# Tricule Fortress

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Oltenia](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/oltenia) › [Mehedinți County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/mehedinti) › [Svinița](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/locality/svinita)

> Two crenellated medieval towers rise from the Danube near Svinița. They are the remains of a fortification with three towers arranged in a triangle.

**At a glance:** Fortresses and fortifications in Svinița, Mehedinți County. The visit takes 20 min. Information verified on 11 November 2026.

## Key facts

- **Visit duration:** 20 min — view from the bank
- **With kids:** No — steep bank, ruins in water
- **Best season:** April – October — daylight and dry weather
- **Address:** Beside the DN57, on the Danube bank, Svinița, Mehedinți County
- **Coordinates:** 44.47993, 22.14264
- **Website:** https://primariasvinita.ro/cetatea-tricule/
- **Wikipedia:** https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cetatea_Tricule
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q44013106
- **Categories:** [Fortresses and fortifications](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/fortresses-and-fortifications)

## About Tricule Fortress

Tricule Fortress stands on the Romanian bank of the Danube, downstream from Svinița, beside the DN57. The fortification consisted of three stone towers with rectangular plans, arranged at the corners of a triangle pointing towards the river. Two still rise above the water close to the bank.

The towers date from the 13th–14th centuries. Archaeological investigations identified earlier occupation beneath the fortification, including remains from the Roman period. The creation of the Iron Gates I reservoir raised the water level and flooded the site. The third tower had already partly collapsed after river ice damaged it in 1924.

### What you can see

From the bank you can make out the outlines of the two towers, their battlements and the surviving arrow slits. A collapsed side of one tower reveals its interior. The Danube and the slopes on the Serbian bank form the backdrop to the ruins.

### Good to know

The water level affects how much of the tower bases is visible. The ground between the road and the ruins includes private property, and getting close to the walls depends on conditions along the bank.

## Don't miss

- The two stone towers rising from the Danube.
- The battlements and arrow slits surviving at the top.
- The interior visible through the collapsed side of one tower.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** from Orșova, follow the DN57 towards Moldova Nouă. The fortress is about 44 km away, roughly an hour's drive. The towers can be seen from the road before you reach Svinița.

### Rules

View the ruins from a safe place on the bank and keep your distance from the deteriorating masonry. Respect private property boundaries. Stop your car only where signs and the available space allow.

## Details

- **Construction period:** 13th–14th centuries
- **State of preservation:** partly flooded ruins

## Frequently asked questions about Tricule Fortress

**How long does a visit to Tricule Fortress take?**

A visit to Tricule Fortress takes about 20 min (view from the bank).

**Can you visit Tricule Fortress with kids?**

No, Tricule Fortress is not recommended for visits with children (steep bank, ruins in water).

**How do I get to Tricule Fortress?**

Tricule Fortress is located at Beside the DN57, on the Danube bank, Svinița, Mehedinți County. More under “Getting there”.

**When is the best time to visit Tricule Fortress?**

The best season for Tricule Fortress: April – October (daylight and dry weather).

## Nearby attractions

- [Ponicova Cave](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/ponicova-cave) — Caves · Dubova, MH · 2 – 2½ hours · 20 km
  The largest cave in the Danube Gorge, with more than 1.6 km of passages running through Ciucaru Mare; entered from the Ponicova Gorge, off the DN 57, or from the Danube by boat.
- [Veterani Cave](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/veterani-cave) — Caves · Dubova, MH · 20 min · 21 km
  A broad grotto just above the Danube in the Great Cauldrons, with fortification walls from the Romans to the Austrians; reached only by boat, from Dubova or Eșelnița.
- [Danube Gorges (Cazanele Dunării)](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/danube-gorges) — Gorges and canyons · Dubova, MH · Free · 3½ – 4 hours · Top 100 · 22 km
  The narrowest stretch of the Danube Gorge, between Dubova and Ogradena: the river squeezes between limestone walls, with Serbia on the far bank, seen by boat or from Ciucaru Mare.
- [Mraconia Monastery](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/mraconia-monastery) — Monasteries · Dubova, MH · 30 min · 28 km
  A monastery perched on a headland right above the Danube, in the Danube Gorges, on the site of the old monastery demolished in 1967 for the Iron Gates hydroelectric dam.
- [Danube Gorge Road](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/danube-gorge-road) — Scenic roads · Mehedinți County · Free · 3½ – 4 hours · 28 km
  The DN57 runs about 100 km along the Danube from Orșova to Moldova Nouă, through the Great and Small Cauldrons, past the rock face of Decebalus, with Serbia on the far bank.
- [Rock Sculpture of Decebalus](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/rock-sculpture-of-decebalus) — Monuments and historic sites · Eșelnița, MH · Free · ½ – 1 hours · Top 100 · 28 km
  The face of the Dacian king Decebalus, carved between 1994 and 2004 into a 55 m rock at the mouth of the Mraconia, on the Romanian bank of the Danube: the tallest rock sculpture in Europe.

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Full page: https://peplaiuri.ro/en/tricule-fortress
Other languages: Română: https://peplaiuri.ro/cetatea-tricule.md · Deutsch: https://peplaiuri.ro/de/burg-tricule.md · Italiano: https://peplaiuri.ro/it/fortezza-di-tricule.md · Français: https://peplaiuri.ro/fr/forteresse-de-tricule.md · Español: https://peplaiuri.ro/es/fortaleza-de-tricule.md · Magyar: https://peplaiuri.ro/hu/haromtorony-vara.md
Last updated: 11 November 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania