Oradea - Fortress - Fortification - Footbridge 01 ultra
Oradea’s Fortress is one of the few bastion forts of Romania. It has been and continues to be the emblem of Oradea and the center of cultural events.
Archeological research has established the location of this first urban settlement at the foundation of our current city of Oradea. The first construction was initially erected at the end of the 11th century on an island between the arms of Crișul Repede (the Rapid Criș) and Peța, a swampy, forested area. Here, in the area named Grădina Cerbilor (the Garden of Deers) was where King Ladislaus of Hungary used to go hunting. Here is where he also erected a building, a church whose patron saint was the Holy Virgin Mary.
In 1619, the Transylvanian prince Gabriel Bethlen commenced the construction, within the fortress, of a unique palace, with walls that ran parallel to the exterior walls of the stronghold and a tower in each of its five corners. The construction was carried out based on the project of Italian architect Giacoma Resti of Verona. After the death of Gabriel Bethlen, the construction works were resumed by Gheorghe Rákoczi I (1630-1648), and then Gheorghe Rákoczi II (1648-1660). The Princely Palace, which is unique in Transylvania, was completed in 1650 in a late Renaissance style, being considered the most beautiful ensemble of monuments in the Principality.
The trench circling the Fortress is reminiscent of the important defensive role that this construction was assigned, being difficult to conquer throughout the centuries. The trench was filled with thermal water from the Peța Rivulet, but also cold water from the Rapid Criș, being 4 m deep and 50 m wide, a factor that prevented the water from freezing, which could have led to the Fortress being conquered during wintertime.
Oradea - Fortress - Fortification - Footbridge 01 ultra
Oradea’s Fortress is one of the few bastion forts of Romania. It has been and continues to be the emblem of Oradea and the center of cultural events.
Archeological research has established the location of this first urban settlement at the foundation of our current city of Oradea. The first construction was initially erected at the end of the 11th century on an island between the arms of Crișul Repede (the Rapid Criș) and Peța, a swampy, forested area. Here, in the area named Grădina Cerbilor (the Garden of Deers) was where King Ladislaus of Hungary used to go hunting. Here is where he also erected a building, a church whose patron saint was the Holy Virgin Mary.
In 1619, the Transylvanian prince Gabriel Bethlen commenced the construction, within the fortress, of a unique palace, with walls that ran parallel to the exterior walls of the stronghold and a tower in each of its five corners. The construction was carried out based on the project of Italian architect Giacoma Resti of Verona. After the death of Gabriel Bethlen, the construction works were resumed by Gheorghe Rákoczi I (1630-1648), and then Gheorghe Rákoczi II (1648-1660). The Princely Palace, which is unique in Transylvania, was completed in 1650 in a late Renaissance style, being considered the most beautiful ensemble of monuments in the Principality.
The trench circling the Fortress is reminiscent of the important defensive role that this construction was assigned, being difficult to conquer throughout the centuries. The trench was filled with thermal water from the Peța Rivulet, but also cold water from the Rapid Criș, being 4 m deep and 50 m wide, a factor that prevented the water from freezing, which could have led to the Fortress being conquered during wintertime.