Făgăraș Citadel
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Făgăraș Citadel ( , , ) is a
historic History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...
monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...
in
Făgăraș Făgăraș (; , ) is a municipiu, city in central Romania, located in Brașov County. It lies on the Olt (river), Olt River and has a population of 26,284 as of 2021. It is situated in the historical region of Transylvania, and is the main city of ...
,
Brașov County Brașov County () is a county (județ) of Transylvania, Romania. Its capital city is Brașov. The county incorporates within its boundaries most of the Medieval "lands" (''țări'') Burzenland and Făgăraș. Name In Hungarian language, Hungari ...
,
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
.


History

The construction of the fortress started in 1310, on the site of a wooden
fortification A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...
with earth ramparts from the 12th century. Archeological research shows that the old fortification was violently destroyed around the middle of the 13th century, presumably in connection with the Mongol invasion of 1241. Located halfway between
Brașov Brașov (, , ; , also ''Brasau''; ; ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the county seat (i.e. administrative centre) of Brașov County. According to the 2021 Romanian census, ...
and
Sibiu Sibiu ( , , , Hungarian: ''Nagyszeben'', , Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'' or ''Hermestatt'') is a city in central Romania, situated in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles th ...
and close to
Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...
, the Făgăraș Citadel provided a defensive position against possible incursions into south-eastern
Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...
. In 1526, consolidated the citadel, doubling the thickness of the walls. In 1541, the
Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...
attacked the fortress and captured Mailat, who died in captivity at
Yedikule Fortress Yedikule Fortress ( or ''Yedikule Zindanları''; meaning "Fortress of the Seven Towers") is a fortified historic structure located in the Yedikule neighbourhood of Fatih, in Istanbul, Turkey. Built in 1458 on the commission of Ottoman Sultan Me ...
in
Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
.
Gáspár Bekes Gáspár Bekes de Kornyát (also ''Gáspár de Corniath Bekes'', ''Kornyáti Bekes Gáspár'', or ''Kaspar Bekes'', ''Caspar Bekesh''; 1520 – 7 November 1579) was a Hungarian nobleman who fought Stephen Báthory for the throne of Principality of ...
, owner of the citadel between 1567 and 1573, constructed the moat around the fortress, the excavated earth being used to strengthen the inner part of the walls. During the time of
Stephen VIII Báthory Stephen VIII Báthory (, ) (1477–1534) was a Hungarian noble. Biography He was a son of Nicholas Báthory (1462–1500) of the Somlyó branch of the Báthory family, and his wife, Sophia Bánffy de Losoncz (b. 1477). He was appointed in 1521 ...
(
voivode of Transylvania The Voivode of Transylvania (;Fallenbüchl 1988, p. 77. ;Zsoldos 2011, p. 36. ; ) was the highest-ranking official in Transylvania within the Kingdom of Hungary from the 12th century to the 16th century. Appointed by the King of Hun ...
from 1571 to 1586) and
Balthasar Báthory Balthasar Báthory de Somlyó (; 1560 – 11 September 1594) was a Transylvanian politician from the Báthory, Báthory family, and like his brother, Prince of Transylvania, prince Andrew Báthory, an opponent of the House of Habsburg, Habsbu ...
(lord of the fortress from 1588 to 1594), the first bastion was constructed in the south-eastern corner of the outer defensive ring. In 1599,
Michael the Brave Michael the Brave ( or ; 1558 – 9 August 1601), born as Mihai Pătrașcu, was the Prince of Wallachia (as Michael II, 1593–1601), Prince of Moldavia (1600) and ''de facto'' ruler of Principality of Transylvania (1570–1711), Transylvani ...
occupied Făgăraș Citadel and sheltered there his family and the royal treasure. In the 17th century,
Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
Gabriel Bethlen Gabriel Bethlen (; 1580 – 15 November 1629) was Prince of Transylvania from 1613 to 1629 and Duke of Opole from 1622 to 1625. He was also King-elect of Hungary from 1620 to 1621, but he never took control of the whole kingdom. Bethlen, sup ...
gave it priority over
Alba Iulia Alba Iulia (; or ''Carlsburg'', formerly ''Weißenburg''; ; ) is a city that serves as the seat of Alba County in the west-central part of Romania. Located on the river Mureș (river), Mureș in the historical region of Transylvania, it has a ...
in modernizing the fortifications, while
Michael I Apafi Michael Apafi (; 3 November 1632 – 15 April 1690) was Prince of Transylvania from 1661 to his death. Background The Principality of Transylvania emerged after the disintegration of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary in the second half of the 1 ...
transformed it, due to its strengthened position, into a princely residence. It functioned as a garrison from 1689, preserving its military function after the
union of Transylvania with Romania The union of Transylvania with Romania was declared on by the assembly of the delegates of ethnic Romanians held in Alba Iulia. The Great Union Day (also called ''Unification Day''), celebrated on 1 December, is a Public holidays in Romani ...
. In 1950, the citadel was converted into a prison for political detainees. It was ideally suited for this purpose: the surrounding moat, high walls two to three meters thick, barred windows and geometric shape allowing sentinels to guard the interior and exterior all combined to make escape practically impossible. The exterior fortifications were used by the
Securitate The Department of State Security (), commonly known as the Securitate (, ), was the secret police agency of the Socialist Republic of Romania. It was founded on 30 August 1948 from the '' Siguranța'' with help and direction from the Soviet MG ...
secret police as an operational base in their struggle against the anti-communist resistance fighters in the
Făgăraș Mountains The Făgăraș Mountains ( ; ) are the highest mountains of the Southern Carpathians, in Romania. Geography The mountain range is situated in the heart of Romania, at . The range is bordered in the north by the Făgăraș Depression, through wh ...
. The prison housed former cadres of the
Siguranța ''Siguranța'' was the generic name for the successive secret police services in the Kingdom of Romania. The official title of the organization changed throughout its history, with names including Directorate of the Police and General Safety () ...
and the
Police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...
. In early 1950, the citadel held 101 common criminals. Over 800 political prisoners arrived from
Târgșor Târgșor is a former medieval market town in what is now Prahova County, Romania. The town peaked around 1600, after which it declined to become the village of Târgșoru Vechi, located about southwest of Ploiești. History Built in a heavily ...
in autumn, among them generals , and ; they all died in detention at Făgăraș in the 1950s. Generals and Gheorghe Linteș also perished here in 1954–55. Over a hundred other prisoners arrived early in 1951. Some 400 were sent to the
Danube–Black Sea Canal The Danube–Black Sea Canal () is a navigable canal in Romania, which runs from Cernavodă on the Danube river, via two branches, to Constanța and Năvodari on the Black Sea. Administered from Agigea, it is an important part of the waterway li ...
in 1951–1952, returning in 1954. The prisoners at Făgăraș were held without trial or sentence. Peasants also passed through: opponents of
collectivization Collective farming and communal farming are various types of "agricultural production in which multiple farmers run their holdings as a joint enterprise". There are two broad types of communal farms: agricultural cooperatives, in which member- ...
would spend a few weeks or months before being freed, while those who aided
Ion Gavrilă Ogoranu Ion Gavrilă Ogoranu (January 6, 1923 – May 1, 2006) was a member of the fascist paramilitary organization Iron Guard, who between 1948 and 1955, after the Soviet occupation of Romania and the establishment of the Romanian People's Republic, bec ...
’s partisans were locked up for longer periods. Around 100 condemned war criminals were brought from
Aiud Aiud (; , , Hungarian pronunciation: ; ) is a city located in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania. The city's population is 21,307 (2021). It has the status of municipiu. The city derives its name ultimately from Saint Giles (Aegidius), to whom t ...
in 1955. In 1957, 80 sympathizers of the Hungarian Revolution were brought from Sibiu to the citadel: mostly workers and peasants, but also
Onisifor Ghibu Onisifor Ghibu (May 31, 1883 – October 3, 1972) was a Romanian teacher of pedagogy, member of the Romanian Academy, and politician. Biography Early life Born into a peasant family in Szelistye (now Săliște, Romania), near Nagyszeben (now Si ...
. By that time, the prison was becoming overcrowded, with some prisoners held despite their arrest warrants having expired. In all, some 5000 people were detained at this location, many of whom were subjected to torture. During the decade of its existence, 161 detainees died in the prison due to poor conditions;Muraru, pp. 307-09 former detainees put the death toll much higher. Food consisted of relatively fresh bread and a barely edible corn gruel. There were no doctors to care for sick prisoners. The bathrooms did not function, producing a horrible smell, especially in summer. There were hardly any brooms for cleaning the cells. Cold was also a problem.Muraru, pp. 307-09 In late 1959, the
Stalin Region Regiunea Stalin (Stalin Region) was one of the administrative divisions of the People's Republic of Romania. It was established in 1950, in the Soviet style of territorial organization, and was named after Joseph Stalin. Its name was changed to ...
council requested to take over the citadel, citing its historical status and the need to maintain it properly. Four groups of over 100 detainees each were sent to
Gherla Gherla (; ; ) is a municipality in Cluj County, Romania (in the historical region of Transylvania). It is located from Cluj-Napoca on the river Someșul Mic, and has a population of 19,873 as of 2021. Three villages are administered by the city: ...
in February 1960, shortly thereafter followed by a smaller number of common criminals. Thus, the citadel’s status as a prison ended.Muraru, pp. 306-07 Between 1965 and 1977 restoration work was carried out. Currently, the citadel functions as a museum, housing various artifacts.


