Bran Castle
 

Citadels and fortresses in Romania

Brasov Citadel Location of Brasov CitadelPhotos of Brasov

Brasov, known as Kronstadt in German or Brasso in Hungarian is one of the largest cities in Romania. It is located in the center of the country and surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains. The city provides a mix of wonderful mountain scenery in the nearby Poiana Brasov and medieval history with Germanic influences in the old town.

The town is separated in two different areas: the area with the baroc influence, that lay's among the base of Tampa and Postavaru mountains, and the area between fabrics and buildings. The main attraction is represented by the old city - Schei area, still full of charm, where you can find lots of antique houses and objects, specially based on religious style.

The construction of the town was made after the highest standards of that time, the citadels walls, the defense towers were followed by markets, shops, work shops, hospitals, inns, churches , etc. Brasov of that era was being an example of organization and exploitation of the existent resources. ...[read more]

Sibiu Citadel Location of Sibiu CitadelPhotos of Sibiu

In 2007 Sibiu is the European Capital of Culture (together with Luxembourg). It is the most important cultural event that has ever happened in the city and a great number of tourists are expected, both domestic and foreign. The city of Sibiu and its surroundings are one of the most visited areas in Romania.

The city of Sibiu was one of the most important fortified cities in Southeastern Europe. Multiple rings were built around the city, most of them out of clay bricks. The south-eastern fortifications are the best kept, and all three parallel lines are still visible. The first is an exterior earth mound, the second is a 10-meter-tall red brick wall, and the third line comprises towers linked by another 10-meter-tall wall. All structures are connected via a labyrinth of tunnels and passageways, designed to ensure transport between the city and lines of defense. It holds one of the best preserved historical sites in the country, many of its medieval fortifications having been kept in excellent state. Its old center has begun the process for becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.

In the 16th century more modern elements were added to the fortifications, mainly leaf-shaped bastions. One of these survived to this day, as the Haller Bastion (all the way down Coposu Boulevard). ...[read more]

Sighisoara Citadel Location of Sighisoara CitadelPhotos of Sighisoara

The Sighisoara Citadel is the old historic center of the town of Sighisoara (Hungarian: Segesvar, German: Schaessburg), Romania, built in the 12th century by Saxon colonists. It is the last inhabited medieval citadel in Europe and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, for its 850 year old testimony to the history and culture of the Transylvanian Saxons.

Birthplace of Vlad III the Impaler, also known as Dracula, Sighisoara hosts, every year, a medieval festival where arts and crafts blend with rock music and stage plays. The city marks the upper boundary of the Land of Saschen (Germans from Saxony or Luxembourg established in Central Romania in the 12th century). Like its bigger brothers, Sibiu (Hermannstadt - The European Cultural Capital in 2007) and Brasov (Kronstadt), Sighisoara exhibits architecture typical of medieval Germany. During communist era, this German area was preserved and the original architecture is still in place. ...[read more]

Prejmer Fortress Location of Prejmer FortressPhotos of Prejmer

Prejmer (German: Tartlau; Hungarian: Prazsmar) is a town in Brasov County, Romania. It is located 18 km northeast of Brasov. Prejmer Fortress (15th century) - is the best-preserved peasant fortress of Transylvania, included in the UNESCO patrimony.

The Teutonic Knights constructed the fortress Tartlau in 1212 - 1213 as part of their colonization of the Burzenland region. The town of Prejmer near the castle had begun development by 1225, and was the eastern-most settlement of the Transylvanian Saxons. Prejmer was repeatedly invaded throughout the Middle Ages by various groups, including the Mongols, Tatars, Hungarians, Ottoman Turks, Cossacks, and Moldavians. However, the castle was only captured once, by Gabriel Bathori in 1611. Most of Prejmer's German population fled the town during World War II.

Prejmer is noted for its fortified church, one of the best preserved of its kind in Eastern Europe. Between 1962 - 1970, the Romanian government carefully restored it to its present condition; the restoration work was done under the direction of architect Mariana Angelescu and engineer Alexandru Dobriceanu. The church is modeled after churches of Jerusalem, as well as built in the style of Late Gothic churches from the Rhineland. In the 15th century, it was surrounded by a wall 12m high, forming a quadrilateral with rounded corners. The wall was reinforced by four horseshoe-shaped towers, two of which have since disappeared. The defensive structure is strengthened by embrasures and bartizans, while the covered way is surrounded by a parapet. The granaries and rooms that accommodated the villagers are arranged on four levels above the cellars. ...[read more]

Harman Fortress Location of Harman FortressPhotos of Harman

The Harman fortress is located 8 km north-east of Brasov. It dates back to the 13th century when the Saxons built the original church in a Romanesque style which was restored in a Gothic style.

Strong walls and bulwarks surrounded the church and on its sides there were massive towers. Conceived in the architectural style of the time, the church has a 50m high tower surrounded by four small towers. The local population added new parts to the original church in order to make it more useful to their needs. The chorus was built in square shape with a vault looking like a cross. It was surrounded by two chapels, as were Halmeag and Bartolomeu churches, indicating the influence of the Cistercian's style.

