Dacian Fortresses of the Orastie Mountains

Hidden in the dense forests of the Carpathians, Sarmizegetusa Regia is one of the oldest, most surprising, and mysterious historical attractions in Romania. The capital of ancient Dacia, this site was the core of the Dacian defensive system before the Roman conquest from the 2nd century AD.

     The ancient site reached its greatest development under King Decebalus, before the Roman conquest from the early 2nd century AD. 

    The victorious Romans extended the fortifications on a surface three times larger than before but abandoned the site after building their new capital at Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa.

   Very few ruins remain today from the ancient Dacian capital and many questions remain unanswered. The archaeological research from the 20th century brought to light three distinct structures: the sacred area, the fortifications, and the civil housing area. The discovered artifacts – water supply systems, ceramics, thousands of iron objects – indicate the life of a flourishing ancient community.

      Historic Centre of Sighişoara

    Founded by German craftsmen and merchants known as the Saxons of Transylvania, Sighişoara is a fine example of a small, fortified medieval town which played an important strategic and commercial role on the fringes of central Europe for several centuries.

     The Historic Centre of Sighisoara is a well preserved small medieval city built by Saxon settlers. It was strategically placed on a hill, City Hill, as protection against Tatars and other invaders from the steppes in the East.

It was included on the UNESCO list in 1999.

    The city played an important commercial role due to its guilds of craftsmen and its position on the trade routes between Central Europe and the Ottoman Empire. It is estimated that during the 16th and the 17th centuries Sighisoara had as many as 15 guilds and 20 handicraft branches.

   Both the Upper Town (Citadel) and Lower Town are included. The Citadel is surrounded by a wall with watchtowers, of which 9 out of the original 14 are still standing. A Clock Tower guards the stairway that connects the Lower with the Upper Town.