Câlnic Fortress

Câlnic, Romania, Romania

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Câlnic Fortress in Câlnic, Romania, is a well-preserved medieval structure built around 1270 by the local Saxon nobility as a noble residence with defensive features, later evolving into a fortified church complex used by the community. It features a massive rectangular keep surrounded by double walls up to 7 meters high, an oval precinct with defense towers including a southern bastion and a northwestern gate tower, a surrounding moat originally filled with water and spanned by a drawbridge, and an internal Roman Catholic chapel that became Lutheran after the Reformation. Located between Sibiu and Alba Iulia in Transylvania, it blends noble architecture with rural fortification styles, served as a refuge during invasions until 1430 when it passed to peasant control, and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site admired for its historical and architectural charm.