Rasnov Fortress Romania

Day Trip from Brasov, Romania: A Visit to the Rasnov Fortress

After our visit to the Bran Castle, we headed to see the neighboring Rasnov Fortress. Both places make an easy day trip from Brasov and are well worth the visit if you are interested in Romanian history and culture.

We set off to Rasnov, missed our turn and didn’t realize that we had passed the fortress until we saw it off in the distance from the top of road weaving through the Carpathians mountains. We had gone at least a half an hour out of our way and were closer to our base in Brasov than to Rasnov at that point. Annoyed with our continued misdirection (we always seemed to be lost in Romania!), we decided to turn around and go back. I’m glad we did as I liked Rasnov Fortress even better than the Bran Castle. The views from the fortress were sensational and it had a great deal of charm and mystique.

Rural Romania

Driving through the Romanian countryside is always a treat in my book

Rural Romania

The Rasnov Fortress is perched on a rocky hilltop overlooking the town of Rasnov below and was built in the 13th century by Teutonic Knights as protection against invaders. The fabulous Romanian Tourism website provides the following history on the fortress in this excerpt below (for full version, click here).

Rasnov Fortress Romania

The Rasnov Fortress

Strategically located on the commercial route linking the provinces of Transylvania and Walachia, Rasnov differs from other Saxon fortresses in that it was designed as a place of refuge over extended periods of time. As such, it had at least 30 houses, a school, a chapel and other buildings more commonly associated with a village.

The defensive system included nine towers, two bastions and a drawbridge. Surrounded by 500-foot-slopes on the north, south and west sides, the fortress was obliged to surrender only once, in the year 1612 when invaders managed to find the secret route that supplied the people inside the fortress with water. With the location of their water supply no longer a secret, the need for a well inside the fortress became a must.

The last siege of Rasnov Fortress took place in 1690 during the final Ottoman invasion of Transylvania. Damaged by fire in 1718, it was rebuilt the following year. The next major damage occurred as the result of an earthquake in 1802. The fortress was last used as a place of refuge during the revolution of 1848 and was abandoned after that.

Recently, the old fortress has been restored to its former glory and today, you can visit the impressive remains. There is also a museum here, hidden behind the ancient walls, where you can find a skeleton buried beneath a glass floor, as well as some other interesting artifacts. The inner rooms are maze-like, with several wooden ladders linking them and a few so-called secret passages which should keep you busy for quite awhile. 

Source: Romanian Tourism

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We walked up the short distance to the hilltop and checked out the ruins inside. There is not much left behind however it was still quite fascinating to see. It felt very magical and despite the tourists, it did not feel as touristy as the Bran Castle. There were no Dracula souvenir shops lining the outskirts of the castle. If there were even any Dracula trinkets for sale, I thankfully missed them. Instead, the only real thing to see here is the ruins and the view. If you want more, you have to drive down to the village of Rasnov.

Rasnov Fortress Romania

The entrance into the fortress

Rasnov Fortress Romania

Wouldn’t want to get stuck inside the gate when it is closing!

 

Rasnov Fortress Romania

Rasnov Fortress Romania

Rasnov Fortress Romania

Rasnov Fortress RomaniaRasnov Fortress Romania

And the stunning view below makes it worth your visit.

Rasnov Fortress Romania

Rasnov Fortress Romania

Rasnov Fortress Romania

Rasnov Fortress Romania

Rasnov Fortress Romania

If you go:

It is about a fifteen minute walk up to the fortress. There are plenty of nice little Romanian restaurants below as well as a children’s theme park on the way up the hill to the ruins. For more information, click here.

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The Rasnov Fortress in Romania is perched on a rocky hilltop overlooking the town of Rasnov below and was built in the 13th century by Teutonic Knights as protection against invaders. It is the perfect place for a day trip from Brasov and well worth the visit.

 

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Bran Castle Romania

Stepping Back in Time at Romania’s Bran Castle

“What comes to your mind when you think of the word Transylvania, if you ponder it at all? What comes to my mind are mountains of savage beauty, ancient castles, werewolves, and witches – a land of magical obscurity. How, in short, am I to believe I will still be in Europe, on entering such a realm? I shall let you know if it’s Europe or fairyland, when I get there. First, Snagov – I set out tomorrow.” ― Elizabeth Kostova

When you think about Transylvania, there is no doubt your head is filled with childhood fantasies of Romania’s medieval castles, lush green mountains and of course the myth of the famous bloodsucking vampire, Count Dracula. Thanks to Irish writer Bram Stoker’s legendary book “Dracula” – which was published in 1897 and loosely based on the medieval ruler Vlad Țepeș or “Vlad the Impaler” –  the lore of Transylvania has been captivating people ever since.

One place that has certainly received its fair share of Dracula-induced hype is the Bran Castle, located only 30 kilometers from Brasov in the heart of Transylvania. The Bran Castle has a long history given the fact that Transylvania was ruled for thousands of years by the Hungarians and also constantly had to ward off invaders. The location of the castle was ideal given its strategic perch up on a rocky bluff affording a panoramic view of the neighboring hills and valley. Furthermore, its multitude of turrets, lookout windows and dramatic stone facade enabled its residents to protect themselves against Ottoman expansion into Transylvania.

The first fortress was built on the impressive site in 1211 by Teutonic Knights who were driven away by invaders in 1226. It wasn’t until 1377 that the plans for the future Bran Castle were made as a gift to the people of Brasov from the Hungarian King Louis the Great. Construction of the Bran Castle was completed in 1388.

Ironically enough despite the Dracula tourism shops lining the outskirts of the Bran Castle and the myth that Bran Castle was once Dracula’s castle, it remains simply a clever marketing tool. Vlad the Impaler never lived in the Bran Castle nor did Dracula exist. Yet the town of Bran still relishes in this notoriety and is filled with kitschy vampire trinkets and souvenirs such as the vampire beer mugs, Dracula’s Red Wine, and tons of gory Dracula t-shirts, hats and dolls. For some it adds to the mystique of the place.

From Brasov, it is about a half an hour drive through Romania’s lush countryside to reach the town of Bran where the legendary Bran Castle stands. Leaving the cities and getting out into the countryside is always my favorite part about traveling, and the Romanian countryside is breathtakingly lovely.

Rural Romania

Rural Romania

We passed through a few towns before reaching the turn off to Bran. I loved seeing the farmer with his traditional horse and carriage being pulled through the streets of town. This is a common sight throughout rural Romania along with the sheep and shepherds.

rural Romania

Rural Romania

 

For many centuries Romania’s economy was based on agriculture, producing so much wheat and corn that it became known as the bread basket of Europe. The focus of Romania’s economy dramatically changed after WWII and the advent of Communism which introduced heavy industry in the 1950s. Factories began to pop up all throughout the outskirts of the villages throughout Romania and you can see several of them on the way to Brasov. Agriculture still employs about one-third of Romania’s economy so rural Romania offers nostalgic views of pastures, sunflower fields and maize.

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