The Medieval Seat Fortress of Suceava ( ''or'' Cetatea Sucevei; ''or'' Festung Suceava) is a fortified castle in the middle-sized town of

Suceava Suceava () is a Municipiu, city in northeastern Romania. The seat of Suceava County, it is situated in the Historical regions of Romania, historical regions of Bukovina and Western Moldavia, Moldavia, northeastern Romania. It is the largest urban ...

, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

town of

Suceava County Suceava County () is a county (') of Romania. Most of its territory lies in the southern part of the Historical regions of Romania, historical region of Bukovina, while the remainder forms part of Western Moldavia proper. The county seat and the ...

, situated in the

historical region History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

s of

Bukovina Bukovina or ; ; ; ; , ; see also other languages. is a historical region at the crossroads of Central and Eastern Europe. It is located on the northern slopes of the central Eastern Carpathians and the adjoining plains, today divided betwe ...

and

Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...

, northeastern

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 ...

. The castle served as the royal seat fortress for the

Princes A prince is a Monarch, 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 title, hereditary, in some ...

() during the

late Late or LATE may refer to: Everyday usage * Tardy, or late, not being on time * Late (or the late) may refer to a person who is dead Music * ''Late'' (The 77s album), 2000 * Late (Alvin Batiste album), 1993 * Late!, a pseudonym used by Dave Groh ...

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

. Nowadays, it is a tourist attraction of Suceava. It has been further renovated through a REGIO programme based on

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

(EU) funds. The Medieval Seat Fortress of Suceava is also a historic monument officially listed by the Ministry of Culture of Romania.

History

The castle was built during the late 14th century during the reign of Petru Mușat. It was subsequently more fortified in the time of

Alexander I Alexander I may refer to: * Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon from 495 to 454 BC * Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus * Alexander I Theopator Euergetes, surnamed Balas, ruler of the Seleucid Empire 150-145 BC * Pope Alex ...

and Stephen III (). During the

Late Middle Ages The late Middle Ages or late medieval period was the Periodization, period of History of Europe, European history lasting from 1300 to 1500 AD. The late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period ( ...

, it was part of a system of medieval strongholds built by the Moldavian monarchs in order to withstand the expansionist threat of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. For the time during which the town of Suceava served as the capital of Moldavia, namely between 1388 and 1565, the castle also served as princely residence.

Alexandru Lăpușneanu Alexandru IV Lăpușneanu (1499 – 5 May 1568) was ruler of Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory ...

subsequently moved the capital to Iași in 1565 and so the castle lost its status and consequently fell into a long period of decay. Although it has never been conquered by its invaders, regardless from where they stemmed, the castle was destroyed

Dumitrașcu Cantacuzino Dumitrașcu Cantacuzino (c. 1620 – 1686) was Prince of Moldavia 1673, 1674 to 1675, and 1684 to 1685. Life Dumitrașcu Cantacuzino was the son of the Grand Treasurer () Michael Kantakouzenos (in Romanian Mihai Cantacuzino) and the great-gra ...

. Following its destruction, it was abandoned for approximately 300 years. After the northern highlands of the former medieval Principality of Moldavia were annexed by the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

following the

Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca The Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca (; ), formerly often written Kuchuk-Kainarji, was a peace treaty signed on , in Küçük Kaynarca (today Kaynardzha, Bulgaria and Cuiugiuc, Romania) between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire, ending the R ...

during the late 18th century and became henceforth known as ''Bukovina'' (), the castle was eventually repaired by Austrian architect Karl Adolf Romstorfer, who raised its defensive walls from ruin and also worked on its keep during the late 19th century and early 20th century. During the late 20th century, more specifically throughout the 1960s (i.e. in

communism Communism () is a political sociology, sociopolitical, political philosophy, philosophical, and economic ideology, economic ideology within the history of socialism, socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a ...

), there have also been a series of restoration and consolidation works carried out on the surface of the castle.

Heraldic on display in the castle

The heraldic symbols on display in the castle pertain to the Moldavian nobility of the Late Middle Ages (), more specifically to the Moldavian rulers. The most common heraldry is the coat of arms of Stephen III the Great (who was also given the title ''

Athleta Christi ''Athleta Christi'' () was a class of Early Christian soldier martyrs or military saints, of whom the most familiar example is probably Saint Sebastian. It also could be used to refer to Christians with exemplary martial prowess, especially when ...

