09/09/2024
🏰 Rupea Citadel
🇷🇴 Romania
Rupea Fortress (Romanian: Cetatea Rupea, German: Burg Reps, Hungarian: Kőhalmi vár) is a medieval fortress built by Transylvanian Saxons in the Kingdom of Hungary and first mentioned by a 1324 document.
Rupea Fortress stands on one of the oldest archaeological sites in Romania, the first signs of human settlements dating from the Paleolithic and Early Neolithic (5500–3500 BC). Archaeological investigations have revealed objects from this era, testimony of settlements in the region: stone tools, pottery, funeral urns, etc.
In Dacian times, on these places was raised the dava known as Rumidava or Ramidava (after various historical sources); conquered by the Romans, Rumidava became the Roman castra Rupes (in Latin, rupes means "rock" or "stone"). The Roman castra Rupes was part of the Roman fortification belt defending the commercial area and routes linking the Târnava Valley with the Olt Valley, Râșnov and Hoghiz.
According to Romanian archaeologists, the current fortress might have been built on the ruins of a former Dacian defense fort, based on Dacian pottery sherds found at the site.
The first written mention of the fortress dates from 1324, under the name castrum Kuholm, when the Saxons revolting against King Charles I of Hungary took refuge inside the fortress. In the 14th century it had a key strategic role, being the main linking point between Transylvania, Moldavia and Wallachia. Between 1432 and 1437 the fortress was attacked and robbed by Turks, and finally abandoned in 1643 after a devastating fire turned it into ruins.At the end of the same century, Saxons returned to the fortress to seek refuge. This time, the fortress was handed over to the Habsburg armies without armed resistance.
From the 13th through the 17th century, the fortress expanded as a result of population growth, which led to the final outline comprising three baileys.
During the plague of 1716, the fortress was used as a refuge for those who were not affected by the disease. In 1788 as a refuge against Turkish invasion. The fortress was finally abandoned in 1790 after a severe storm that destroyed its roof.
After that, the fortress was left in ruins, although Rupea became a major Saxon cultural center in the interwar period. During the Communist regime, the authorities planned the demolition of the fortress to exploit the basalt that forms the hill. The last attempt to restore the fortress dates back to 1954, but the idea was abandoned. In the early 1990s, the fortress was in a sorry state. Eventually, only one of the fortified towers was left standing. Between 2010 and 2013, the fortress underwent a comprehensive restoration process, with all four towers and the homes of the Saxon families of Reps (Rupea), which once used the fortress as a place of refuge, being restored.
📷 by .mihaiescu
