The Sip Canal
130 years passed since the inauguration of the Sip Canal, which played an extraordinarily important role, not only for Romania and its future but also for all of Central Europe and beyond.
Steliu Lambru, 20.09.2026, 14:00
The most spectacular section of the Danube, along its 2,850-kilometer course from the Black Forest Mountains in Germany to its mouth on the Black Sea in Romania, is its gorge. There, the great river cuts through the Carpathian Mountains and offers the world a unique natural habitat. However, as spectacular as the landscape is there, navigation was just as dangerous until the mid-19th century. Historical sources record shipwrecks, sinking, and groundings, with the Cazane (Cauldrons) section being the most difficult part of the gorge for navigation.
Major projects almost always enjoy political backing. Following the peace treaties that concluded the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, the Austro-Hungarian administration undertook a project to facilitate navigation on the Danube. Consequently, a canal over two kilometers long, 73 meters wide, and four meters deep was excavated along the right bank of the river. It began opposite the town of Orșova and ended near the village of Sip, taking the village’s name. In 1969, 73 years after its inauguration, the construction of the Iron Gates hydroelectric dam caused the water level in the reservoir to rise, submerging the Sip Canal.
Engineer Michael Românu is a postcard collector who has gathered photographs of the Danube Gorge area over the years. He has restored items that were dirty, torn, yellowed, or missing parts. He has organized exhibitions featuring Băile Herculane, Old Orșova, the Danube Gorge, Turnu Severin, the Danube’s Iron Gates or Cauldrons (Cazanele), the Reșița Steam Locomotive Factory, and Ada Kaleh Island.
To mark the 130th anniversary of the opening of the Sip Canal, Michael Românu curated an exhibition displaying 240 photographs and postcards in 10×15 cm and A4 formats: “130 years passed since the inauguration of the Sip Canal, which played an extraordinarily important role, not only for Romania and its future but also for all of Central Europe and beyond. I say this because the stretch of the Danube between Turnu Severin and Baziaș was riddled with rapids. It was an area filled with submerged rocks that had to be removed to make navigation at least somewhat feasible for river vessels, cargo barges, and other craft.”
Michael Românu believes we must always remember our predecessors, those who created the images that form today’s archives. One such figure was the photographer Geza Hutterer (1864–1917): “I dedicate all my exhibitions to a photographer named Geza Hutterer. He lived in Orșova and, throughout his life, from 1890 to 1917, took a vast number of photographs in this area. Thanks to him, we now have the wonderful opportunity to see what life was like back then, and what the people, places, and towns looked like.”
We asked Michael Românu to describe the exhibition in which he presents a lost project to the eyes of the modern viewer. He explained: “The 240 photographs form a novel, by analogy; all my photographs are organized into chapters. The exhibition on the Sip Canal begins with the first chapter, showing the rock formations that once existed in the Danube’s riverbed. Next come the machinery and river vessels used to construct the Sip Canal. Another chapter follows, depicting scenes from the actual construction work. Then comes the inauguration of the Sip Canal. In this section, I have several photographs that play a crucial role, as they document events from September 26th, the day before the official opening, when Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary arrived at the Orșova railway station and met King Carol I of Romania. King Aleksandar of Serbia also arrived there. Together, they went into the town of Orșova and visited the old town. Afterward, they attended a brief religious service at the Catholic church in Orșova. From there, they traveled together to Băile Herculane spa resort. It is well known that Băile Herculane was an exceptionally important resort at the time; even Empress Sisi of Austria visited annually. After concluding their visit to Orșova and Băile Herculane, they departed together from the Orșova commercial port aboard the passenger steamer ‘Franz Joseph’, heading for the Sip Canal. Upon arrival, they docked at a pontoon and were greeted by thousands of people who had gathered for the canal’s inauguration. From there, they traveled to Bucharest and, subsequently, to Sinaia. The construction of the Sip Canal enabled barges laden with crude oil to reach Orșova, where the oil was unloaded into two large reservoirs at the commercial port. It was then pumped into railway tank cars and transported from there, over a distance of 2.5 to 3 kilometers, to the refinery, or the Orșova Oil Factory, as it was known at the time.”
130 years ago, the Sip Canal opened, a true breakthrough for pan-European Danube navigation. Today, however, it exists only as a memory, one that, fortunately, has also been preserved in images. (LS)