The most significant event in the history of the fortification is the building in the 14th century of a massive tower on the West side for protective purposes. Though besieged 47 times during the history it never surrendered. ...[read more]

Suceava Fortress Location of Suceava FortressPhotos of Suceava

Suceava is the capital city of the Suceava County, Bukovina, northeastern Romania. It is sittuated on a commercial high-way that linked the Baltic with the Black Sea. The town of Suceava gained its importance from the presence of the main royal palace which Petru I Musat built here at the end of the XlVth century. Close to the royal court and the citadel stood the Mirauti Church, the first Metropolitan Church of Moldavia, which once housed the relics of Saint John the New, one of Moldavia's patron saints. The Austrian domination (1775 - 1918) also had an influence on the town. Several buildings from the XlXth century and the beginning of the XXth century were influenced by Habsburg architecture. These include the Tribunal, the City Hall and the Catholic Cathedral.

Suceava fortress was built by Petru I Musat at the end of the XlVth century. Stephen the Great (1457-1504) enlarged and strengthened the fortress in two stages. After 1476 Stephen doubled the exterior walls by adding new layers which were fixed to the existing walls, so that they varied in thickness from 2m to 4m. The walls were also made circular so that they stood more chance of surviving bombardment. The fortress was repeatedly attacked until the XVIIth century when it was destroyed first by the Turks and then by an earthquake. ...[read more]

Deva Fortress Location of Deva FortressPhotos of Deva

Deva (German: Diemrich, Hungarian: Deva) is a city situated on the left bank of the middle course of the Mures river. It is the capital of Hunedoara county in Romania and has around 80,000 inhabitants, including subordinated villages. In Ancient Times it was a Dacian fortress called Singidava.

The name Deva is considered to come from the ancient Dacian word dava, meaning "fortress" (e.g Pelendava, Piroboridava, Zargidava etc). Other theories trace the name to a Roman Legion, the Legio II Augusta, transferred to Deva from Castrum Deva, now Chester in Britain. On medieval maps, Deva appears as Deva or Dewan. Documentary evidence of the city's existence first appeared in 1269. Under Voivod John Hunyadi, Deva became an important military and administrative centre. Partially destroyed by the Ottoman Turks in 1550, it was afterward rebuilt and the fortress extended. In 1621 Prince Gabriel Bethlen transformed and extended the Magna Curia Palace (also known as the Bethlen Castle) in Renaissance style.

The town is dominated by Citadel Hill (1,217 feet), shaped like a truncated cone, which affords a commanding view of the Mures valley. Atop the hill are the ruins of a citadel, built in the 13th century at the time of the Mongol invasions.

Mining, foodstuffs, civil engineering, and power industries are important to Deva's economy. A private University of Ecology and Tourism was established in the city in 1990, and the academic centres of Timisoara and Cluj-Napoca have opened branches in the city. Deva is dominated by Citadel Hill, a protected nature reserve because of its rare floral species and the presence of the horned adder. Perched on the top of the hill are the ruins of the Citadel built in the 13th century. ...[read more]

Rasnov Citadel Location of Rasnov CitadelPhotos of Rasnov Citadel

Rasnov Citadel (Rosenau in German), is located on a rocky hilltop in the Carpathian mountains, 200m above the town of Rasnov in Romania. It is 15 km southwest of Brasov and also about 15 km from Bran Castle. The fortress is on the Bran Pass, a trade route connecting Wallachia with Transylvania. The view from the top of the castle hill is spectacular.

The first written record for the fortress is from 1331, and when the Tartars invaded in 1335, Rasnov Fortress was already strong enough to offer resistance. The castle has an upper and lower section, with polygonal perimeter walls reaching an average height of 5m. The east side is the most heavily fortified, and the walls on both that side as well as the northwest side are doubled. The defenses include 9 towers, 2 bastions, and a drawbridge. As Turkey and Austria battled over Transylvania, arms were stockpiled in the defense corridors at the walls.

The last siege of Rasnov Fortress took place in 1690 during the last Turkish invasion of Transylvania. It was damaged by fire in 1718 and rebuilt the following year. The next major damage occurred as the result of an earthquake in 1802. The fortress was last used as a place of refuge during the revolution of 1848, and was abandoned after that. Reconstruction is currently being undertaken at the fortress. ...[read more]

Fagaras Citadel Location of Rasnov CitadelPhotos of Fagaras Citadel

Fagaras city lies in the western part of Brasov county in the Fagaras Depression, on the left side of the Olt river and south of the chain of the Fagaras Mountains.

Fagaras Fortress is the most impressive monument of the town, and the core around which the town was actually built. Ladislaw Kan started to built it in 1310 on the former place of a 12th century wooden fortress strengthened by earthen walled fortifications. The former fortress had been burned down by the Tartars in 1241. The fort was enlarged and rebuilt in the 15th-17th centuries in the Transylvanian Renaissance style and came to be known, alongside with Deva, as one of the strongest fortifications in Transylvania.

