The tallest rock sculpture in Europe.

The Statue of Dacian king Decebalus is a 40-meter high statue that is the tallest rock sculpture in Europe. It is located on the Danube's rocky bank, near the city of Orşova, Romania.


Decebal was a Dacian king, famous for fighting three wars against Roman empire. He ruled Dacia from 87 to 106 AD. At the end he killed himself, not allowing Romans to capture him alive. The idea of the statue belonged to controversial Romanian businessman and amateur historian Iosif Constantin Drăgan and it took 10 years (1994-2004) for the 12 sculptors to finish it and in the end, it cost over a million dollars. Under the face of Decebal there is a Latin inscription which reads in latin "DECEBAL REX - DRAGAN FECIT" ("King Decebal - Made by Drăgan"). Right in front of the statue, but on the Serbian shore facing Romania, can be found an ancient memorial plaque ("Tabula Traiana") commemorating the victories of the Roman Empire over the Dacian kingdom in 105.