Olt Gorge at Turnu Roșu

The Olt Gorge is the stretch where the Olt River cuts through the Southern Carpathians, between the Lotru and Căpățâna Mountains to the west and the western edge of the Făgăraș Mountains and the Cozia Mountains to the east. It is 47 km long, from Turnu Roșu to Cozia, making it the longest gorge in Romania. Its northern end lies in Sibiu County, south of the villages of Boița and Turnu Roșu, while most of the gorge belongs to Vâlcea County. The gorge contains the Turnu Roșu Pass (German: Roter-Turm-Pass), at an altitude of 354 m, which links southern Transylvania with Wallachia. The European route E81, along the DN7 road, and the Podu Olt-Piatra Olt railway cross the pass; the nearest station is the Valea Fratelui halt. The pass and the village of Turnu Roșu (called Porcești until 1966) take their name from Turnu Roșu Castle, the fourteenth-century fortress near Boița that guarded the gorge. In antiquity the Olt valley was one of the most important Roman roads in Dacia, with both military and commercial roles, and the Roman fort of Caput Stenarum lies at the exit of the pass at Boița. In the Middle Ages the entrance from Transylvania was guarded by Tălmaciu Fortress, Turnu Roșu Castle and the Broken Tower (Turnul Spart) at Boița, the last built in 1503 and standing on the right bank of the Olt beside the DN7. In November 1602 a battle was fought near Turnu Roșu between the army of Radu Șerban, supported by imperial troops, and the combined forces of Ieremia Movilă, the Tatars and the Ottomans, who won. Today the gorge is crossed by the DN7, one of the main roads between Sibiu and Râmnicu Vâlcea.