Cetatea regala a Hategului

Romania, Romania

---

Cetatea Regală a Hațegului, situated near Hațeg in Hunedoara County, Romania, was a small 13th-14th century royal fortress built by Hungarian kings atop a hill at about 490 meters altitude to assert control, surveillance, and taxation over the predominantly Romanian Hațeg region. Featuring a hexagonal donjon tower with 3-4 levels and walls nearly 3 meters thick, an enclosing curtain wall, a horseshoe-shaped moat with earth rampart, and strategic views over key passes like Merișor, it served military, economic, and punitive roles until destroyed by Ottoman forces in 1420 and partially rebuilt under John Hunyadi before passing to the Cândea family. Today, only ruins of the donjon remain amid forests, accessible via marked trails, symbolizing medieval power dynamics in Transylvania's heartland.