The Đerdap gorge is unique in Europe for its beauty and size. It is created hundreds of thousands years ago, when the Carpathian massive had split, and the Pannonia Sea entered the gap. Over time, the sea has disappeared, and today the Danube flows through this canyon 130km long. The Đerdap gorge is the biggest breakthrough in Europe, made of four gorges and three valleys. Without doubt, the most beautiful is the Veliki Kazan gorge, whose vertical cliffs rise up to 300m above the Danube, and it has been confirmed that many whirlpools reach up to 90m of depth.
From Veliki Kazan, the river flows to Mali Kazan, around 300m wide and surrounded by steep cliffs. It ends at 966km of the Danube length, in a place called Hajdučka Vodenica (Renegade Mill), and we mention this place because it looks like an oasis among the gigantic rocks, so the sailors choose it as the place of anchor.
Đerdap gorge is the place where the continuity of settled life has been preserved since the pre-historic times to these days. In the Đerdap National Park, on 60 thousand hectares, diverse flora and fauna of the warm tertiary ecosystem are present, especially the relict plants that are mostly extinct in the northern parts of Europe. The variety of flora has also helped the preservation of relict animal species, such as certain types of weasels and bats, and especially interesting among 150 bird species are golden and short-toed eagles.
