The village of Rasnow is first mentioned in 1331. The boyar of the region decided that the village was a perfect place to build a fortification and so the fortress was built. You can see it for miles as you approach the mountain. It is a huge white stone fortress that envelopes the top of the mountain. We were driven most of the way up it and then walked the rest of the way to the entrance. I am not sure I would have driven up this mountain in the summer. It is cold and icy today. The road is twisty and not well traveled, at least not in a vehicle. Even our driver who has a four-wheel drive vehicle, ha
d to take a run at some of the hills. My Mustang would be completely useless in this country.Water is supplied to this village from a well that was dug by two Turkish prisoners. They dug down into the rock for seventeen years until 1623 when they reached water at 146 meters. T
hey had been promised their freedom when it was completed. It is doubtful that they were ever released. This well allowed the fortified city to remain closed during a siege as the gate did not need to be opened for supplies
. Although I have to wonder who would want to siege this city. It would seem more logical to me to pass it by and keep going, but then I don't live in those times – thank heavens…
We walked up the icy paths. There were no handrails and the going was treacherous. This place has a magical feel to it. I can imagine the poor serfs scurrying up these steep pathways carrying huge sacks of grain from the valley below. They would have to trudge all the way up the mountain and then through the village alleyways. I think it is only uphill here. Even in the summer, I think it would have been a very hard life.
The views from here are spectacular. Having lived much of my adult life on the plains of the Midwest, I truly appreciate being as high as an eagle and surveying the landscape. 
Below is the current village of Rasnov, now even a bustling town and full of life.
We turn a corner to find the city gates. Apparently, we had entered through the tiny servants' entrance. These gates are guarded by numerous archers' windows which will hold off all but the foolhardy. I wouldn't want to get caught by the pointy i
ron spikes of the gates as they fall into place. On the other side of the gates is a small gathering area and then the sheer cliffs of the mountain. I really cannot imagine even climbing all the way to the top of this
mountain to get to the village in the first place. But the idea of seiging this fortress seems completely ludicrous. How could you stand outside this fortress and even consider fighting your way in?
We climbed to the top of what was left of one of the guard towers. Fr
om here you can see forever. The Carpathians are beautiful from here. Mountain after snowy mountain rising one behind the other as 
far as the eye can see. Looking down on the fortress walls, it is amazing to think that someone could build this fortress here. Most of the materials would have to have been brought up from the valley far below. The road, e
ven now with pavement, is treacherous. These donkeys are probably descendants of the first beasts of burden that toiled up and down this mountain, carrying all t
he materials and foodstuffs. These two appear to be well fed and happy. I think they may be the only full-time inhabitants of the fortress today.
We have walked up through the village on the i
cy path. It seems to go on forever, but maybe that is the cold and ice talking. I cannot imagine what it must have been like to have lived and worked here.
2 comments:
Rasnov is a fabulous place (Transylvania) which hardly seems to have moved into the 19th never mind the 21st century. I have a question, where is "Fortress of Fear" ?? Waiting for the answer. Thanks.
The fortress atop the mountain is the Fortress of Fear that is highlighted by some as having paranormal activity. I have been there twice and not experienced anything out of the ordinary. The gate that is the entrance today was once the servants gate. The main gate is at the far side of the complex. It is complete with bow slits for archers and a huge barricade that still has the iron staves attached to it. A nasty affair should you get caught in it. If you look at it from a military viewpoint of the 1600s, they were pretty astute. There is no room on the rocky ledge to make use of a battering ram and so they were pretty safe inside the walls once the well had been dug by those two prisoners. Driving up to the citadel, it is easy to imagine seeing it come into view from horseback and wondering how to get past it. Defense at that time was the catalyst for many of the fortified cities and churches in Romania. They managed to keep the marauding hordes at bay. It is interesting to imagine how history would have been written had the Romanians not been able to secure their borders.
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