Râșnov Fortress. Short history

Râşnov Citadel is today one of the most important monuments 
medieval buildings from Romania and is undergoing an extensive restoration process. 
At the moment, only the garden of the Citadel can be visited, visitors' access being 
FREE OF CHARGE. Come and live the experience of a place full of history.

Since ancient times, the fortifications on the Cetății Hill cliff in 
Râşnov protected a settlement. The first medieval fortress in Râșnov was 
built by the Saxons and the Teutonic knights in the period 1211–1225, as much as 
lasted the Crusader rule in the Land of Bârsei, and after the expulsion 
crusaders, the wood and earth fortress was rebuilt or 
transformed into one of Saxon stone.

The chronicler Simon Massa (1536–1605) claims that during the invasion 
the Tatars from 1335, when the Land of Bârsei was completely deserted, 
the Râşnov fortress, "situated on a high mountain" resisted the enemy siege 
and saved the lives of the refugee inhabitants within its walls (being 
place of refuge for the Râșnov community until the 18th century). 
This is also the first documentary attestation of the fortress.

The culminating moment, which left us the architectural legacy of 
defensive walls, towers and small houses, it was the medieval fortified fair, 
the second hearth of residence of the Râşnovi Saxons.