Page 3 of 10 FirstFirst 12345678910 LastLast
Results 41 to 60 of 185

Thread: Public Research - Medieval Balkan Castles & Fortresses

  1. #41
    Wallachian's Avatar Citizen
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Bucharest, Romania
    Posts
    9,778

    Default Re: Medieval Balkan Castles/Fortresses

    Castles and fortresses from present-day Romania...

    Suceava Citadel

    The citadel was built at the end of the XIVth century by the Moldavian prince Petru I Musat, was further fortified in the XVth century by prince Stefan the Great and as destroyed in 1675 by prince Dumitrascu Cantacuzino as ordered by the Ottomans. Presently the citadel is in ruins.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    .
    <a href="http://photobucket.com/images/rasnov%20fortress" target="_blank"><img src="http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo83/marpop77/romania/2_cetatea_de_scaun.jpg" border="0" alt="rasnov fortress Pictures, Images and Photos"/></a>


    Sucevita Fortified Monastery

    It was built in 1585 by the Moldavian princely family of Movila. The interior court of the monastic ensemble is almost square (100 by 104 meters) and is surrounded by high (6 m), wide (3 m) walls. There are several other defensive structures within the ensemble, including four towers (one in each corner). Suceviţa was a princely residence as well as a fortified monastery. The thick walls today shelter a museum that presents an outstanding collection of historical and art objects.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Neamt Citadel (Cetatea Neamtului)

    The citadel was built during the time of Petru I Musat of Moldavia. Its most glorious period was during the reign of Stefan the Great who includes it in the defensive system of fortresses defending Moldavia. One of the best known moments of the fortress took place in 1691 when it was besieged by the Polish army of King Ian Sobieski.


    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    Slimnic Fortress

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    Poenari Castle

    It was erected around the beginning of the 13th century by the rulers of Wallachia. Around the 14th century, Poenari was the main citadel of the Basarab rulers. In the next few decades, the name and the residents changed a few times but eventually the castle was abandoned and left in ruins.
    However, in the 15th century, realizing the potential for a castle perched high on a steep precipice of rock, Vlad III the Impaler repaired and consolidated the structure, making it one of his main fortresses.
    Although the castle was used for many years after Vlad's death in 1476, it eventually was abandoned again in the first half of the 16th century and was in ruins by the 17th century. Due to its size and location, control of the castle was difficult to take, even by natural forces. However, in 1888, a landslide brought down a portion of the castle which crashed into the river far below. Nonetheless, the castle was slightly repaired and the walls and its towers still stand today. To reach the castle, visitors need to climb 1,500 steps.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    Targoviste Citadel

    The first mention of the citadel is made in 1396 by the Bavarian crusade Johann Schiltberger who visited the city during the Nicopolis crusade. During the reign of Mircea the Elder the city became the capital of Wallachia and the citadel was rebuilt in this period. Vlad the Impaler added the tower which became a symbol of the area. Due to successive Ottoman invasions and sieges the citadel now lies in ruins.


    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 




    Giurgiu Citadel

    It is situated on the left (north) bank of the Danube, 40 miles (65 km) south of Bucharest. Its origins have not been clearly established, though it is probable that Genoese navigators built a citadel named San Giorgio on the island in front of the harbour and that the present name was derived from that. In historical documents, the name appears first in 1394, in a document of Prince Mircea the Old. In 1417 Giurgiu was first conquered by the Turks. It was a strategic citadel guarding the Danube and was besieged and occupied many times by the Wallachians, Hungarians and Turks. Today only the ruins remain.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 




    Fagaras Citadel

    Fagaras Fortress is the most impressive monument of the town, and the core around which the town was actually built. Ladislaw Kan started to built it in 1310 on the former place of a 12th century wooden fortress strengthened by earthen walled fortifications. The former fortress had been burned down by the Tartars in 1241. The fort was enlarged and rebuilt in the 15th-17th centuries in the Transylvanian Renaissance style and came to be known, alongside with Deva, as one of the strongest fortifications in Transylvania.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    Cetatea de Balta

    In the XIVth century there is another mentioning of a fortification which was made between 1467-1538 and which was owned by the Moldavian rulers Stefan the Great an his son Petru Rares. In 1565 the Csaky family, ruler of the nearby ham’s, destroyed it and built a real castle in place of it. In the late XVIIth century the castle was occupied by Mihaly Apafi. In 1757 Gabor Bethlen bought it, the castle than became the property of Miklos Bethlen, who, in 1770 , rebuilt it. In place of the drawbridge he built a stairway, the building got a pointed roof, the outer wall was dismantled, he built a chapel, a boose, and a gate barbican which, in 1972, crumbled down. After Count Bethlen’s family the Haller family moved into the magnificent castle. During the wars in the year 1944 the walls of the castle damaged.


