High constructions provided in the superior part with powerful light sources, they were for a long time the only fix means for ensuring the navigation. Throughout the time, they were replaced by the electronic navigation systems.

Orșova is situated on the border of the barrier lake Porțile de Fier I from the Danube, in the area of effusion of the river Cerna in the Danube. At the census performed in 2002, the population of the city was of 12.967 inhabitants.

Following the execution of the barrier lake Porțile de Fier I, the former fireplace of the city was flooded in the year 1970, and the population was migrated on a new establishment, including the terraces of the Danube and of Cerna and the southern versant of the Mountain Almăjului, where there was built a complete new city (1966 – 1971), which also incorporated the villages Jupalnic, Tufari and Coramnic.

It was part of the Roman province Dacia. In the area of the locality there were discovered the traces of the Roman castrum Dierna, which was enhanced at the level of municipality in the year 193.

The locality was mentioned in Gesta Hungarorum under the name of Urscia, on the occasion of the fights of the Romanians commanded by Glad against the Hungarian tribes in the year 934. The name of Urscia is contested with the Serbian locality Vârșeț, but the Serbians consider however the fact that the name Vârșeț is with certainty Serbian.

Subject of dispute between the Wallachian prince Litovoi and the Kingdom of Hungary, the locality remains for a while under the possession of the Wallachian princes, however passing once with the name of Iancu de Hunedoara, as ban of Severin, under the Hungarian occupation.

In the year 1524 the citadel Orșova (including the locality) was conquered by the Turks and occupied by them until the year 1688. Starting with the year 1664 Orșova became an administrative centre of a sangeac.

In the year 1688 the locality was conquered by the Austrians and in 1768 it became the head office of a garrison of Austrian border, attacked and destroyed in 1819 by Tudor Vladimirescu following an incident of border Romanian – Austrian.

In the year 1916, the establishment was occupied for a short period of time (August – September) by the Romanian army, rejected and defeated in the counter-offensive commanded by the general Erich von Falkenhayn.

In the year 1919 the former county Caraș – Severin entered in the component of the Kingdom of Romania.

In the year 1923 Orșova was declared a city.

On the occasion of the administrative reform from the year 1968, it was passed in the component of the county Mehedinți.