Râșnov Fortress

Râșnov Fortress (Romanian: Cetatea Râșnov pronunciation: [ˈrɨʃnov], German: Rosenauer Burg, Hungarian: Barcarozsnyó vára) is a medieval Fliehburg-type fortress, which offered refuge for townspeople and villagers from the area in times of war. It is situated in Râșnov, Brașov County, not far from Brașov.

Built as part of a defence system for the Transylvanian villages exposed to outside invasions, the fortress was historically garrisoned by both the local Romanian and Saxon communities, with each providing an equal number of men. A decisive aspect for building the fortress at its location was the route of the invading armies which were coming from the Bran Pass and were passing through Râșnov, on their way to Brașov and other parts of the Burzenland region. The only chance of survival for the inhabitants of the area, including from Cristian and Ghimbav, was the refuge inside the fortress at Râșnov. Compelled to stay there for decades, the people of Râșnov and the nearby villages turned the fortification into their long-term place of residence.