“Romania 🇷🇴 ~Rasnov Fortress, Rems Pension Stay, and Around the Area”

We made it to Rasnov, with a short drive from Bran. I am very behind in my blogging, because the driving from one site to the other is not that far, so we are seeing three times as much in a day, compared to our other country visits in Balkans (besides the small country of Kosovo).

Slow and steady wins the race! Because we are touring, and seeing more and more, and taking so many photos, it impossible to stay current. But I will get caught up, and will post in order, as we go along!

Transylvania Alps
From Rasnov, looking up at the Fortress. It was a wonderful feeling, seeing this again! Such a beautiful location!
First visit photo…On my way up to the Fortress, currently,I tried to take this same photo, but in summertime, the trees are so full of leaves, there is no view of this in the summertime
Summertime hike up
the hill to the Fortress, or, when there are plenty of guests, they provide little train car people movers; pulled by tractors, to take you up (for a small fee). Parking also costs about $2.50
From first visit in Wintertime. We had an un-seasonably warmer day, so the road was not icy. In fact, the locals told me it was a very mild winter that year, in 2013. We packed so many warm clothes we never even needed! That was a bit of a drag, when backpacking. But, we were prepared travelers.
This is the first clear view in Summertime, after reaching the landing
First visit. Wintertime
The defensive purpose of the Fortress is easily visible even today.
Located on a rocky hill from Rasnov; Rosenau in German, surrounded by forests that were once hard to cross, the Fortress, more than once, saved the lives of local people.
First mentioned in 1335 as surviving the Tatar invasion that destroyed the area of Brasov, the Fortress was originally built on the ruins of an ancient site by the Teutonic Knights between 1211 and 1225. The Fortress was later enlarged and fortified by the local Saxon community who owned it until the mid-18th century.
The construction of the Fortress was done in several stages, its materials and defensive architecture evolving along with the discoveries of the time, a key evolution, was installing cannons and artillery weapons.

The modernization of military techniques meant also the partial destruction of the Lower Part of the fortress that could no longer be protected without increasing the vulnerability of the entire outpost. This was obvious in 1612 when Gabriel Bathory conquered the fortress that was recovered by the Saxon community only after paying a consistent ransom.
The best-conserved part of Rasnov Fortress is its Upper Part, better protected by the rocky landscape and strengthened in the 16th and 17th centuries with more modern military constructions adapted to artillery fights, including towers, shooting platforms and increased fortification of the walls.
From Rasnov Fortress, overlooking the town

Sadly for Daryl, this Fortress was undergoing a facelift, so we were not allowed inside. In this case, below are all the photos I have from inside the Fortress on my first trip here, seven years ago. It’s a beautiful example of the once living Fortress

On this first trip, there was much activity going on inside the castle. Not just vendors, but peopled dressed in period clothing. There was also a wedding photo shoot going on.
The Fortress was last attacked in 1690 by the Ottoman armies, but even in time of peace, the monument suffered the damages of a major fire in 1718 and an earthquake in 1802, which destroyed some of its towers. By the end of the 19th century, the Fortress had lost all military importance, but being preserved for what is shows, today.
The Fortress of Rasnov is one of the largest and most remarkable medieval monuments in Transylvania, and a solid example of defensive constructions used to survive in a time when Ottoman and Tatar attacks destroyed entire cities and villages. Only partly conserved, but with enough testimonies to make a rich imagination recreate the past glory, the Fortress is one of the best historical treasures around Brasov.
The prolonged and often attacks determined the locals to build a small burg inside the walls of the fortress, with neighborhoods, streets and even a central market. In total, 80 houses were discovered by the archaeologists. The architecture of the houses was typical for the time, each having a ground floor used for daily working activities and a second level used for housing.
The small city inside the fortress was abandoned at the beginning of the 18th century when the southern Carpathian border was secured under the domination of the Habsburg Empire.
Currently, coming back from the Fortress to our stay. It’s minutes away, driving, and 20 minutes walking
First visit in a field, playing in the snow on the walk to the Fortress
Same field in Summer, during this trip
A common site in this area
Rasnov Square, with a bit of the Fortress in the background
A lovely stay, both visits. The two women who run the place, both remembered me, as I did them. I recommend. The food is home cooked with fresh jam preserves!
First visit Wintertime. I stayed at this same Pension
This was from first visit to Rems Pension, n Wintertime. I tried to duplicate the photo, but people were in the way. This Pension has a couple of different buildings with a sloped outdoor area.
Daryl and I had a different room than the first visit, when I was with a girlfriend. But, it was on the same side, with a balcony. Here, in Romania, they refer t to the bigger beds as a “Matrimony” bed, vs the regular single twin beds
Our bathroom even has a balcony!
This room is called “Orange” for obvious reasons
First visit to Rems Pension in Wintertime. Different room, but same side of building

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About Us

Hello and Welcome to our Travel Blog Website, We enjoy writing about our experiences and taking photos of our adventuring along the way. Our names are: Daryl and Pen, but Daryl calls me “Bunny.” We met, quite randomly, whilst both… Read More