Decebal’s Face, the Tallest Stone Sculpture in Europe

Decebal’s Face is a bas-relief 55 metres high and 25 metres wide, located between the villages of Eșelnița and Dubova, right next to the town of Orșova. The sculpture is a true work of art, set in an enchanting natural landscape, where the Carpathian Mountains meet the Danube.

Here are a few curiosities about one of the most important tourist attractions in Romania:

• The sculpture rivals the Statue of Liberty in the USA in height (it is only 6 metres shorter)
• It is in the area of the Small Gorges of the Danube (Cazanele Mici), near Mraconia Monastery and Mraconia Bay (the place where the river is at its deepest, about 120 metres)
• Dimensions of the sculpture: length of the eyes – 4.3 metres; length of the nose – 7 metres, and the width of the nose is 4 metres.
• Decebal’s Face is the tallest sculpture carved from stone in Europe.
• Journalists at Business Insider included it in their top 5 biggest statues in the world.
• The statue was made by the sculptor Florin Cotarcea, helped by 11 climbers, on the initiative of the businessman Iosif Constantin Drăgan, who also financed the project.
• Construction took 10 years, from 1994 to 2004.
• One tonne of dynamite was used to shape the rock.
• The construction costs came to as much as one million dollars.

• Unfortunately, it was never finished. Its backer Drăgan died in 2008, so only 60% of the statue was completed.
• It can be reached only by water, which is why heavy machinery could not be used. The climbers carried their tools and materials on their backs (sometimes sacks of 40–50 kg).
• Because of the difficult working conditions, there were accidents over the years. A team of 5 people working on the scaffolding fell several metres, without serious injury. One of the climbers was bitten by a viper hiding in a support point. He was saved by an immediate dose of antiviper serum.
• Beneath Decebal’s Face there is an inscription in Latin, “Decebal Rex – Dragan Fecit”, meaning “King Decebal, made by Dragan”.
• The historian and backer of the project, Constantin Drăgan, also intended to build a life-size copy of Trajan’s Column in Cluj-Napoca.
• Opposite the sculpture, but on the Serbian bank of the Danube, stands the Tabula Traiana monument, which dates back almost 2,000 years. It is 4 metres long and 1.75 metres high, and was erected by Emperor Trajan – King Decebal’s adversary – to mark the victories of the Roman Empire over the Dacian one in the war of 105–106.
• Every year, Decebal’s Face is visited by thousands of tourists, thanks to its favourable position, with superb views of the Danube Gorges.

We recommend that you visit and discover for yourself the beauty of a fairy-tale place, where the Danube cuts through the Carpathian Mountains, a place steeped in history.