The existence of the Fagaras Citadel favoured the early development of the guilds, particularly those of the tanners and of the potters. At the same time, it became an important political centre with Diets being held there. The Fortress functioned mainly as a residence home to its prince-owners and high dignitaries together with their families. Records show that its interiors must have been luxurious in the 17th century; unfortunately, little of its former glamour has been preserved to the day. The castle was deprived of its decorations and fancy furniture when it was turned into a military garisson (18th century). ...[read more]

Rupea Citadel Location of Rupea CitadelPhotos of Rupea Citadel

Rupea Fortress, located on the Northwestern side of Brasov county, was built on a basalt rock. The first trace of the citadel is on a document where the writers referred to it as Koholom citadel meaning the rock eminence. It is said that on that particular rock once existed a Roman camp, during the time Dacia was conquered by Romans. Later on, the Saxons and Hungarians who settled on these lands rebuilt the camp. The first attestation dates back from the year 1324 when some refugees found a hidden place in the citadel running from the fury of the Hungarian king Robert Carol's army.

Little by little the inhabitants built three protective towers and two interior courtyards. Inside the fortress there is a well 40m deep where the water is still drinkable. In 1790, a strong storm destroyed the roof and since then it hasn't been repaired. ...[read more]

Attractions

  • Bran Castle Museum

    Bran Castle Museum is situated on the border between Transylvania and Wallachia in Brasov County. This castle is known as the homestead of Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler) and is the most visited attraction of Romania.

  • Corvins' Castle (Hunyadi Castle) Museum

    The Corvins' Castle impresses by the presence that dominates the city of Hunedoara. For those ones attracted by the Middle Age, the Corvins' Castle represents an unique monument in Romania and one of the most interesting in Europe.

  • Peles Castle Museum

    Located in Sinaia (44 km from Brasov), Peles Castle is considered by many one of the most beautiful castles in all Europe. It was the final resting place for several Romanian monarchs including King Carol I, who died here in 1914.

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  • Sambata de sus Monastery

    Sambata de sus, also called "Brancoveanu" Monastery is located on the valley of Sambata river. The monastery is famous for being a place of recovery, comfort and spiritual balm for visitors who halt or pray in this sacred dwelling.

  • Putna Monastery

    We know about Putna that it was the first monastery built by Stephen the Great (Stefan cel Mare). Moreover, the ruler wanted it to be his place of eternal rest. Thus, like Bogdan I and Alexander the Good, Stephen the Great meant the monastery to be the ruling family necropolis.

  • Cozia Monastery

    Cozia (like its sister Tismana, farther off, and like the neighboring monasteries of Turnu and Stanisoara), is set in one of the most picturesque of the many carpathian landscapes which are the pride of Oltenia, this immense repository of such monuments.

  • Sucevita Monastery

    Sucevita is chronologically the last and greatest monastic ensemble among the painted monasteries in Bukovina, as it has the appearance of a real fortress, with towers, buttresses and watch roads.

  • Voronet Monastery

    The Voronet Monastery is possibly the most famous monastery of Romania. It is known throughout the world for its exterior frescoes of bright and intense colours, and for the hundreds of well-preserved figures placed against the renowned azurite background.

  • Moldovita Monastery

    Moldovita Monastery that one can we see today dates back to 1532 and is due to ruling prince Petru Rares (1532-1546). It has, like Sucevita, the aspect of a fortress, with imposing towers and high, thick walls (6 m high, 1.2 m wide).

  • Curtea de Arges Monastery

    The Cathedral of Curtea de Arges (early 16th century) is one of the most famous buildings in Romania, and stands in the grounds of a monastery, 1 1/2 km north of Curtea de Arges. It is dedicated to Saint Nicholas.

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Tours

  • One day tour (A1)

    Brasov Citadel
    Rasnov Citadel
    Bran Castle (Dracula's Castle)
    Peles Castle (Sinaia)

  • One day tour (A2)

    Brasov Citadel
    Rasnov Citadel
    Bran Castle (Dracula's Castle)
    Fagaras Citadel

  • One day tour (A3)

    Brasov Citadel
    Rupea Citadel
    Sighisoara Citadel

  • One day tour (A4)

    Brasov Citadel
    Harman Fortress
    Prejmer Fortress

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  • Dracula Tour (B1)

    Explore the Transylvanian lands in the search of Dracula's true story. During day 1 you will be visiting Rasnov Citadel and Bran Castle. In the evening Brasov old city will be presented to you. A special accommodation will be taken care of for you at a lodging that is a scaled copy of the Bran Castle. On day 2 you will explore Sighisoara's Citadel followed by lunch at a restaurant located in the home where Vlad Tepes was born and raised.

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Transfers

 
Phone: +4 0722139979