Rupea Fortress, Transylvania Romania
Located halfway between Brasov and Sighisoara, Rupea Fortress is one of the oldest archaeological remains in Romania. Due its dominant position, next to the city, the fortress is a remarkable presence from distance.
First documentary attestation dates from 1324 when the Saxons, who revolted against King Charles Robert of Hungary, took refuge inside the castle, Castrum Kuholm. Kuholom name refers to the rock on which it was built: basalt.
The fortress served as a fortification and refuge over time for the people living in the surrounding hills and valley, its location being strategic: at the road junction that connects Transylvania, Moldova and the Tara Romaneasca.
The components of the fortress are better understood if we follow a sectoring based on the dominant hill, where we have: “The Upper Fortress” (the first precinct), “The Middle Fortress” (the second and third ones), and “The Lower Fortress” (the fourth and last precinct). Each of them is identified by a distinct curtain wall, corresponding to different eras, marked by the evolution of warfare or by the development of the settlement and of the seat, upon which it depended financially.
The fortress was restored in recent years. In this project historical relics site were rehabilitated, defensive walls were rebuilt, the Gate Tower, the Fountain, the Military Storeroom, the Servants Tower, the Middle Fortress Gate, the Pentagonal Tower, the chapel and four houses.
The fortress attracted a record number of visitors since its inauguration, no less than 45,000 people visited the objective in the first months.
