The Liteni Fortress (or Geczy Citadel, or Lita Citadel), is a medieval fortress built 3 km southwest of the present village of Liteni (Hungarian: Magyarléta), Cluj County, on a cliff above the Iara River Valley. The ruins (some of the most picturesque ruins of medieval Transylvania) are located in Apuseni Mountains (Western Carpathians), about 30 km southwest of Cluj-Napoca and about 30 km north-west of Turda, on the road between Luna de Sus and Buru, near the Muntele Băişorii resort.
It seems that here was a citadel in 1241, where the authorities of Cluj County fled during the Mongol invasion. Attested since 1324 as "Castrum Leta", the fortress had a very troubled past. In 1405 King Sigismund of Luxembourg (1368-1437) gave the citadel to the city of Cluj, and later the municipality shared the lands into three parts and gave them to Jakcs Janos, to judge Vana, and to Laszlo, voivod of Beiuş. After the death of Emperor Sigismund of Luxembourg, the fortress was first the property Losonczi Dezsö, and later (after year 1441) was owned by Herepei Márk.
In 1456, Ioan de Hunedoara (Ioan Corvin, Hunyadi Janos) gave the fortress to Csolnokosi Klara, a cousin of Pongracz Janos. Then, it has successively passed to several owners (Perényi Orsolya, Corvin Janos, Balassa Ferenc, Artanhazi Bornemissza Boldizsar etc.). It was badly damaged following the explosion of the powder warehouse in the underground on 12 February 1562, during a siege. In 1569, the ruins and the surrounding forests were given to Geczy Janos, who renovated the fortress, and his descendants lived here for a century (until approximately the second half of 17th century). There are no precise data on the causes of the definitive abandonment of the city, but seems that it happened during the Kuruts' war led by Francisc II Rákóczi in the early 18th century.
Neamţ Citadel (Romanian: Cetatea Neamţ) is a medieval fortress located near Târgu Neamţ, Neamţ County, Moldavia, Romania.
Lack of reliable information on the origins of Neamţ Fortress had resulted in several hypotheses whose reliability was often questioned. A number of prestigious historians and philologists, as A.D. Xenopol, B.P. Hasdeu, D. Onciul etc., said that - according to the papal bull of 1232 - the Teutonic Knights of Bârsa had built between 1211-1225 on the eastern slope of the Carpathians a castrum muntissimum that only the Neamţ Citadel could be. The Germanic (Teutonic or Saxon) hypothesis was acquired by many of Romanian historians, from the name of the fortress (in Romanian, Neamţ means German).
Later, the hypothesis on the beginnings of the citadel could be reconsidered. Thus, in the material dating from the lowest layer of citadel, revealed by systematic investigations carried out, were identified coins from the reign of Petru I Muşat (1375-1391). This is a definite proof that Neamţ Fortress was built in the second part of the reign of Petru I, during which Moldova has experienced a continuous political and economic development. A monument like Neamţ Fortress is a large building, which required a huge effort and considerable material resources. The only force capable of undertaking such initiatives was provided by the princes of the era of consolidation of the feudal state of Moldova.
Neamţ Fortress was clearly documented a few years later, in 1395, during the expedition of King Sigismund of Hungary in Moldova. Not irrelevant is that "The Neamţ from mountains" is mentioned in the Russian Chronicle that describes the cities to the east of the Carpathians, dated between 1387-1391, which could refer both to the city and the citadel.
The fortress was built on a rocky triangular spur, with height of about 480 m above sea level and 80 m above the level of Neamţ River (or Ozana). It has a rectangle with unequal sides shape, adapted to the configuration of the terrain. The northern and southern sides are 38.5 and 37.5 m long, the eastern side have a length of 47 m and the western side is 40 m long. Specific for the defense system of the fortress is that the towers of the four corners were not placed outside the walls, but directly into the frame walls, and this because the natural fortifications on three sides not allowed their building outside. In front of the fourth side (N) is a ditch dating from the 15th century. The walls were 12-15 m high and 3 m thick, and are strengthened by 18 exterior buttresses.
In 1475, during the reign of Stephen the Great, on the northern side were added four rounded bastions, 30 m high, and the walls were raised with 6-7 m. The new access road into the citadel is represented by an arched bridge, finished by a drawbridge, and supported on 11 stone pillars with prismatic form. The exterior fortification system included also ditches and palisades.
