Devei Citadel

Deva Fortress – One of Transylvania’s Most Important Medieval Strongholds

Deva Fortress is considered one of the most significant medieval fortifications in Transylvania. Over the centuries, it was ruled by voivodes, princes, counts, and duchesses. It was gifted, sold, and even bombarded. Each ruler left their mark—an extra defensive wall, a new chamber, a grand ballroom, or even an entire additional floor. They wanted it to serve not just as a defensive structure or occasional meeting place but as a luxurious residence.

Today, its ruins are visible from afar, thanks to its strategic position atop a hill overlooking the Mureș Valley and the main artery linking Romania to Central and Western Europe. The fortress was built in the 13th century, but traces of habitation are much older, with discoveries dating back to the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. The first documented mention of Deva Fortress dates to 1269.

Legends of fairies and golden-haired maidens—inevitably sisters—who ruled the most beautiful places in Hunedoara County also surround Deva Fortress. But these tales belong to a distant past, recounted by grandparents to their grandchildren on winter nights by the fireside.

Tangible evidence of settlement on Fortress Hill dates back to the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. Later, the Dacians certainly had defensive fortifications here, along with an observation point offering sweeping views of the Mureș Valley, part of the Strei Valley, and the Pădureni Land.

The Roman conquerors recognized its potential and reinforced the hilltop fortifications. This was no surprise, as the trade route connecting the empire—known as the “salt road”—ran right at the foot of the hill. The Mureș Basin flourished economically during this period.

The waves of migrating peoples who destroyed everything in their path drove the inhabitants to safer places, and Deva’s fate remained unknown—until the second half of the 13th century. In 1269, Deva Fortress appears in a donation document issued by the young King Stephen, son of Béla IV, who granted it to a Wallachian count for his bravery in battle beneath the fortress walls. Later, in 1444, John Hunyadi took possession of Deva Fortress and its riches: 56 villages and gold mines. During his time, the town of Deva at the foot of the hill was first mentioned in written records. The Corvin family’s rule over the fortress and its domain ended in 1504.

From then on, Deva Fortress played a key role in Transylvania’s history. Transylvanian voivodes and princes either lived here or were guests for short stays.

In the second half of the 17th century, Prince Gabriel Bethlen built a bastion inside the fortress that served as a prison and torture chamber. At its base, he constructed a Renaissance-style residential palace: the Magna Curia Palace.

On May 2, 1773, Joseph, the future Habsburg Emperor, visited Deva Fortress during his travels through Transylvania. Ten years later, he returned as sovereign to assess the situation and gauge the mood of the locals.

A year later, in 1784, the uprising led by Horea, Cloșca, and Crișan erupted, and Deva Fortress became a refuge for nobles fleeing their estates in fear of the rebellious peasants and miners. Fierce battles took place between the imperial garrison and the insurgents.

Around 1817, Emperor Francis I and his wife, impressed by the beauty of the fortress during their visit to Transylvania, ordered its restoration. The works lasted 12 years, carried out at great expense and with much sacrifice from the locals.

But on the morning of August 13, 1849, a massive explosion in the gunpowder storage destroyed much of the fortress. Along with parts of the walls, the revolutionary soldiers guarding it also perished.

Since then, the fortress has been a magnet for locals and travelers who climb the hill on foot—either via the old road or local trails—or, for a fee, by taking a cable car (a unique mono-cable lift in this part of Europe).

Today, Deva Fortress is undergoing extensive restoration as part of a European-funded project set for completion in early 2015.