At Giurgeni, we approach the banks of the Danube river.
Completed at the end of 1975, the new bridge over the Danube aims to significantly contribute to the development and acceleration of the transport of goods and people on one of the main routes of the economy, while supporting the growth of tourist traffic at domestic and international level.
It facilitates connections between the Black Sea coast, the Danube Delta and other inland regions of the country. With a river crossing of approximately 750 meters, the bridge has a total length of 1,456 meters, including two access viaducts, each with 350 meters on the banks. The carriageway, equipped with 4 traffic lanes, has a width of 13.80 meters.
We attempt a short trip down the Danube, from its source to the point where it flows into the Black Sea.
In a remote place in western Europe, where the Brege and Brigach rivers gather from the left-leaning slopes of the Black Forest Mountains in Germany and merge at Donaueschingen after 48.5 km to form the Danube, the landscape is not unlike that of the immense river that irrigates the southern extremity of Romania. However, as it receives new tributaries, the 300 tributaries gathered from an area of 805,000 km² (three and a half times larger than our country), its appearance undergoes changes.
From the territory of the two countries it crosses - Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine - more and more waters are continuously added, giving the Danube the strength and ability to chart its way. With a length of 2,858 km, the Danube is the second longest river on the continent, after the Volga.
The tumultuous course of the Danube, which starts under the Black Forest, calms down in the Vienna basin, so that when it passes through the first capital, Vienna, it enters calmly, reviving the appearance of the old city and giving it a special charm. Breezes disperse the scents of flowers, and trembling rays capture the mysterious silhouettes of buildings, as they flow day and night, whispering melodious murmurs that have inspired many Viennese poets and composers.
Next, along a route of several tens of kilometers, the Danube delimits the border between Slovakia and Hungary, then flows south, passing under the wide arches of bridges, in the wonderful capital of Hungary, Budapest. Here, the river splits twice to embrace two picturesque islands right inside the city: Margareta Island, a park that seems to have grown out of the water, and Csepel Island.
Later, the great river enters Serbia, reflecting the silhouettes of the buildings of another beautiful capital, Belgrade.
After an equal crossing of the plain, rested and refreshed by the waters of important tributaries - the Drava, the Sava, the Morava, the Tisa - the Danube now heads east, preparing to face the most difficult barrier, the Danube gorge, and, at the same time, enters the the territory of our country, which it crosses over a distance of 1,075 km, representing 38% of the total length of the river.
At the exit of the gorge, in partnership with Serbia, one of the largest hydropower and navigation systems in Europe and even in the world was built. This system includes a hydro plant with an installed capacity of 2,100 MW. The reservoir formed behind the hydroelectric dam adds beauty and appeal to this tourist area.
From here, the horizons open wide, and the river waters slow down their course in the Romanian Plain. The extensive meadow allows the Danube to flow lazily, crossing old port cities and surrounding the picturesque islands of Ialomiţa and Brăila. The richness of the Danube's waters is exploited for the irrigation of extensive lands in the most fertile agricultural area of the country, the Romanian Plain. Thus, irrigation systems were developed which, in addition to watering the land, also manage excess moisture in the respective periods. From Galati, the Danube continues its course to the east, until it flows into the Black Sea through three distinct mouths.
The Danube is one of the main navigation routes in Europe, representing an important means of connection between the central, eastern and western European states, thanks to a complex system of canals.
In the town of Ulm in Germany, where it becomes navigable, the river has a width between 20 and 100 meters, increasing in Vienna to values between 100 and 350 meters, and in the Pannonian Plain it reaches 0.6-1.5 kilometers and in the Romanian Plain at 1.5-3 kilometers.
The speed of water flow varies from 1-2.8 meters per second in the Ulm area, to 2.2-4.7 meters per second in the gorges and between 0.3-1.1 meters per second in the plain areas.
The greatest depth of the river is recorded at Tulcea, where the bottom of the bed drops 24 meters below sea level.
The Danube has been a constant and impressive source of inspiration for poets, writers and composers from the riparian countries and beyond.
Notable examples include the famous waltzes "The Blue Danube" composed by Johann Strauss and "The Waves of the Danube" by the Romanian composer Iosif Ivanovici, as well as literary works such as "The Pilot of the Danube" by Jules Verne, "The Golden Man" by Jokai Mor, "Chira Chiralina " and "Codin" by Panait Istrati.
Source: The Romanian Black Sea Coast (Ministry of Tourism, 1976)
