Râșnov Citadel

Râșnov Citadel (Rosenau), a peasant fortress in Râșnov in the Burzenland region of Transylvania (Romania), sits on a hilltop; steep cliffs of about 150 m protect it to the south, west and north. The walls are about 5 m high. The first medieval fortress is dated to between 1211 and 1225, although this is not confirmed archaeologically. During a Tatar raid in 1335, Râșnov and Brașov were the only fortified places in Burzenland to remain unconquered; in 1421 an Ottoman army besieged the citadel for the first time.

With no spring inside, the inhabitants dug a 146 m deep well between 1623 and 1642. A legend says two Turkish prisoners did it in 17 years. The citadel was captured only once, in 1612 by the forces of Gabriel Báthory, after the enemy found the path to the secret spring and cut off the water. Inside you will see the ruins of a chapel and school and more than 30 houses, plus a museum of local history. From the top you look over Râșnov and towards the Piatra Craiului Mountains.