| Places of interest - Transylvania | |
In 1310 Transylvania's prince, Ladislaw
Kán, started to built what was to become one of the most impressive
and well-preserved medieval citadels in Romania: Fagaras Fortress. Ladislaw Kán 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. |
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Fagaras Fortress was placed in the middle of a large feudal estate, which, in the 17th century comprised 20 boroughs and 52 villages, being the largest in Transylvania. The existence of the Fagaras Citadel favored the early development of the guilds, particularly those of the tanners and of the potters. At the same time, it became an important political center 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 garrison (18th century). Fagaras Fortress and Castle were wholly built in brick. At present, the castle has 80 rooms, and the fortress is still surrounded by a moat, which is deep and wide. At times of war or social unrest in the area, the moat could easily fill with water from a mountain brook nearby, whose course had been specially deviated to this purpose. The citadel was ranked among the strongest in Transylvania, standing in the way of Turkish and Tartar invasions. Its massive walls, towers and tall roofs are arranged in the shape of a trapezium with four corners provided with four large bastions. Access is made through a bridge over the defense moat. At the center of the citadel stands the castle. It has three levels, i.e. basement, ground floor, first floor and five towers, i.e. the Red Tower, the Black Tower, the Prison's Tower, Tomori Tower and the Motley Tower. The exterior wall of the castle was erected in the first half of the 15th century. The castle was first mentioned in 1455, when Transylvania’s prince, Iancu de Hunedoara, appointed two lords to administer it. It was Gabriel Bethlen (1613-1629) who brought along major architectural changes he built Italian style bastions and casemates, repaired the inner walls and reshaped the loggia on the south side in the Renaissance style. He turned the edifice into a fortified castle, with much the same its present-day aspect. Strongly influenced by the Italian Renaissance, Bethlen brought along architects and glassmakers from Italy, bestowing elegance and beauty to a construction formerly designed for merely military and utilitarian purposes. |
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