Grigore Sfetcu

Grigore Sfetcu, affectionately known as Gicu, is a former worker who dedicated four decades of his life to the construction of the Porțile de Fier I hydroelectric dam. Born and raised in Gura Văii, the small Romanian village where the dam was built, Gicu witnessed the transformation of his hometown in the 1960s as it became a bustling construction site employing over 10,000 workers. His firsthand experiences reflect the challenges and labor conditions faced during this monumental project, which was a significant collaboration between Romania and Yugoslavia.