Veterani Cave - skip the line tickets

The Veterans Cave takes its name from Ianovici's aide, the commander of the Austrian army stationed at Caransebes, who fortified the cave at the end of the 17th century. The cave is dug on the left bank of the Danube, at Cazanele Mari, in the Ciucaru Mare mountain range, 500 m downstream from the Gura Ponicovei Cave, under the wall called Pânza Curii. Also known as the "Veterans' Cave", the "Canvas of the Curse Cave" or the "Piscabara Cave", the cave is located at a height of about 70 meters above the water, has a total length of 173 meters and a width of 40 of meters.

It is part of the Iron Gates Natural Park in Mehedinti County. The legends of the place say that through the crack in the wall of the cave, in the morning, a ray of sunshine entered which fell exactly on the altar on which the Dacians sacrificed the birds that they offered as an offering to the gods. The story seems to be confirmed by the large number of bird bones found by archaeologists inside. The Romans, impressed by this ancient history, but also because the cave offered a very good place to watch the navigation on the river, built some walls inside, made some more reinforcements and turned it into a small fortress. which they christened Peth.

In 1400, the Austrian Empire built a fortress here. In 1692, the fortress was led by an Austrian general of Italian descent, Friedrico Veterani. At the end of the 17th century, the Austrian Empire built 2 m thick and 4 m high walls over the ruins of the Roman fortress, building a fortified military outpost. The cave could accommodate up to 250 soldiers and was used as a refuge from Turkish attacks at the time.

Fossil remains of Ursus spelaeus and the cave hyena, a fragment of ancient pottery and fossils of endemic species have been identified in the Veterans Cave.