The garrison had currently 300 soldiers. The fortress was besieged many times by Hungarians, Turks, Tatars, Cossacks, Austrians, Polish, and had a particular importance in the defensive system of Moldavia. Practically, during the 14th-18th centuries, any major event in the history of Moldavia was linked, in a way or another, to the citadel.
In the 18th century, it lost any political or military importance and began to deteriorate. During the reign of Mihail Sturdza (1834-1849) the citadel was protected and in 1866 was declared a historical monument. Between 1968-1972, the walls were reinforced, without the reconstruction of the missing portions. Nowadays, the fortress represents one of the most visited objectives of the region.
Braşov’s strategic geographical position, close to the commercial route Rucăr – Bran, through the Carpathian Mountains, has influenced the economic development of the city. Thanks to its nearness to Bucegi Mountains and the Bran Castle, Braşov is one of the most important destinations in Romania.
Braşov's most important landmark, Biserica Neagră (the Black Church), the largest Gothic church in Transylvania and, in some historians’ point of view, the greatest religious edifice between Vienna and Istanbul, towers over Piaţa Sfatului (Coucil's Square) and the old town. Originally dedicated to Virgin Mary, the church was Roman-Catholic for more than a century and a half and later with the reformation sweeping across Europe it became a Lutheran one. Service is still held today for the small German community from Braşov on Sundays.
The Black Church has a turbulent history: the construction began in 1380 or 1385, in the time of Vicar Thomas Sander, and finished in 1477, on the site of an earlier church (destroyed by Mongol invasions in 1242), the construction of the Marienkirche was hampered by extensive damage caused by Turkish raids in 1421. The church was given its new name after disaster struck again in 1689, when the Great Fire, set by Habsburg invaders, leveled most of the town, heavily damaged the church, blackening its walls. Restoration took almost 100 years. Of the two towers planned, only one (65,6m high) was finished. The year 1477 is written in Gothic letters on the front gate, the only piece made in wood that resisted the fire. The original Gothic interior has suffered under the restorations, and the lofty, light space you see nowadays is mostly Baroque. Most of the objects inside the church date from the reconstruction time except for the baptismal font which was cast in bronze by a local craftsman in 1450.
The church is built of friable grit stones and andesite arranged in cubic shape. That's the reason why the statues placed on the exteriors couldn't survive the time and had to be replaced by new ones. The oldest statue still standing belongs to Saint Peter and it is to be seen on the Southern part of the church. The church comprises six portals, representing different architectural styles from Gothic to Renaissance style. The portal placed on the East side of the church was built in 1436 by Matei Corvin, a Transylvanian ruler. He also added a fresco to the interior gate. Inside the church there are three naves split by pillars. Gothic elements mix with Baroque. On the Southeast portal there is a fresco, dating 15th century, representing Saint Mary sitting on a throne with Jesus in her arms, surrounded by angels and Saint Ecaterina and Barbara. On the North side there is a Golden gate with a small portico placed somewhere between the buttresses. The portico is covered by a simple ogive and on the facade there is a semicircular arch. Right above there are sculptured leaves, reminiscence of the Gothic style. The Black Church exhibits the heaviest mobile bell in Romania (6 t), murals in the Italian Renaissance style and an organ, with 4,000 pipes, 7 scales and 4 keyboards. It was built in 1838-1839 by the organ creator Buchholz from Berlin and it ranks among the biggest organs in the South-Eastern Europe. It is the only organ of the Buchholz's firm which has preserved its original form. The organ recitals held here are very famous and many tourists attend them.
The Black Church has the richest collection of Anatolian carpets in all Europe. Most of them date from the 17th and 18th centuries. They come from Brussa, Uschak and Ghiordes, famous Anatolian names for carpet weaving. They were donated by the city's merchants on their return from Orient to show their gratitude towards God. The church windows have recently been fit out with special UV-filtering glass to protect the 119 fabulous carpets. Exiting the church, in the courtyard, you will see Johannes Honterus'(1498-1549) statue (2.5 m high). He was an important reformer and humanist who became Stadtpfarrer (priest) a few years after bringing Lutheranism to Braşov in 1542. The statue was cast in bronze by the German Harra Magnussen. The public saw the statue for the first time on August 1898, when they celebrated 400 years since Johannes Honterus was born.
This blog represents the work of a team of students and teachers from Secondary School no. 1 Luduş, Romania. Join us to an imaginary trip through people, facts, and places from Romania...
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