Rupea Citadel

Rupea Citadel is one of the oldest archaeological sites in Romania, the first signs of human settlements dating from the Paleolithic and early Neolithic (5500 BC–3500 BC). Archaeological investigations have revealed objects from this era, testimony of settlements in the region: stone tools, pottery, funeral urns, etc. In Dacian times, on these places was raised the dava known as Rumidava or Ramidava (after various historical sources); conquered by the Romans, Rumidava became the Roman castra Rupes (in Latin, rupes means "rock" or "stone"). The Roman castra Rupes was part of the Roman fortification belt defending the commercial area and routes linking Valea Târnavelor, Valea Oltului, Râșnov and Hoghiz.

Rupea Citadel in the Josephine map of Transylvania

The first documentary attestation of the citadel dates from 1324, under the name castrum Kuholm, when the Saxons revolting against King Charles I of Hungary took refuge inside the citadel. The name Kuholm refers to the rock on which it was built: basalt. Between 1432 and 1437 the citadel was attacked and robbed by Turks, and finally abandoned in 1643 after a devastating fire turned it into ruins. At the end of the same century, Saxons returned to the citadel to seek refuge. This time, the citadel was handed over to the Habsburg armies without armed resistance.

During the plague of 1716, the citadel was used as refuge for those who were not affected by disease, and in 1788 as refuge against Turkish invasion. The citadel was finally abandoned in 1790 after a severe storm that destroyed its roof. Since then, the citadel was left in ruins, although in the interwar period Rupea became a major Saxon cultural center. During the communist regime, the authorities planned the demolition of the citadel in order to exploit the basalt that forms the hill. The last attempt to restore the citadel dates back to 1954, but the idea was abandoned. In the early 1990s, the citadel was in a sorry state, with only one of the defense towers standing. Between 2010 and 2013, the citadel underwent a comprehensive restoration process, with all the seven towers and the peasant homes being restored.[3]

The citadel is classified in the list of historical monuments of Brașov County under the code BV-II-a-A-11769.[4]

The defense towers

Inside view, from the fountain to the upper citadel

Rupea Citadel is 65 km from Brașov, built on a basalt massive, in the Cohalm Hill–Basalts of Rupea geological reserve.[5] It is a peasant citadel with four areas reinforced with polygonal towers. The citadel was modified over time, by adding two interior courtyards and three defense towers. The citadel is built in four concentric wards: Upper citadel (Romanian: Cetatea de sus, ward I), Middle citadel (Romanian: Cetatea de mijloc, wards II and III) and Lower citadel (Romanian: Cetatea de jos, ward IV).[6]

Each is characterized by a paricular belt of brickwork, corresponding to the era of its construction, marked by the evolution of weapons, siege techniques, or level of development of the settlement and the governmental seat on which the financing of work depended. In turn, the towers have individual names, some of which refer to a certain feature (often related to the function) resulting from their historical development. The different elements of the citadel exhibit various proportions and architectural features: the oldest had battlements in rectangular zigzags (which have not been preserved), and the most recent had more decorative semicircular merlons.[6] Their embrasures took the form of simple slots, and the openings for firearms were made to allow the greatest possible angle of fire, or, at the base of the walls, fit in prominent niches, with arrangements of stepped pyramids. Behind the walls, traces of brickwork reveal the foundations of watch walkways, sometimes on two levels.

Overview of Rupea Citadel at sunset

The first ward of the fortification system is the Upper citadel which dates from the prefeudal period, 10th–13th centuries.[7] It contains the latest additions, including the Bacon Tower (Romanian: Turnul Slăninii), specific to Saxon communities. Also here can be found the 59 meter deep well, the only source of water certainly identified in the citadel. The well was built in 1623, requiring several months of work, during the reign of Prince Gabriel Bethlen. The upper citadel has an area of over 1,500 m².[8] The entrance to the upper citadel was a narrow corridor, the gate under the Gunpowder Works Tower (Romanian: Turnul Pulberăriei). To the inside can be observed traces of rooms that served as homes for the refugee population in the citadel during sieges. The best-known rooms in the upper citadel are the Count's room (Romanian: Camera judelui) and the Priest's room (Romanian: Camera preotului). But these are very difficult to identify nowadays.

The Middle citadel was built in the 15th century and was enlarged in the 18th century.[7] Here can be identified the Tower with Bars (Romanian: Turnul cu Gratii), the Chapel (Romanian: Capela) and another pentagonal tower, gateway to the middle citadel, which is unique in Europe. The Chapel is a large building, its last known restoration in 1718. It had multiple roles, including that of a Lutheran chapel, soberly decorated in typical Protestant style.

The Lower citadel was built starting in the 18th century. From this period dates the house of the citadel's watchman (1850) and the magazine, built in the early 19th century.[7]

Rupea Citadel has the form of an ascending spiral (snail shell).[9]

In the 1990s, Rupea Citadel was in ruins. Local authorities decided to seek EU funds for the restoration of the citadel and invested 32 million lei in restoring the historical monument. The Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration, The Regional Development Agency Centru and Rupea Local Council signed[10] a financing contract in 2009, with grant funding for the project of restoration and expansion of the tourism infrastructure of Rupea. Within this project was included the restoration of the abandoned citadel of Rupea. The work took three years, and the citadel was reopened to the public on 15 June 2013.[11] Restored elements included the walls, the interior courtyard and the towers. In 2013, Rupea Citadel was visited by 61,000 tourists, in 2014 by 115,000 tourists, and in the first quarter of 2015 the figure exceeded 150,000 visitors.[12]

Both the Rupea Town Hall and Brașov County Council want to introduce the objective in a circuit targeting Brașov, Sibiu and Sighișoara and to organize national cultural events that highlight the destination better. The first event took place in the summer of 2013, a festival dedicated to composer Wilhelm Georg Berger, born in 1929 in Rupea.[13]