Severin

Severin guards the Danube at the eastern end of the Iron Gates, where the river emerges from its passage through the Carpathians. A medieval fortress rose near the remains of Roman Drobeta and became the centre of a Hungarian frontier province, the Banate of Severin. Its position made it a prize contested by Hungarian kings, Wallachian rulers and the powers south of the Danube.

The fortress changed hands as the frontier shifted. After Hungarian control was restored in 1419, repeated Ottoman attacks damaged its defences. In August 1524 the army of Bali Pasha stormed and destroyed the stronghold, ending its long role as a principal fortress of the Hungarian southern frontier. The surviving tower gave rise to the name Turnu Severin, the Tower of Severin.