    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Hunyad Castle

    The Hunyad Castle (Romanian: Castelul Huniazilor or Castelul Corvineştilor, Hungarian: Vajdahunyad vára) is a castle in present-day Hunedoara, Romania. It is a relic of the Hunyadi dynasty. In the 14th century, the castle was given to a Vlach knyan named Serb, or Sorb by the German-Roman emperor and king of Hungary Sigismund as severance. It was restored between 1446 and 1453 by John Hunyadi. It was built in Gothic style, but has Baroque and Renaissance architectural elements. It features tall and strong defence towers, an interior yard and a drawbridge.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    Viscri (Weisse Kirche=White Church) Fortified Church

    The origins of the fortified church date from 1100 AD when the Szeklers built a small church with a single hall and semicircular apse. Around 1185 the church was taken over by Saxon colonists, and the Szecklers were forced to settle in southeast Transylvania. In the 14th century the eastern part of the church was rebuilt and in 1525, the first fortifications with towers were added. In the 18th century the church was surrounded by a second defense wall. After 1743 a covered corridor for the storage of corn was built. A century later, two chambers in the defense corridor of the bastion were turned into school rooms.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 




    Calnic Fortress

    Built in the 13th century by Count Chyl de Kelling, the Fortified Church at Calnic (German: Kelling) is one of the most imposing defensive structures in Transylvania. First mentioned in a 1269 document, the fortress served as a residence for Saxon nobility until 1430, when it was sold to the peasant community of Calnic.
    Enclosed by one and a half rings of high walls fortified with a defensive tower to the south and a gate tower to the north, the fortress withstood several Ottoman sieges. Its defense system was completed in the 16th century when a small Romanesque chapel, surrounding walls and a water ditch were added by the Calnic community.
    The five-story-high Siegfried Tower, the landmark of the fortress, is endowed with defensive corridors and firing windows. An on-site medieval art museum displays various artifacts.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 




    Sighisoara (Schassburg) Fortress

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 




    Sibiu (Hermannstadt) Citadel

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 




    Biertan Fortified Church

    The village of Biertan (German: Birthalm), first mentioned in an official document in 1283, is home to one of the largest and most impressive medieval strongholds in Transylvania.
    Surrounded by quaint streets and vineyards, the 15th century fortified church at Biertan is perched high on a hill in the middle of the village. Three tiers of 35-foot-high defensive walls, connected by towers and gates, encircled the complex, making the church impossible to conquer during medieval times.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 




    Aiud Fortress

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    Rasnov Fortress

    Rasnov Fortress (Rosenau in German), is located on a rocky hilltop in the Carpathian Mountains, 650 ft. above the town of Rasnov. First mentioned in an official document in 1331, the fortress was built by Teutonic Knights as protection against invading Tartars and was later enlarged by the local Saxon population. Strategically located on the commercial route linking the provinces of Transylvania and Walachia, Rasnov differs from other Saxon fortresses in that it was designed as a place of refuge over extended periods of time.

    The defensive system included nine towers, two bastions and a drawbridge. Surrounded by 500-foot-slopes on the north, south and west sides, the fortress was obliged to surrender only once, in the year 1612 when invaders managed to find the secret route that supplied the people inside the fortress with water. With the location of their water supply no longer a secret, the need for a well inside the fortress became a must.
    The last siege of Rasnov Fortress took place in 1690 during the final Ottoman invasion of Transylvania. Damaged by fire in 1718, it was rebuilt the following year. The next major damage occurred as the result of an earthquake in 1802. The fortress was last used as a place of refuge during the revolution of 1848 and was abandoned after that.