Gallery

File:Cetate interbelic.jpg, View of the citadel in the
interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...
Amurg în Cetatea Fagarasului.jpg, „''Twilight at Făgăraş Citadel''”, painting by
Valeriu Pantazi Valeriu Pantazi (born Pantazie Valeriu Constantinescu on 17 May 1940 – 25 July 2015) was a Romanian poet, writer, and painter. He was born in Urechești (at the time in Râmnicu Sărat County, now in Vrancea County), the son of Octavian Const ...
Locuitor in Cetatea Fagarasului.JPG


See also

*
Tourism in Romania In December 2024, Romania's tourism sector had a 6.8% increase in arrivals at accommodation facilities, including hotels, apartments, and renting, rental rooms, compared to December 2023. in authorized lodging facilities, marking increases o ...
*
Seven Wonders of Romania Various lists of the Seven Wonders of Romania () have been compiled from past to the present day, to catalogue Romania's most spectacular artificial structures. Lists ''Evenimentul Zilei''s Seven Wonders ''Imperator Travel''s Seven Wonde ...


Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fagaras Citadel Buildings and structures in Brașov County Castles in Romania Tourist attractions in Brașov County Historic monuments in Brașov County 1310 establishments in Europe 14th-century establishments in Romania Defunct prisons in Romania Făgăraș