Rasnov Citadel

Beyond agricultural living, there were developing occupations organized in guilds on production branches. In Rasnov, wood turners and weaver guilds had a prosperous activity, their products, among Brasov guilds products, had a wealthy opening on the trade fairs markets from Romanian Country. At the majority parleys regarding the commercial privileges given to Brasov Citizens by Romanian Country Lords, also take part Rasnov delegates. The economical importance of Rasnov City will grow even higher after 1427, when visiting the city and citadel, King Sigismund of Luxemburg gave Rasnov City the right of having its own trade fair.

Romanian people from Rasnov had in their possession various properties in the Romanian Country, including " the control over Baiului Mountain" , obtained by Governor Udistre and Boyar Toma, this being confirmed also by Michael the Brave, who called Rasnov as"the city of his lordship"

Rasnov City development had a lot to suffer because of its geographical position. The mercantile route crossing through Bran Pass was also an important invasion route for the enemy army, whom entering in Barsa Land, crossed over Rasnov City as first location, which they often devastated.

The Great Tartar Invasion from 1241, when Barsa Land was devastated, but also the other invasions that followed, determined Rasnov habitants to consider building a defense system as strong as possible.

This explains the necessity of building the Rural Citadel of Rasnov, the citadel becoming the refuge of the population many times, so the history of the citadel greatly coincides with the city history itself.

Rasnov Citadel was built with the collective effort of the population of Rasnov but also with the help of surrounding villages, Cristian and Vulcan, in a period when their main was agriculture, from here the name of" rural citadel".

The first documentary reference about the Rural Citadel of Rasnov dates from 1335, when the entire region was devastated by a new invasion of the tartars in Barsa Land, excepting Brasov Citadel from Tampa hill, and Rasnov Citadel, due to their strongly fortification they resisted the attacks, saving the lives of their inhabitants refugee inside the citadels.

The beginnings of the citadel construction were established at the end of the XIIIth Century by Rasnov Citizens, the citadel does not have a particular architectural style, the style is close to the one of common houses, adapted to the fortification requirements. For construction materials there were used stones and bricks. The height of the walls is about 5 meters, and the south wall has the biggest width, this is because the wall is not doubled like the other ones, in some places the width is 1.5 meters. Both the walls and the towers were covered with tiles in order to prevent the fires put by the besiegers.

Additional information: the line of the walls is irregular due to the rough ground from the edge of the surrounding hill, which gives the citadel the aspect of a massive jagged corbel. The resort of Rasnov Rural Citadel has two yards: an exterior one, in front of the East wall, limited by a fortified wall, having a square tower, called "the old tower", an interior yard, surrounded by the citadel"s walls and towers. The exterior yard situated in the East side of the citadel was used for cattle shelter, but used in the same time as foothold for protecting the citadel.

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