    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Bran Castle

    Commonly known as Dracula's Castle, the Bran Castle was originally a stronghold built by the Knights of Teutonic Order in 1212. The first documentary attestation of the Bran Castle is the act issued on November 19, 1377, giving the Saxons of Kronstadt (Brasov) the privilage to build the Citadel. The building started in 1378 as a defense against Turks and later became a customs post on the pass between Transylvania and Wallachia. From 1920 the castle became a royal residence until the expulsion of the royal family in 1948. On 1st October 1950, the Bran Castle was declared a historical monument. Today it functions as a very attractive museum of medieval arts.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 




    Boian Castle

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Dragomirna Fortified Church

    The Dragomirna Monastery was built during the first three decades of the 17th century. According to the inscription above the bell tower, in 1627 during the rule of Miron Barnovschi, because of the frequent invasions by the Turks and Tatars, the monastery was endowed by the prince with a defensive wall, which made it look like a fortress. In the four corners there are narrow square towers.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 





    Prejmer Fortified Church

    The largest fortified church in southeastern Europe, Prejmer (Tartlau in German) was built by Teutonic knights in 1212-1213. The powerful surrounding walls are 40 feet high and 10-15 feet thick. Historical records attest that in its 500 years of existence, the fortress was besieged 50 times. However, it was only captured once, in 1611 by Gabriel Báthori, Prince of Transylvania. Endowed with bastions, drawbridges and a secret, subterranean passage through which food supplies could be transported, the church’s most famed war device was the “death machine,” made of several weapons that could shoot simultaneously, causing the enemy severe losses.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    Harman Fortified Church

    Located in Transylvania in the heart of Harman (Honigburg in German, meaning Honey Castle) village, this fortified church dates back to the 13th century when Saxons built the original structure. Strong walls and bulwarks surrounded the church and on its sides, massive towers were added.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 





    Cristian Fortified Church

    The gothic-style Evangelical Church (1495) in the village of Cristian stands on the site of a 13th century Roman basilica. Built in the 16th century, the church is enclosed by two rows of walls guarded by towers. Two underground tunnels allowed villagers to flee from the fortress to the forest or to an old monastery in times of siege.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    Dariju Fortified Church

    The fortified church at Darjiu was initially built in Roman style in the 14th century, and later rebuilt in gothic style. It was fortified in the 16th century when locals drew inspiration from the fortified churches of neighboring Saxon villages. The Gate Tower preserves its initial form, with openings for shooting missiles; wooden shutters provided protection against incoming projectiles. The original interior frescoes, some of the most impressive Transylvanian medieval works, have been preserved.

    The wall around the church, which served as defense against Ottoman attacks, was not as high as those surrounding most Saxon fortified churches since the village, itself, was situated high on a hill. Today, only a small section of the wall built in 1520 remains.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    Valea Viilor (Vineyard Valley) Fortified Church

    Located in the Vineyards Valley, this fortified church was built in 1263 in gothic style and was enlarged and fortified in the 15th and 16th centuries by adding a range of 26-foot-tall and five-foot- wide walls. A unique element is the well in the center of the church choir that provided water for the locals during sieges.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    Saschiz Fortified Church

    The Evangelical Church of Saschiz in Transilvanua was built between 1493 and 1496 by Saxon colonists. The monument is very impressive due to its sheer size and the way the fortifying elements have been adapted to the shape of a church building. From the outside, the church appears to be a bulwark, but its defensive role is surpassed by the beauty of its gothic elements: huge arches, massive buttresses and decorative stone and brick aspects. Due to the significant distance between the center of the village and the hill on which a Saxon fortress was built in 1496, the fortified Evangelical church became the main refuge for the inhabitants of Saschiz during invading raids.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    Axente Sever Fortified Church

    This small fortified church is situated in the center of Axente Sever village at a crossroad of the main street. The central element of the monument is a tower situated between the little nave of the church and its polygonal choir. The tower has a small chapel with an east-oriented apse on its southern part. The church was mentioned for the first time in 1322.The tower wall is 1,6 meters thick at its base; the ground floor has two cross-arch openings toward east and west.


    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    Seica Mica Fortified Church

    The church, dedicated to St Catherine, was first built in the 14th century and later modified in the 1500s. In the 14th century the fortifications were surrounded by an earthen rampart with a row of pales. The gate tower was built in the same century and had three floors, to which two more were added in 1825.


