Rasnov Citadel (Romania) in Pictures

One of the coolest things to see in Transylvania is ancient ruins and citadels. Rasnov citadel is one such ruin that was built in the 13^th century as a shelter from invading forces. The citadel sits on top of a rocky hilltop in the Carpathians roughly 650ft about the town of Rasnov. There’re traces of earlier fortification system on top of the hill that goes as far back as the Dacian era. The fortress was built to withstand long periods of siege.

There’s a school, dozens of houses, and even a chapel. It’s a village enclosed by walls, towers, and bastions. It withstood attacks from invading Tatars and Turkish throughout its history and was only overrun once when invading forces managed to find the secret route that supplied the fortress with water.

Rasnov Citadel

There’s a silly myth, the same one it seems, about a well that was dug by Turkish prisoners. It took them 17 years to dig the well in exchange for their freedom. Upon completion, they were instead executed instead of being freed. This is the same myth I read about in Corvin Castle! It seems to a more than just coincidence and I don’t know which one to believe at this point. The last siege of the citadel was from invading Ottoman forces in the 17^th century, their final invasion. It was damaged by fire in the 18^th century but was later rebuilt. During the revolution of 1848, it was last used as a refuge and was later abandoned. Today, it’s been restored to its current state and you can sense its importance as you meander though it’s cobble stoned streets and stand on one of its towers.

Rasnov Citadel Walls

Rasnov can be reached by car, bus, or even by foot from Brasov which is only 10km away. I did it with a tour that included Peles and Bran in a day for around $40. Rasnov is the most interesting out of the three.