Rasnov Citadel

Situated in Rasnov city, near Brasov, it was built as a defense system for Transylvanian villages against Tartar and Turkish hordes during the 13th and 14th centuries, and is considered to be one of the most well preserved “Rural Citadels” in Romania.

2024 update: since 2022, the citadel is closed for restoration works. We don't know when it will be reopen. You can still visit the courtyard and the outside walls, but can't go in.

Planning to visit Rasnov Citadel? Check our Brasov tours and also castles and fortress tours in Romania.

The edifice won its name due to the main occupation of its inhabitants, agriculture. The structure does not have the utmost architecture due to its constructors, as its main purpose was to be as difficult as possible to be conquered.

It was conquered but only once, in 1612, when Gabriel Bathory, a Transylvanian prince from a long-running Romanian ruling dynasty, was prince. The enemy troops discovered the path to a secret spring causing a lack of water. This led to the excavation of a deep well (146 meters) within the citadel between 1623 and 1642.

This well did not come of course without the associated story. Legend has it inhabitants had two Turkish prisoners dig the well in the middle of the edifice in order to regain their freedom. These two were kept captive for 17 years, period during which they embroidered the well’s walls with Quran verses which can also be seen today.

Nowadays the citadel is restored and longing to be visited by tourists looking for an enjoyable trip in the beautiful countryside of Brasov. Visitors will find a restaurant serving traditional dishes with locally sourced food and a feudal art museum where you can find out more about local history, habits and crafts of local people, some of them still being practiced and demonstrated today. You might be lucky and learn how to paint on ceramics or sharpen your kitchen knife… and swords!

A lot of local events also take place in or around Rasnov Citadel, such as the Medieval Festival of Rasnov Citadel (see here) or Rockstadt Extreme Fest 2017 (see here), local food festivals and many sports competitions in the surrounding area.

Location: Strada Cetatii, 17
Rasnov, Romania