    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 




    Archita Fortified Church

    The settlement itself was founded by Saxons around the year 1200. They must have reached this area after Hungarian colonists were relocated during the reign of King Geza II. The rectangular double-wall precinct, typical of the early 16th century, still preserves seven of its nine towers and the wall passages on the curtain walls. The inner wall used to have four towers on each of its corners, but its north-eastern one was demolished. Each tower had a separate access from the inside of the precinct, either through the wall passage or by a retractable ladder. The walls themselves are seven metres high and have a wall passage supported by wooden brackets, built four metres above the ground. The latter was preserved intact, but the battlements were walled up.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    Last edited by Wallachian; May 15, 2010 at 11:33 PM.

  2. #42
    slavic_crusader's Avatar Biarchus
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Currently Sydney.Australia
    Posts
    607

    Default Re: Medieval Balkan Castles/Fortresses

    why does the bridge of Hunyad look smaller then in the second picture?
    Слава Слога и вјеру у Бога!!!
    Slava Sloga i Vjeru u Boga

    Supporter of Eastern Europe Total War!





  3. #43
    Wallachian's Avatar Citizen
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Bucharest, Romania
    Posts
    9,778

    Default Re: Medieval Balkan Castles/Fortresses

    Never actually been there but I believe the photos are taken from different sides of the castle.

  4. #44
    slavic_crusader's Avatar Biarchus
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Currently Sydney.Australia
    Posts
    607

    Default Re: Medieval Balkan Castles/Fortresses

    its kind of weird. But maybe ur right. And Hunyad looks like a beautiful castle in my opinion.
    Слава Слога и вјеру у Бога!!!
    Slava Sloga i Vjeru u Boga

    Supporter of Eastern Europe Total War!





  5. #45
    phoenix[illusion]'s Avatar Palman Bracht
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    yo, there
    Posts
    3,303

    Default Re: Medieval Balkan Castles/Fortresses

    well, one day i'll surely visit romania, cause of castles
    long time no see, but still twc drug kickin'
    check out Tsardoms: Total War!
    Under patronage of respectable Annaeus
    Patron of honorable Giacomo Colonna


  6. #46
    Wallachian's Avatar Citizen
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Bucharest, Romania
    Posts
    9,778

    Default Re: Medieval Balkan Castles/Fortresses

    Yeah, some of the castles are really cool. It's just that they are not that well know. It's like when I was talking to an Australian mate and he said he thought that Croatia was a crappy eastern european country until he saw a show on tv about all the castles there and about Dubrovnik. Now he wants to go there

    I found these great 3d reconstructions of the castle made by a team of Romanian archeologists and 3d artists:

    Neamt Citadel

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Hunyad Castle (First stage before John Hunyadi added to it)

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Hunyad Castle (Last stage)

    The Main Tower

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    The Old Gate

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Artilery Terrace

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Also, I think these clips show that my assumption about the bridges was correct. I believe there is one on the side with the old gate (which overlaps the old structure) and one with the main tower. It would be great if someone's actually been there to confirm this

  7. #47
    Vojdoo's Avatar Libertus
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Sofia,BG
    Posts
    93

    Default Re: Medieval Balkan Castles/Fortresses

    Can someone explain the difference between fort, citadel, castle.

  8. #48
    NikeBG's Avatar Sampsis
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Sofia, Bulgaria
    Posts
    3,193

    Default Re: Medieval Balkan Castles/Fortresses

    Fort is usually a fortification (or krepost on Bulgarian) with no other functions than the said fortification and eventual permanent garrison. Citadel is a fortification inside an already fortified settlement/town, which is usually where the local nobles reside. A castle is a general term with varying meanings, but usually denotes a feudal lord's fortified residence, usually with unprotected villages, belonging to the lord, position in the nearby area. In the Byzantine area, however, it's a bit more complicated, since polis (town) and kastron (castle) were often used interchangeably to basically denote a well-fortified town.
    Last edited by NikeBG; May 11, 2010 at 05:50 AM.

  9. #49
    SerbianInfantry's Avatar Tiro
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Earth, Europe, Balkan, Serbia
    Posts
    288

    Default Re: Medieval Balkan Castles/Fortresses

    Wow it's amazing all this beautyfull castles were saved all this time. I'm envious now

    Kosovo is Serbia! If you don't believe me, read a book.

  10. #50
    Wallachian's Avatar Citizen
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Bucharest, Romania
    Posts
    9,778

    Default Re: Medieval Balkan Castles/Fortresses

    I have updated my post with a heap of fortified churches. But there are so many of them (over 40) located all over Transilvania that I just put up the ones which are more relevant to the topic, with the most fortfied walls and towers that are pretty much double purpose fortresses.

