Mysterious ruins Photo

Photographer’s Note

The fortress of Golubac in Serbia seen from the Romanian side of the river Danube. This photo was also taken during our biketrip to Istanbul. It was raining all day long and the visibility was very bad.

Golubac Fortress (Serbian: Голубачки град or Golubački grad, Hungarian: Galambóc vára) was a medieval fortified town on the right side of the Danube River, 4 kilometers downstream from the modern-day town of Golubac, Serbia. The fortress, which was most likely built during the 14th century, is split into three compounds which were built in stages. It has ten towers, most of which started square, and several of which received many-sided reinforcements with the advent of firearms.
Golubac Fortress has had a tumultuous history. Prior to its construction it was the site of a Roman settlement. During the Middle Ages, it became the object of many battles, especially between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary. It changed hands repeatedly, passing between Turks, Hungarians, Serbs, and Austrians, until 1867, when it was turned over to the Serbian Knez, Mihailo Obrenović III. Now, it is a popular tourist attraction in the region and a sightseeing point on Danube boat tours.
Between 1964-72, a hydroelectric dam was built in the Iron Gate gorge, significantly elevating the river's water level. As a result, the lower edge of the slope and corresponding parts of the fortress are now flooded.[

I would be pleased if you told me your opinon about the photo!

isabela_sor, Vasa, atus, jalab_temen, edytungkal, jaywalker, Jonas_Schmitt, Jakab, belido has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

johannes68 (2882) 2008-09-21 11:11

Hi Marci,
you really went to Istanbul with your bike? Not bad, quite a distance!
The Danube in this part is really worth seeing, downstream from here it´s always the same green river with endless lines of dams and trees on both sides.
Very well composed photo, and the shades of grey are very well balanced. The bad weather even underlines the somehow grim history of this place.
Regards, Johannes

isabela_sor (42471) 2008-09-21 13:29 [Comment]

Show Comment +

Vasa (6357) 2008-09-21 15:43

Hi Marton,

the motif I know very well beacuase I have a country house near by (Vinci village, that you must also know if you passed by bike on the Serbian side). I find your position original because my POV is all times from the coast. The good position is from the hill above the ruins. So glade to see your picture and hope see your bike next year in Vinci. Friendly your

Branko

atus (15476) 2008-09-21 17:51

Sejtelmes és misztikus is egyben és ugyanakkor a ff változat még fokozza is ezt a nyomott hangulatot. Gondolom sok választásod amúgy sem volt nagyon, tekintettel az időjárási viszonyokra. Az elegáns keretezésed sokat lendít a képen, mely igazán érdekes a mellékelt hasznos történelmi leírásnak is köszönhetően.
Gratulálok és szép estét kívánok!
Attila

gbeli (2026) 2008-09-22 8:04

Hi Marci
I would really like to do this trip.
In every place you can find out "hidden" beauties.
Beautiful picture with nice atmosphere, but i am not sure if the B/W version was a good choice.
Cheers

edytungkal (4519) 2008-09-22 19:02

Indeed it was difficult to take picture in such kind of condition but the subject is really great. It sounds you have a good time on your biketrip to Istambul...
Thanks for the shot

daniel

jaywalker (12308) 2008-09-24 14:55

Hi Marton, I have critiqued a couple of photos with castles in tonight & this is the one I like the most, maybe it's because it is in B/W & shows some great shadow & has a wonderful atmosphere, the quality is out-standing, brilliantly framed & brilliantly composed, TFS, kind regards Wilson.

Jonas_Schmitt (3074) 2008-09-27 8:40

Hello Marton!
This is a really good and interesting picture with a fantastic atmosphere that I like a lot.
You chose an excellent point of view and composed the photo very well. The frame is really nice and I like the writing on it very much. Well done!
Jonas

Jakab (3498) 2008-09-30 14:06

Szia Marci!
Ismerve lelkesedésed a fekete-fehér iránt sem értem, itt miért választottad ezt a technikát. Én nem látom ezt a képet sem annyira tónusgazdagnak, sem annyira grafikus karakterűnek, amit zavarnának a színek. A választás persze a szerző joga, akinek arányérzékéhez, ízléséhez persze most sem férhet kétség.
Mindig örülök, ha néha föl tudsz merülni a tanulásból - de azért ahhoz is (sőt!) sok sikert kívánok.
Laci

nemesiss (2619) 2008-10-04 13:10

Oauuu! AMAZING image. Are like from one story with Dragons and Wariors.
You have a good trip to Istambul.
All the best,
Iulian

brandstaetter (14420) 2008-10-19 9:25

Hi Marton,
compliments for your power and endurance to survive this :)
your choice to make it B&W is right, adds to the mood.
Cheers Christian

paprika-jancsi (1961) 2008-11-20 17:02

Jokora ut lehetett, 2 het a Balkanon keresztul biciklivel. Es a balkani idojarast is ismerem, en egy hetig voltam Belgradban es egyszer sem jott ki a nap. Grim picture. T>Y> jancsi

belido (16877) 2009-01-27 12:24

Hi Marci,

I think the choice for the b&w was very appropriate since it was a cloudy and grey day as you mention in the note. In the ending, the mono tones work pretty well, bringing some kind of dramatism to the scene. It's just a pitty that part of this historical construction is under water. Great shot indeed!
Regards,
Carlos