Rasnov Fortress
The small town of Rasnov, with a population of about 15,000 can be found in the heart of Romania, in Brasov county. Albeit small, it boasts a strong and rich history, and for such a small town has many attractions that tourists love to visit! We initially went to see the fortress (or citadel), but soon discovered there’s much more to see and do!
To get to the fortress, you have two options: either you hop on the “train” which will take you up in an extremely slow manner, but only costs a couple of Romanian Lei and is perfect if you’re tired, in a rush or your feet hurt, or you walk. As my leg was seriously messed up at the time, and we were unaware of how long it would take us to walk all the way up, we opted for the train ride. But I think walking up doesn’t take too long either, and the hill isn’t too steep (so yes, next time I’ll most certainly walk).
As you reach the top of the hill, you can find numerous souvenir shops and cafes right in front of the entrance. As we got off the train I noticed that the main tower looked suspiciously new for a 14th century fortress and I was a bit scared that they went overboard with the renovations of the walls. But luckily, that wasn’t the case!
As we entered through the first set of walls a stunning castle appeared in front of us, looking strong and majestic over the road leading up to it! On the right end of the photo you can see the ground plan of the old church which was part of the medieval complex!
As we ascended towards the castle, I couldn’t help but wonder how wheelchair users could access the site. For a while, the road is OK, but after a bit you can’t really get around easily.. Maybe the developers should give this a thought!
As you can see, the road leading upwards is a bit challenging even for non-wheelchair users, I especially had a hard time with my bruised leg, trying to watch every step that I take so I don’t dislocate my (already dislocated) ankle.
At the end, it turned out that “climbing” it was worth the trip, mostly because of the amazing view the top of the castle offers of its surroundings: both the dense pine forest and the cute little town!
What I especially loved about the whole place was that they kind of left a part of the old ruins, even though the place is renovated and cared for throughout. I think they’ve done an amazing job in conserving this important historic site, and was actually surprised of how developed this small town was, although you don’t really hear about it anywhere!
For more interesting activities and sites to visit in Rasnov, visit Vlad’s blog, Rasnov, between History, Nature and Dinosaurs! (yes, you’ve read that correctly, dinosaurs!) And of course, while you’re researching, don’t hesitate to check the official site of Rasnov as well!
Since you’re in the area, do a bit of sightseeing in Brasov or check out the infamous Bran Castle and Village Museum!
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I love the Rasnov Fortress and I’m super jealous of the nice weather you had, haha. Both times when I went it was rainy and quite chilly. 🙁 Thanks for the mention! 😀
It was merely a small window of good weather, since it was pouring while we were at Bran! 🙁 Mentioning it was my pleasure 😉
Thank you for the pingback!