Description of the attraction
In the town of Zajecar in the eastern part of Serbia, there is an architectural monument of the late Roman era. In the 3rd century AD, Zajecar was a small settlement, next to which the Emperor Gaius Galerius Valerius Maximian built the Felix-Romulian palace. At the end of the same century, a memorial complex was built nearby, which was connected to the palace by order of the emperor. The whole complex began to resemble a fortress and was located on a hill. Now the complex is known as Gamzigrad-Romuliana.
The name of the palace of Felix-Romulian was given in honor of the mother of the ruler. Her name was Romula, and she was a pagan priestess. The emperor also marked the place of his birth with the construction of this palace. This complex could be considered a small city, as it had fortifications and other structures typical of a Roman settlement - baths, a triumphal arch, religious buildings. It has now been recognized that the Gamzigrad-Romuliana complex is one of the most striking examples of Roman imperial architecture, so in 2007 UNESCO took it under its auspices and declared it a World Heritage Site.
The fate of the luxurious, magnificently decorated palace changed in the second half of the 4th century after the invasion of these lands by the Goths and Huns. Later, the complex began to be referred to as Romuliana, a small Byzantine town, and in the 11th century, when the Slavs settled the land, it became known as Gamzigrad.
Gamzigrad-Romuliana is also a site of permanent archaeological excavations, begun in the middle of the last century, and a popular spa resort. A dozen kilometers from Zajecar is located "Gamzigradska Banya" - a resort based on natural thermal and mineral springs with water temperatures up to 42 degrees. It is located in a natural park, surrounded by nature untouched by man.
