Rupea Citadel: a spiral fortress on a basalt cliff
Rupea Citadel (Cetatea Rupea, also called the Cohalm Citadel) is a medieval refuge fortress on a 120 m basalt cliff west of the town of Rupea in Brașov County, Transylvania, on the main road towards Sighișoara. Built by the Transylvanian Saxons and first documented in 1324, it was restored between 2010 and 2013.
Rupea Citadel winds up its basalt hill like a snail shell, and its story goes back to Stone Age settlers, a Dacian hill-fort and a legend that Decebalus ended his life inside.
The history of Rupea Citadel
The basalt hill is one of the oldest archaeological sites in Romania. The first signs of settlement date from the Palaeolithic and the early Neolithic, between about 5500 and 3500 BC, and digs have found stone tools, pottery and funeral urns. In Dacian times a fortified settlement known as Rumidava or Ramidava stood here, which the Romans later turned into the fort of Rupes, from the Latin word for rock. Some Romanian archaeologists think the present fortress was built over a Dacian stronghold, because Dacian pottery has been found on the site. The town of Rupea takes its name from the same rock.
The oldest part of the medieval complex, the Upper Fortress, dates from the 10th–13th centuries. The first written record comes from 1324, under the name castrum Kuholm, when the Saxons who had risen against King Charles I of Hungary took refuge inside. In the 14th century the fortress held a key position on the routes linking Transylvania, Moldavia and Wallachia, and documents of the 15th century describe a trade and craft centre with twelve guilds. The Middle Fortress was added in the 15th century and enlarged in the 17th, and the Lower Fortress was built from the 18th century on.
The citadel served the Saxons of Rupea as a place of refuge for generations. Between 1432 and 1437 it was attacked and plundered by the Ottomans. In 1623 a deep well was dug in the fortress, during the reign of Prince Gabriel Bethlen. After a devastating fire in 1643 it was abandoned, but at the end of that century the Saxons returned to seek shelter and handed the fortress to the Habsburg armies without a fight. In 1716 it sheltered people who had escaped a plague epidemic in the town, and in 1788 it was used as a refuge against a Turkish invasion.
The end came in 1790, when a severe storm destroyed the roof and the fortress was finally abandoned. It was left to decay even though Rupea grew into an important Saxon cultural centre between the wars. Under the communist regime there were plans to quarry the basalt of the hill, and a last restoration attempt in 1954 was abandoned. In the early 1990s the fortress was in a sorry state. A financing contract signed in 2009 paid for a comprehensive restoration of the walls, towers and courtyards between 2010 and 2013, and the citadel reopened to the public on 15 June 2013.
Curiosities about Rupea Citadel
- The fortress is laid out like an ascending spiral, in the shape of a snail shell, with four sections climbing the hill.
- A popular legend in the area claims that the Dacian king Decebalus took his own life inside the fortress. It is folklore, not history.
- The 59 m deep well of 1623 is the only water source certainly identified in the fortress.
- One tower in the Middle Fortress is a pentagonal gate tower that the sources call unique in Europe. The Upper Fortress has a Bacon Tower, a type specific to Saxon communities.
- The Middle Fortress holds a chapel last restored in 1718, once used as a Lutheran chapel and soberly decorated in the Protestant manner.
- A festival dedicated to the composer Wilhelm Georg Berger, who was born in Rupea in 1929, was held at the citadel in the summer of 2013.
Tours near Rupea Citadel
Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:
Visiting Rupea Citadel: what to see
- Follow the spiral route up through the three levels, from the Lower Fortress through the Middle Fortress to the Upper Fortress at the top.
- Look for the Gunpowder Tower, the Tower with Bars, the pentagonal gate tower, the chapel and the 59 m well.
- The hill belongs to the Cohalm Hill – Basalts of Rupea geological reserve, so the walls grow directly out of dark volcanic rock.
- Other Saxon sites on this guide are nearby: Viscri fortified church about 10 km away, Dârjiu fortified church about 18 km and Saschiz fortified church about 26 km.
- Check the current opening hours before you go.
Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.
Map: where Rupea Citadel is
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors
Photos of Rupea Citadel
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Questions
What is Rupea Citadel?
It is a medieval Fliehburg, a refuge fortress for the people of the surrounding settlements, built by Transylvanian Saxons on a basalt cliff. It is also called the Cohalm Citadel.
Where is Rupea Citadel?
It stands on a basalt hill west of the town of Rupea in Brașov County, on the DN13 road between Brașov and Sighișoara.
When was Rupea Citadel first mentioned?
The first written mention dates from 1324, under the name castrum Kuholm, when Saxons in revolt against the king of Hungary took refuge there.
Why is Rupea Citadel shaped like a snail shell?
The fortress developed over several centuries in an ascending spiral, from the Upper Fortress on the summit through the Middle Fortress to the Lower Fortress, so its plan follows the hill like a shell.
When was Rupea Citadel restored?
A comprehensive restoration took place between 2010 and 2013. The citadel reopened to the public on 15 June 2013, after more than two centuries as a ruin.
What can you see near Rupea Citadel?
Viscri fortified church is about 10 km away, Dârjiu fortified church about 18 km, Saschiz fortified church about 26 km and Făgăraș Citadel about 28 km.
Also nearby
Viscri Fortified Church
Brașov · UNESCO-listed Saxon fortified church
9.5 km away
Dârjiu Fortified Church
Harghita · UNESCO Székely church with 1419 frescoes
18 km away
Saschiz Fortified Church
Mureș · Saxon fortified church with a Sighișoara-style tower
26 km away
Făgăraș Citadel
Făgăraș · moated fortress and princely seat
28 km away