Rasnov Citadel
Rasnov Citadel is a peasant citadel built in the Middle Ages by the residents, having the purpose of a refugee Rasnov Citadel was also called “Peasent Citadel” because the main occupation of the builders was agriculture. The decision to build a citadel was taken as a result of the Tartar invasion in 1241, when Tara Barsei, territory that includes Rasnov, was devastated by the invaders. The population had to find a shelter in the citadel for many times, so that the history of the citadel became the history of the town. It was built by the collective efforts of the inhabitants helped by the ones from the close towns, Cristian and Vulcan. The first mentioning of the citadel appears in 1335 when as it is said Tara Barsei was destroyed by the Tartar armies, the only settlements that survived to the disaster were the citadel from Tampa Hill in Brasov and Rasnov Citadel.
The building of the citadel started at the end of the 13th century, in a style very much alike to the usual houses, adapted to the fortification needs. As a material of construction there was used stone and brick. The walls of the citadel are about 5 meters and their width in the Southern side is about 1,5 meters. The walls, as well as the towers were covered with tiles to prevent the fires provoked by the enemies.
The complex of the peasant citadel of Rasnov includes 2 courts: an exterior one situated in front of the Eastern wall of the citadel that is bordered by a fortified wall and has a square tower called “The Old Tower” and an interior one, surrounded by the walls and the towers of the citadel. The exterior court, situated in the Eastern side of the citadel, used to be a shelter for the beefs, being also a fortified outpost for defending the citadel.
The citadel had to capitulate once, in 1612, during Gabriel Báthory, because they got out of water. Between 1658-1661 the locals are forced to find shelter in the citadel because of the invasions. The citadel was partially destroyed by a fire in 1718, following that in 1802 to be damaged by an earthquake. In 1821 the citadel offers shelter to the refugees from Tara Romaneasca. It served as a refugee also during the revolution from 1848-1849, when the town was crossed by Hungarian Revolutionars, as well as the Austrians. This was also the last time when the citadel was used as a refugee place, in 1850 it was left.
Because of its position on the commercial road that connected Transylvania to Tara Romaneasca the settlement had an early economical development, having had a weekly trading since 1427, right that was accorded by Sigismund of Luxembourg.
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