Poenari Castle (Romania)

Built in the 14th century in the Negru Voda Age and having only one tower originally, the Poenari Fortress was extended in the time of Vlad Ţepeş, being its secondary residence. The Poenari fortress, now only a few kilometers from the Vidraru Dam, was built as a fortress fortress against the Ottomans.

"In the tradition of the place is the town of Negru Voda and then the fortress of Vlad the Impaler, but in the documents was passed the Poenari Fortress. As peculiarities, there are two different structures. It is the donjon tower, with an architecture of the XI and XII centuries. The rest of the fortress is a model of the fifteenth century, we have no doubt. It seems that during the great earthquake in 1446 the city was damaged and for this reason Vlad Tepes had to restore the fortress. Tepes has extended the fortress very much. It was extremely difficult for the city, "says historian Ştefan Dumitrache, director of Curtea de Argeş Municipal Museum.

The Poenari fortress was the secondary residence of Vlad the Impaler, being built as a fortress fortress against the Ottomans. The fortress was the last retreat of the ruler before leaving for Transylvania.

The legend says that Vlad Ţepeş, being pursued by the Turks, escaped refuge in this city, after he hiked the horses with the reverse horses, face to back, thus confusing their pursuers. The fortress can reach 1480 steps of concrete flowing through a beech forest. Here, at an altitude of 850 m, protected by steep slopes, the fortress "nest of vultures of the fearful brave men" was built, which was part of a chain of fortifications defending the northern border of Wallachia. In "Letopiseţ Cantacuzinesc" it is said that the fortress was enlarged and strengthened by Vlad Tepeş, who wanted to punish the boyars: "They all went to Poenari and worked in the city until their clothes were broken." The historian Ştefan Dumitrache confirms what appeared in the Letopiseţ: "Yes, it was. And there were not only tens of boyars working at the fortress, but also merchants from Târgovişte. It was a punishment imposed on them by Vlad the Impaler because they were from the Daneşti party, the rivals of Tepes. Those who escaped life after the work, not many, were released. " And all Stefan Dumitrache also reveals little known information: on the top of the fortress there are the traces of the stone-paved road by the Turks, who climb the cannons to destroy the fortress. It is called that road "The Road of the Turks". The last restoration of the Poenari fortress was made between 1969-1972, when the walls were strengthened and exalted and access steps were built to allow the entire fortress to be visited in good condition. Much of the northern part of the wall is no longer kept, collapsing with the rock on which it leaned, at the 1915 earthquake. The buildings are raised directly on the rock, using oak beams for leveling and cohesion, due to the steep slopes, their height is much higher outside. The inner buildings of the semicircular towers have the upper part at about the same level as the limestone inside the fortress after leveling, and they are paved with rectangular bricks. Regarding the restoration of the Poenari fortress, which is in an advanced state of degradation, the Argeş County Museum submitted a project for accessing 5 million euros in this respect. Still expecting the Bucharest response to the project approval.