    For anyone interested this site is great and its all in English:

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

  11. #51

    Default Re: Medieval Balkan Castles/Fortresses

    I am making new castle models.

    Could someone post the pictures of the byzantine castles? Thanks.

    TTW GRANDMASTER

  12. #52
    Wallachian's Avatar Citizen
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Bucharest, Romania
    Posts
    9,778

    Default Re: Medieval Balkan Castles/Fortresses

    Here's a few Byzantine castles i just quickly found looking through google. If i have time later i'll do a thorough search.


    Byzantine castle guarding the Bosphorus straits:

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    The Byzantine castle of Platamon is one of the finest and best preserved castles in Greece which is situated on the southeast foot of mountain Olympus on a hill overlooking the sea, a position that has commanded the shortest route between Macedonia and Thessaly since ancient times. It was built in 1204 A.C. Inside the castle there are two churches from the Middle Byzantine period and Early Christian period.

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    Castle of Kyrenia in Cyprus:

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    The Byzantine fortress above Thessaloniki:

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Byzantine castle in Anatolia

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    Last edited by Wallachian; May 22, 2010 at 11:09 PM.

  13. #53

    Default Re: Medieval Balkan Castles/Fortresses

    You deserve some +rep for helping, here it is.

    P.S. I can't see the second image.

    P.P.S. Now I can.
    Last edited by MeAgain; June 02, 2010 at 11:29 PM.

  14. #54
    NapoleonSRB's Avatar Civis
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Banja Luka
    Posts
    123

    Default Re: Medieval Balkan Castles/Fortresses

    What about the castel "Katsel" in Banja Luka?



    Rodjen za Metka

    Za sve Srpske dusmane!

    Kosovo is Serbia!

    Facebook:Петар Пензионер Мирковић

    MSN:pero-bl@hotmail.com

  15. #55
    Constantius's Avatar Primicerius
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    England-Londinivm
    Posts
    3,383

    Default Re: Medieval Balkan Castles/Fortresses

    Excellent castles .......and here is whats left of Mistra in the Peloponnese, capital of Despotate of Morea
    Last edited by Constantius; May 23, 2010 at 03:59 AM.


    Signature made by Joar


  16. #56
    NikeBG's Avatar Sampsis
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Sofia, Bulgaria
    Posts
    3,193

    Default Re: Medieval Balkan Castles/Fortresses

    Btw, here are also some pics of some Bulgarian fortresses (only BG version works well though).

  17. #57

  18. #58

    Default Re: Medieval Balkan Castles/Fortresses

    Quote Originally Posted by il_duce_! View Post
    I am making new castle models.

    Could someone post the pictures of the byzantine castles? Thanks.
    There is one way you can distinguish byzantine-built castle from any other, no matter the layout:



    The very characteristic red brick lines.
    Also, there is an excellent project that shows Constantinople in great detail. http://www.byzantium1200.com/
    plan of Thessaloniki
    Last edited by Nenadovcanin; June 21, 2010 at 09:15 PM.

  19. #59
    Son of Fire's Avatar Tiro
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Southern Ontario Canada
    Posts
    225

    Default Re: Medieval Balkan Castles/Fortresses

    I remember reading that the brick lines where to help make the structures withstand earthquakes...
    "Such Heroic Nonsense."

  20. #60
    phoenix[illusion]'s Avatar Palman Bracht
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    yo, there
    Posts
    3,303

    Default Re: Medieval Balkan Castles/Fortresses

    i've found reconstruction of golubac:

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 





    also serbian goverment will invest in reconstruction of 7 fortresses on Danube
    http://www.blic.rs/Kultura/Vesti/193...vu--za-Hamleta

    Bač, Petrovaradin, Smederevo, Kalemegdan, Ram, Golubac i Fetislam

    here's a video of golubac, how will it look like:
    http://www.rts.rs/page/stories/sr/st...%C4%91ave.html
    Last edited by phoenix[illusion]; June 24, 2010 at 09:20 AM.
    long time no see, but still twc drug kickin'
    check out Tsardoms: Total War!
    Under patronage of respectable Annaeus
    Patron of honorable Giacomo Colonna


Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •