Romania travel: Five reasons to visit Făgăraș

The town of Făgăraș, in central Romania, has one of the best preserved fortresses in the country. It can be a good base for exploring the surrounding sites or the wider Land of Făgăraș (Țara Făgărașului).

The Făgăraș Fortress The Făgăraș Fortress is the town’s top tourist attraction. Its construction started in the 14

th

century and various additions and alterations followed up until the 17

th

century. In time, it served as a prison, barrack and as the headquarters of the episcopate of the Romanian Church United with Rome. It was the residence of Transylvania princess and an administrative center of the medieval Făgăraș area.

The fortress’ history is also linked to prince Mihai Viteazul, who realized the first unification of the Romanian provinces. He gifted the fortress and its land to his wife, Doamna Stanca, and his family had a residence there. Princes Gabriel Bethlen and Gheorghe Rackozi I also made important works to the fortress. And it was also here that Zsuzsanna Lorántffy, the wife of Rackozi I, established a Romanian-language school in 1657. Closer to our time, the fortress was a political prison for the opponents of the communist regime, up until 1960. The Făgăraș Mountains were a hiding place for the anticommunist resistance during the 1950s. On Saturdays and Sundays, visitors of the the Făgăraș Fortress can see the changing of the guard, while during warmer months, they can also see the swans on the water moat surrounding the fortress. The fortress hosts the Valer Literat Museum of the Făgăraş La n d, which has a collection covering the history of the area and of the local guilds. It has rooms dedicated to religious art, weaponry, ceramics as well as the Virgil Fulicea Sculpture Gallery.

The old part of Făgăraș has many examples of Saxon-influenced architecture. Some of the town’s other tourist attractions are the Evangelical Church, the Holy Trinity Church