Agrișu Mare

Romania, Romania

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Agrișu Mare is a small village in Târnova commune, Arad County, western Romania, known for its historical significance tied to a medieval fortress called Cetatea de la Agrișu Mare.

Built between 1356 and 1375 by Andrei Kolcsei, comite of Zărand and Bekeș, on Dealul Cioaca hill about 500 meters west of the village, the stone fortress featured strong walls, a deep moat up to four meters wide, and an earth rampart, serving as a strategic buffer near Cetatea Șiria.

The area has Dacian roots from centuries I-III AD, with archaeological finds like a hoard of 132 Geto-Dacian silver coins discovered in 1880, and the village itself was first documented around 1214 for its vineyards. After ownership passed to figures like Andrei Tétényi in 1406 under King Sigismund, the castle was likely destroyed by Turks around 1555 and fell into ruin, leaving visible remnants today amid a landscape of ancient settlements.