Encircled by a moat fringed with willow trees, Făgăraş Citadel is an impressively intact fortification from medieval Transylvania. The oldest part of this mighty fortress is the 14th-century Red Tower (actually a warm beige), with impenetrable 3m-thick walls. Included in the ticket price is entry to the Valer Literat Museum, whose visual highlights include delicately painted Saxon furnishings and a room exhibiting splendid glassware from Porumbacu de Sus village.
Built over a 12th-century wooden fortress razed to the ground by Tatars, the citadel began to take shape in 1310. It soon gained a reputation as Transylvania's strongest fortress; in parts of the complex, two walls run parallel creating a barrier 8m thick. Exploring the site, you’ll also see a bastion used to store artillery, and a rather too accessible scaffold (complete with hangman’s noose).
Don't miss seeing the Black Tower (again beige), which first belonged to Wallachia’s 14th-century rulers, Mircea cel Bătrân and stake-loving Vlad Țepeș, before being completed by Prince Stefan Báthory in the 16th century.
