The Rasnov citadel is upstream from the town of Poiana Brasov, in the Brasov department.

The Rasnov citadel provides a strategic advantage by its view of the valley and its connection through the mountains with Brasov.

To get there, you have to follow a road out of the city and reach a large free parking where there are small shops selling traditional items.
From there, two solutions are available to you; walk up (about 500m) on a gentle slope (30%) or take a « train » (costs 5 lei).

On the top, you need to pay the entrance fee, 10 lei. This city is surrounded by two walls of protection. The first is really impressive. Besides the fact that they dominate by their height, the walls and towers are huge and wide.

Then you must climb a few dozen meters to the entrance of the citadel. Fortunately for you, the harrow is lifted, you enter the tower which protects the entrance, with a gateway network inside.

At first, the first infrastructures are in poor condition, but the further you go, they will be stronger, probably because they were restored. The other end of town is converted into small shops with Middle Ages products. Finally, you arrive at a place, a small garden, which is really nice. People are dressed in time, which plunges us into daydreaming.

Some parts are available as a palisade with views over the city below, or a small room where a passionate keeps preciously modern manuscripts (maps, books, CDs and DVDs) on Romania in the Middle Ages.

On the top of the village there is a point-of-view 360 degree, but unfortunately the foggy weather did not allow us to contemplate the spectacle.

Historically, the citadel was built by peasants to protect the Transylvanian villages against invasions. Its first mention comes from a document dating from 1331. Its development has suffered a first blow with the Tartar invasion of 1241. It was the only fortification of the area, and even the inhabitants of nearby villages (Cristian, Ghimbav) were coming to take shelter in Rasnov.

It was an important center in the 16th century, in the period of Michael the Brave, and even today its secret role is just as important not to let us forget…