The Rupea Fortress is located in center of Romania, in Brasov county at 500 meters altitude, in vicinity Olt River, national highway from Brasov to Cluj-Napoca and on the western side of Rupea city. The fortress was built on a basalt rocky hill.
In Dacian times, on the top of a basalt rock there was a fortress that is said to be named Ramidava (or Rumidava, in the other sources). During the XIV century, the Saxons found the fortress destroyed and they built on its ruins, on several steps, a peasant fortress (in 1324 is mentioned „Castrum Kuholm” where the refugees found a hidden place in the citadel running from the fury of the Hungarian king Robert Carol's army).
They named it the same name the local people used: Reps (much later the Hungarians named it Cohalom or Koholom, meaning "rock heap"). In the same time „reps” in latin language meaning cliff, or rocky slope. The used materials were basalt stone extracted from the rock, pariah stone, calcareous stone brought from the bounder of the village Cata and burnt brick.
The tile was used starting the XVIII century. The strengthening system consists of three parts:
- The Upper part of the Fortress, built before the German colonization;
- The Middle Fortress built in the XV century;
- The Lower part of the Fortress built in the XVIII century.
The fortress was built during the saxon rebellion against Hungary king Carol Robert of Anjou (1308-1342). Later, the local people added to the first construction three defense towers and two indoor yards, used as a refuge. In the first yard there was a 40 meters broad and its water didn't drop out ever and is still drinkable. In 1790, a strong storm destroyed the fortress roof, and since then the edifice was abandoned.
During the history, it was a refugee place for the population of the near villages, and it faced many Turkish and Tatar sieges.