'' by

Pope Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV (or Xystus IV, ; born Francesco della Rovere; (21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 until his death in 1484. His accomplishments as pope included ...

for defending Europe against the

Ottoman Turks The Ottoman Turks () were a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group in Anatolia. Originally from Central Asia, they migrated to Anatolia in the 13th century and founded the Ottoman Empire, in which they remained socio-politically dominant for the e ...

at the

Battle of Vaslui The Battle of Vaslui (also referred to as the Battle of Podul Înalt or the Battle of Racova) was fought on 10 January 1475, between Stephen III of Moldavia and the Ottoman governor of Rumelia, Hadım Suleiman Pasha. The battle took place at ...

in 1475). File:Coa Romania Country History Ștefan cel Mare (1457-1504) v2.svg, The coat of arms of Stephen the Great File:Coa Stefan cel Mare.jpg, The coat of arms of Stephen the Great, displayed as a round shield

Digital facilities

The castle disposes of entertaining digital facilities that enable a real-time simulation of the outfits of its visitors into medieval costumes, ascribing them a medieval title in the process (e.g. soldier or merchant).

Visiting areas

The castle can be visited both in the inner courtyard, in the main keep, in the cellars, in the throne room, and on the surrounding defensive walls.

Geography

The Medieval Seat Fortress of Suceava is located on the eastern ridge of the town of Suceava, overlooking the town. It was constructed on a plateau that rises 70 metres above the river meadow of Suceava (). It is surrounded by trees on all sides and by a nearby forest both to the west and east.

Bucovina Rock Castle

Aside from its tourist attraction and historical statuses, the Medieval Seat Fortress of Suceava had also been the site of a yearly

rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...

festival entitled '' Bucovina Rock Castle'' in the recent past, a festival where both

national National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

and international rock artists and bands performed. A major international rock artist who had performed at the Bucovina Rock Castle was Dutch

jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as jazz rock, jazz-rock fusion, or simply fusion) is a popular music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric gui ...

and

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...

guitarist

Jan Akkerman Jan Akkerman (born 24 December 1946) is a Dutch guitarist. He first found international commercial success with the band Focus (band), Focus, which he co-founded with Thijs van Leer. After leaving Focus, he continued as a solo musician, adding ja ...

Focus Focus (: foci or focuses) may refer to: Arts * Focus or Focus Festival, former name of the Adelaide Fringe arts festival in East Australia Film *Focus (2001 film), ''Focus'' (2001 film), a 2001 film based on the Arthur Miller novel *Focus (2015 ...

in 2015.

Ștefan cel Mare Medieval Art Festival

On a yearly basis, the Ștefan cel Mare medieval art festival is held in the fortress. The festival consists of

jousts Jousting is a medieval and renaissance martial game or hastilude between two combatants either on horse or on foot. The joust became an iconic characteristic of the knight in Romantic medievalism. The term is derived from Old French , ultimat ...

, pyrotechnic and laser shows, medieval singing and dancing, fight scenes, drama plays for children, archery, stuns with horses, interactive activities, or various contests.

Trivia

The former football club

FC Cetatea Suceava Club Sportiv Municipal 1932 Cetatea Suceava, commonly known as CSM Cetatea Suceava or Cetatea Suceava, is a Romanian football club based in Suceava, Suceava County. The club was originally established in 1932, under the name of ''Cetatea Sucevei ...

was named in honour of the castle. The club was active from 2004 until 2010 and played on the local

Areni stadium The Areni Stadium () is a multi-purpose stadium in Suceava, the largest municipality and county seat town of Suceava County. It currently is the home ground of CSM Cetatea Suceava, Cetatea Suceava. The stadium had a total capacity of 12,500 seats ...

Gallery

File:Imagine aeriană a Cetății de Scaun a Sucevei.jpg, Elevated view of the Seat Fortress of Suceava (2015) File:Cetatea de Scaun a Sucevei la ceas de seara.jpg, The Seat Fortress of Suceava at night (2015) File:Cetatea de scaun a Sucevei 09.jpg, The town of Suceava as seen from the Seat Fortress of Suceava during day time in 2014 File:Cetatea de Scaun a Sucevei8.jpg, The construction plan of the Seat Fortress of Suceava on display on a panel before the entrance in the fortress File:1470 - Planul cetatii Suceava Rosetti arta 211.png, Old sketch depicting the fortress' plan according to Austrian architect Karl Adolf Romstorfer, in a book by Romanian military historian Radu R. Rosetti File:Suceava plan dupa C A Romstorfer 1901.png, A modern, digital representation of the 1901 plan of the fortress according to Austrian architect Karl Adolf Romstorfer

References

{{Authority control Architecture in Romania Castles in Romania Fortifications in Romania Forts in Romania Historic sites in Romania Historic monuments in Romania Monuments and memorials in Romania Landmarks in Romania Tourist attractions in Romania Historic monuments in Suceava County Buildings and structures in Suceava Tourist attractions in Suceava County