Zanelor Citadel

Covasna, Romania, Romania

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Zanelor Citadel (Cetatea Zânelor), near Covasna in Romania, is a major Dacian fortress built in the 2nd century BC on a mountain peak at around 900 meters altitude, strategically positioned at the crossroads of trade routes linking southeast Transylvania to Moldavia and Wallachia. Covering over 3 hectares with an acropolis, four fortified terraces, defensive and retaining walls up to 2.5 meters thick made of sandstone slabs, and a bastion, it served politico-military roles for surveillance and control before destruction under Burebista, grand reconstruction in the late 1st century BC, and final burning during the Roman-Dacian wars of the 2nd century AD. Excavated since 1942 with major work in 1998 revealing ceramics, tools, jewelry, weapons, and coins, its impressive ruins—exposed further by a 1995 storm—now inspire local fairy legends tied to hidden treasures, accessible via a moderate 2.5 km forest hike.