Enisala Fortress

The Enisala Fortress (Romanian: Cetatea Enisala, often referred to as Heracleea Fortress) is a 12th to 14th century medieval fortress sitting high on a hill overlooking Lake Razim (Razelm) and a vast field of reed grass and water channels, in Tulcea County, Dobrodja.


The village Enisala (Turkish for New Village) is the site of a fortress dominating nearby lakes (previously gulfs) of Razelm and Babadag. Dated to the late 13th century, it was built either by the Genoese or the Byzantines to control the travel routes that passed through the region. The fortress has an irregular polygonal plan, and a quadrilateral towers. A part of the second precinct vestige has been preserved. The fortress' three hexagonal towers are the only of this type found in the whole region of Dobruja, and have been interpreted as a sign of a Western origin of the builders.


The fortress was first conquered by the Ottomans in 1388/1389, and retaken in 1416/1417 after a brief Wallachian rule (it belonged to Wallachia's Prince Mircea the Elder). It was conquered by Sultan Mehmet I in 1417 (who renamed it "o Yeni Sale"). Due to the new political situation and the development of sand spits that hampered trade, the fortress gradually decayed, and was finally abandoned around the end of the 15th century.

This is Europe's prime birdwatching area and you are likely to spot white-fronted and red-breasted geese, terns, waders, pelicans, herons and warblers. One can visit also a traditional fisherman's house converted into a museum displaying colorful tapestries and folk art, or the Enisala Safari Village Inn.