bucharest line. Boat trips through the Danube Gorge leave from Orșova and pass below the sculpture; by land, the only way to the Mraconia bay is by taxi or car.

Where to park

On the DN57, by the Mraconia bridge and opposite the monastery, there are places to pull over at the roadside and around the boat pontoon. On July and August weekends they fill up quickly; do not stop on the bridge or on bends.

Fees & discounts

Viewing the sculpture from the bank is free. Boat trips are run by private operators, for example: from Dubova, the standard ~1-hour tour costs 50 lei per person (children up to 7 free, ages 8–12 half price), and a private boat for 4 people 350 lei; from Orșova, the ~2-hour tour through the gorge costs 70 lei per person. Prices vary between operators and change from year to year.

Rules

The rock may not be climbed and there is no path up to the sculpture. You are in Iron Gates Natural Park: leave no litter and do not light fires. On the boat, follow the skipper's instructions and wear a life jacket if given one. The Danube is the border with Serbia here: tourist boats do not land on the Serbian bank.

Facilities

Café and boat pontoon in the Mraconia bay, by the bridge · Mraconia Monastery on the shore of the bay · accommodation and restaurants in Dubova and Eșelnița · petrol stations in Orșova