Fortresses in Romania - Codlea, Fagaras and Poienari

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My country has some great places to be visited. Some of these are the fortresses in Transylvania. There are so many. But on the road from Brasov to Transfagarasan and back to Bucharest we stopped and visited three of them.
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Codlea Fortress

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Being a typical fortification of the Barsa Country, the Codlea Fortress has an oval disposition of its curtain walls, and no defence accessories attached to them. The precinct was raised on the site of a former earthen fortress as at Prejmer, Harman and Ghimbav. Its walls are 2 m thick and 8 m high, being strengthened by four prism-like towers, of which the Coopers' Tower and the Weavers' Tower, which have preserved their former aspect to the day. Their outflow is oriented towards the inside of the precinct, while their upper edges are crenellated. The inner walls of the precinct have two or three storeys of cells where the villagers would store their supplies in times of peace, or take shelter during sieges. It was mentioned as a borough as early as in 1265.
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The church of the fortress
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Fagaras Fortress
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Built in 15th century by Transylvania princes, is one of the most well preserved medieval castles in Romania. The castle has 80 rooms, and is surrounded by a deep and wide moat. The citadel was ranked among the strongest in Transylvania, standing up to Turkish and Tartar invasions. Access is made through a bridge over the defense moat. At the centre of the citadel stands the castle. It has three levels (basement, ground floor, first floor) and five towers (the Red Tower, the Black Tower, the Prison's Tower, Tomori Tower and the Motley Tower). Inside is the Museum of Fagaras Country; comprised of an archaeology section, which render the evolution of the Fagaras borough; history section, which display Roman artifacts and a collection of medieval weapons, and ethnographic section, which focus on artistic and folk crafts in the area (entrance tax is 5 lei and photo/video tax is 10 lei)
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Romanian pottery






In a local home









Some more pottery
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Poienari Fortress. Or "Dracula's Real Castle". Great name, right?
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It's right after the Vidraru Dam, as you go towards Curtea de Arges. But it's up the hill. So keep looking up! Is it a castle or a fortress? It's not very welcoming for living in it, so I declare it a fortress. And what's most important, it's a Dracula-related spot. Waaaahaaaaaaa.

The first Romanian rulers of Wallachia built the Poenari fortress in the early 13th century. We are talking about the rectangular tower (see the plan sketch). Around the 14th century, it was the main citadel of the Basarab rulers. Then, over time, the castle was left in ruins. The first written proof of its existence is a document from 1453 where the Hungarian king Ludovic the 5th asked the Sibiu people to repair the fortress in order to use it against the Turks' attacks. Well, in the 15th century, Vlad Tepes noticed the huge potential for a fortified castle in such position. He repaired and consolidated the structure (see the second stage on the plan sketch), making it one of his main fortresses.
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You will have to face a steep climb, on a 1480 step staircase, to reach the top. So, if you have heart or breathing troubles, think twice. And don't forget your camera. Amazing views are waiting for you. Entrance fee: 5 lei. Photo/video fee: 5 lei.
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There is also a LEGEND related to the fortress: It is said that a large number of landowners and merchants weren't satisfied with the manner in which Vlad Tepes (Vlad The Impaler) ruled. They formed a conspiracy to catch the ruler and sell him to the Turks. However, Vlad Dracula found out about this plot, planned his own vengeance and acted first. On Easter Day in 1457 he invited them all to his Targoviste Court to enjoy the holiday. He then trapped them at the religious service in the church and forced them to walk to Poienari. Once there, he raised his sword toward the old fortress ruins and ordered them to repair and consolidate those ruins by Toma's Sunday (the first Sunday after Easter Day). It's hard to believe this can be the truth, but the legend says that the people preferred hard work to dying on a stake. Lots of them lost their lives there but they finished the construction by Toma's Sunday, as ordered. All those alive were forgiven by Vlad Tepes because he decided they'd learnt their lesson.
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The view towards Curtea de Arges (the town in between the hills)

The view towards the Dam




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