Feldioara Citadel
Fedioara Citadel was built by the Teutons between 1211-1225, and in 1457 it was transformed in peasants’ citadel because of the damage suffered during the Campaign of Vlad Tepes.
The Teutons settled in this area on the will of the Hungarian King Andrei the 2nd, having the purpose of protecting the territories of the kingdom from the Cumans invasions. Therefore they built Feldioara Citadel, that was having the name Marienbutg and meant “Maria’s town”. The actual name comes from the Hungarian word „földvár ” and means “citadel made of mud”.
In 1222 the Hungarian king gives the teutons the right to build citadels and towns using stones, so that they built fortified citadels to protect Tara Barsei and also Feldioara Citadel, Coldea Citadel and Tampa citadel. But in 1225 the Hungarian king, being afraid that it might appear another “state-in-state” entered with his army the Teutons territory and made them leave.
As a result of the Tartar invasion, the citadel is damaged, but is rebuilt, having an oval base, defending towers and a ditch.
It becomes one of the most important settlements in Tara Barsei at the end of the 14th century, because of the declaration of the Hungarian king Sigismund of Luxemburg that it had became a market.
It was attacked by turkeys in 1420, it resisted to this attack but it was attacked again in 1430-1432 when it suffered seminficative damages.
Feldioara Citadel was the place of fight between the Transylvanian emperor Ioan Zapolya and king of Hungary and Ferdinand the 1st of Habsburg. Ioan Zapolya asked for help from Petru Rares and he won. As a recompense, the Moldovian emperor gets Bistrita and Rodna, the surroundings and their incomes, also getting Ciceu and Balta Citadel.
In 1657 there was built the Northern Tower of the Citadel, from this moment the citadel becoming a garner, until 1838, when it was left because of the considerable damages produced by the Earthquake.
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