I don't know how others are, but after conquering the Moldavian monasteries, I decided to conquer the Transylvanian fortresses. The first ticked on the list was Rupea Fortress, located on the outskirts of Rupea, Brasov County, on Cetății Street, on top of a hill. It can be seen from a distance, on the national road DN13 or E60 - Brașov - Sighișoara.
The Rupea Fortress has its origins in the Middle Ages and rises on several levels and is organized in the Upper Fortress, the Middle Fortress and the Lower Fortress. Each fortress of the fortress has its own walls. The Upper one is the oldest, the Middle one dates from the 17th century and the Lower one from the 18th century.
The rate is 15 lei ( 3,04 euro or 3,60 USD) for adults and 10 lei (2,02 euro or 2,40 USD) for children, I being a person with disabilities I did not pay. Parking is free and unpaid, in fact there are two generous parking lots. It should be noted that there were many tourists.
We entered under the Gate Tower, then we stopped at what was the fountain, once the only source of water and was dug in 1613. The route continued with the Guard Road, the Servants' Tower and the Gate to the Middle Fortress. Arriving at the Middle Fortress, I took photos at the Hungarian Tower, the Scout Tower, the Chapel, the Washer, the Walls of the Middle and Upper Fortress, the Powder Tower, the Chamber Room, House C, House D, Capos Tower, Pentagonal Tower, Scribes Tower.
When I climbed the Upper Fortress I admired the walls of the fortress, the small house at the top and the beautiful landscape over the city of Rupea. The view from there, from above, from the fortress, over the surrounding area is dreamy. Going down to the Middle Fortress I tried to remember everything I saw when I went up, I did not want to forget anything. When I went down to the Lower Fortress I admired and photographed: the military warehouse, the Bacon Tower, the Guard's house. Everything there seemed like a dream. I left the fortress not before taking some souvenirs, I wanted to take a small part of the fortress with me. From there we went to our next target, Sighisoara Fortress.
Rupea Fortress (or Cohalm Fortress) is one of the oldest archaeological remains in Romania, the first signs of human settlements dating from the Paleolithic and Early Neolithic (5,500-3,500 BC). The first documentary attestation dates from 1324 when the Saxons rebelled against King Carol Robert of Hungary took refuge inside the fortress, Castrum Kuholm. The name Kuholom refers to the rock on which it was built: basalt. Documents from the 15th century mention the fortress as an important commercial and handicraft center, with 12 guilds. Over time, the fortress served as a fortification but also a refuge for the population living in the surrounding hills and valleys, its location being strategic: at the junction of roads connecting Transylvania, Moldova and Wallachia through the southeastern steps.
Rupea Fortress, built on Cohalm Hill, dominating the city from above, was built and expanded in the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries, as a fortress and refuge for the surrounding villages. The curtains form 4 enclosures, being reinforced from place to place with polygonal towers, the circulation being controlled by several interior gates that compartmentalize the fortified ensemble. The central enclosure is provided with a redoubt and a chapel.
Rupea Fortress is located 50 km from Brașov, built on a basalt massif, in the area of the geological reservation Dealul Cohalm - "Basaltele de la Rupea". It is a peasant fortress with four fortified areas with polygonal towers. The fortress is modified over time, by adding two inner courtyards and three defense towers. The fortress is built on three premises:
- the upper fortress which is the oldest building. The upper fortress was built on the ruins of the Dacian fortress (supposedly the ruins of the Dacian fortress Ramidava).
- the middle fortress, built in the 15th century, enlarged at the beginning of the 17th century. Here the Chapel and the Scout Tower were built
- the lower fortress, built in the 18th century.
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