Șcheia Fortress

Romania, Romania

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Șcheia Fortress, also called Suceava West Fortress, sits on the terminal spur of Septilici Hill at 384 meters elevation near Suceava city in northeastern Romania, overlooking the Suceava plain from over 80 meters high.

Built at the late 14th century's end by Moldavian ruler Petru I Mușat as part of the region's anti-Ottoman defense network alongside lordly courts and monasteries, it formed a rhombus-shaped enclosure roughly 36 meters long with 1,300 square meters of fortified surface, including towers amid an inner court of about 260 square meters.

Dismantled early 15th century by Alexander the Good before full completion, only ruins remain today from this short-lived stronghold, confirmed by mid-20th-century archaeological digs.