across the Danube by engineer E. Duperrex
Dacian and Roman Eras Drobeta was first a
Dacian town mentioned by Greek geographer
Ptolemy of
Alexandria (2nd century AD). Here the Danube is about wide. The bridgehead fort has been extensively excavated and is visible today. Also visible are the extensive remains of the large Roman thermal baths and amphitheatre. File:Castrul Drobeta 2021 07.jpg File:Orașul roman Drobeta 20181204 093015 014.jpg File:Situl arheologic 20181204 102327 22.jpg|Baths Amfiteatrul roman 2021 03.jpg|Roman Amphitheatre
Middle Ages The fortress of Severin was built by the
Kingdom of Hungary under
Ladislaus I (1077–1095) as a strategical point against the
Second Bulgarian Empire. Along with the forming of the Vallachian
Voivodeships (Voievodatele Valahe), the Severin fortress was a reason for a war over a period of several generations between
Oltenian Voievodes (
Litovoi,
Bărbat, then
Basarab I) and Hungarians. The war ended with the
Battle of Posada.
Romanians then fought the
Ottoman Empire, which threatened the area of the Danube. In this context, castles on the banks of the river, the area from
Iron Gates to
Calafat, began to be restored. When the
Hungarians attacked Oltenia and conquered Severin's fortress,
Andrew II of Hungary organized the
Banate of Severin. The first
Ban of Severin, Luca, was mentioned in 1233. This year may be taken as the date of birth of a new castle over the ruins of Drobeta, under the name Severin (Severinopolis). It was a basis for the Banate of Severin, Terra Zeurino (
Țara Severinului – Country of Severin). Severin's name was taken in memory of
Severinus of Noricum, who was the
patron saint of the medieval colony Turnu, initially a suffragane of the
Diocese of Kalocsa. In 1247, the
Hungarian Kingdom brought the
Knights of St. John to the country, giving them Severin as a residence, where they built the medieval castle of Severin (this is the
Castrul Zeurini mentioned in
Diploma of the Joannites in 1247). Inside the strong fort a
Gothic church was erected. This was presumably the headquarters of the
Catholic episcopate of Severin that was there until 1502. The knights withdrew in 1259, while the fortress remained in the range of the cannons of Turks,
Bulgarians and
Tatars who wanted to cross the Danube. The Hungarians still wanted to attack Oltenia.
Severin Fortress was the most important strategic redoubt on the Danube. Its conquest meant to gain an important bridgehead in the region. Romanian
Voivodes have also fought for this powerful fortress, conquering it or claiming it from time to time. Litovoi and Basarab I died at this fortress.
Mircea the Elder (
Mircea cel Bătrân) established Bănia Severinului (Banate of Severin) and, in 1406, concluded a treaty of alliance with
Sigismund of Hungary right in Severin. After the death of Mircea, Sigismund freed the Severin Fortress occupied by the Turks, and even made some concessions to the monasteries of
Vodița and
Tismana. Then Banate of Severin returned to
John Hunyadi, who consolidated all the castles on the Danube. Around 1432, possession passed to the
Wallachian
voivodes. After the fall of
Constantinople in 1453, attacks on the Danubian fortresses were made, moving the Banate residence to
Strehaia, the Severin population migrating to the
Cerneți village, 6 km north, which became the capital of the
Mehedinți district. In 1524, after a devastating attack by the Turks led by
Suleiman the Magnificent, only one tower of the Severin fortress was left standing, which led the people to name it
Turnul lui Severin (Tower of
Severinus). Severin remained under Ottoman rule until 1829 except a Wallachian occupation between 1594 and 1599 and an Austrian one between 1718 and 1738. Under Ottoman occupation, the territory's administration moved to the west of Oltenia and was centered in
Cerneţi. In 1936, Prof. Dr. Al. Bărăcilă executed excavations at the fortress, where he managed to reconstruct the layout of the castle and recovered rich archaeological materials (rails, iron, copper, stone cannonballs, pipe of a bronze cannon etc.). The fortress was rectangular shaped with two walls made of unprocessed river stones, glued with mortar. In the center of the castle there was a chapel, surrounded by graves, built in part with materials taken from Drobeta Castrum. Also in the fortress was an oven-hearth serving a weapons workshop. Inside the interior, to the north, was a tower with three floors used for defense; to the east a second tower, thicker, at the angle of the wall. The entrance to the castle was through a gate dome and the fortress was surrounded by a deep moat.
Modern times in Turnu Severin Hall and Park in the city center After gaining freedom from Ottoman control as a consequence of the
Treaty of Adrianople in 1829, it was decided to rebuild the present city. A rigorous program started in 1836. It was followed, in 1858, by the construction of the harbor. By 1900 the national road, rail, the Carol and Elisabeta boulevards, Navigația Fluvială Românească (River Navigation of Romania), the railway workshops, the shipyard (which in 1914 was the largest in the country), the Roman Hall, the Municipal Palace, three churches and two hospitals were built. In 1883, on May 15,
Theodor Costescu established
Traian High School, which in the next century would become a modern school of national prestige. The building of industrial factories spurred the development of the city. In 1841, Severin became the capital of the county and in 1851 became a city. As a major port on the Danube, the freedom of trade facilitated the entry of goods by boat from
Vienna and the exchange of material necessary for economic development. Severin experienced a steady economic, urban and social growth until 1972, when it
received the name of
Drobeta-Turnu Severin. In 1914, the Water Castle (
Castelul de Apă) was opened. Considered an emblematic monument to the people of Severin, it gives identity to the city by being built in one of the major traffic roundabouts of the city. The central neighborhoods were spared from the countrywide campaign of demolitions unleashed by the Ceauşescu regime, allowing the historic architecture of the city to survive. In 1968, Turnu Severin became the capital of the county, concurrently becoming a city ("
municipiu"). In 1972, the name of the ancient Drobeta was
added to the city's name, and it became Drobeta-Turnu Severin. ==Population (1859–2021)==