A trip to the fortress described by Jules Verne in his book, “Castle of the Carpathians”, takes only 20 to 30 minutes and offers a splendid view! Once there, you will want to stay as much as possible and sink in the scene. Built-in the 14th century, the fortress is one of the main attractions of its area. To those who don’t want to put in the effort, the fortress can be seen from the Colț monastery.
Being associated with the name of Jules Verne, the fortress is becoming more and more popular attracting an increasing number of tourists.
Jules Verne: “The wildest domain of Transilvania, Țara Pădurilor”
. The domain was described by Jules Verne in his book. It is said to be a “fertile land”, overflowing with trees. It stretches over 60 thousand kilometres squared, over 6 million hectares. Platforms suitable for sowing, grassland, capriciously drawn valleys, Transylvania is beset by numerous streams that increase the Tisza and the proud Danube.
Defence tower with a landscape.
Besides the details that perfectly describe Valea Jiului, the argument that shows the fact that Jules Verne was speaking in fact about the Colţ fortress, is the image shown on the cover of the book’s first edition. Moreover, the head of the village situated near the fortress was named “Coltz”. The fortress was built in the 14th century by the Cândea family. The villagers say that they converted to catholicism and the name was given Hungarian influences and changed to Kendeffy. The fortress was used as a defence and control point( similar to the one in Mălăiești) but also for refuge in case of attack. There were two or three persons that would server the Cândea family in case of emergency, while the tower had the minimum amount of water and food.
If you decide to embark on the tracks that lead to the fortress, even though a little hard for inexperienced people, you will be met with a great panorama that will compensate all the hard work up until that point. Plus, you’ll have another high-rank objective visited on the map of Hunedoara county!
https://www.gohunedoara.com/

Colț Fortress

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The Mălăiești fortress is an ensemble of historical monuments located in the village with the same name, in the Sălașu de Sus commune. Specialists describe it as a donjon-like fortress, with a circular enclosure to which 4 polygonal towers were added. It is said to be built by the Sărăcin family as an observation and defence point. In the first two decades of the 14th century, the donjon and the stone enclosure were built. After that, they were elevated. In 1588 the 4 towers were added. It is said to be left abandoned in the 17th century.
The road towards Nucșoara
The fortress can be found on the hiking trail towards the Retezat mountains. It is the first fortress in Romania that was entirely rehabilitated after 1989. Some people say, however, that the rehabilitation did not take into account its real history. Nevertheless, this still helped and made the fortress a main attraction point for tourists who go to Nucșoara. The access is possible through Ohaba de Sub Piatră and Sălașu de Sus.
A fortress with 6 levels
There is a paved alley that leads to the fortress. In total, it has 6 levels and a bridge that leads to the donjon. The donjon could house 10 to 20 people while the lower levels were used to store provisions. Today, the Mălăiești fortress hosts armours, weapons, shields, blazons and Corvinilor’s emblem. The legend says that the Sărăcin family was amongst the most trustworthy ones.
The Fortress’ history
The fortress was built in the 14th century by the Sărăcin family. Initially, it was only a donjon, to which were later added defence walls and towers. The donjon served as a shelter and shooting point. It was 11 metres high with walls that were 1.50 metres thick. The entrance was placed on the western side on the first floor. It was a ladder that could be pulled up in case of an attack. The rehabilitation project cost 7,6 million leis, with its largest part being European funds. The project, challenged by some historians, partially rebuilt the fortress, rebuilt the whole donjon, but also included the access roads and a parking lot, an architectural lighting installation, the purchase of medieval exhibits and the amphitheatre on the plateau upstream.
https://www.gohunedoara.com/

The Mălăiești Fortress

Colonia Ulpia Traiana Augusta Dacica Sarmizegetusa was the capital and the largest city of Roman Dacia, later named Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa after the former Dacian capital, located some 40 km away. Built on the ground of a camp of the Fifth Macedonian Legion, the city was settled by veterans of the Dacian wars. From the very beginning it received the title of colonia and the status of ius Italicum. With an area of 30 hectares (74 acres; 0.12 sq mi), a population between 20,000 and 25,000,[citation needed] and strong fortifications, Ulpia Traiana was the political, administrative and religious centre of Roman Dacia in the 2nd and 3rd centuries.
The city was destroyed by the Goths. Today Ulpia Traiana remains in ruins, with a partly preserved forum, an amphitheatre, and remnants of several temples.
History
The exact period when the city was built is not known. Some say the first settlement was erected between 106-107, others say it was between 108-110. However, due to an inscription discovered at the beginning of the 14th century in the village of Grădişte, it is known that the new town was settled in the first years after the conquest of Dacia. The inscription reads: "On the command of the emperor Caesar Nerva Traianus Augustus, son of the divine Nerva, was settled the Dacian Colony by Decimus Terentius Scaurianus, its governor."
In Rome, the settlement of the colony was marked by the minting of a coin, by order of the Senate, dedicated to emperor Trajan.
During the reign of Hadrian the city was renamed Colonia Ulpia Traiana Augusta Dacica Sarmizegetusa. Between 222 and 235 the colony was called a metropolis. The name was found on a stone inscription that reads "To Gaius Arrius Quadratus, son of Gaius, acting praetor of the emperor in Colonia Ulpia Traiana Augusta Dacica Sarmizegetusa." Gaius Arrius Antoninus bore the title legatus pro praetore, which was the official title of the governor of some imperial provinces of the Roman Empire.
Location
The settlement was built at a distance of 8 km from Tapae, a pass between Banat and Transylvania (today known as the Iron Gates of Transylvania). The choice was based on the military and economic advantages given by the natural barrier represented by the Retezat Mountains in the south and Poiana Ruscă Mountains in the north. The territory of the metropolis extended from Tibiscum to Micia and to the Jiu canyon, the city being protected by several castra: Tibiscum, Pons Augusti, Micia and castra of Bumbești.
The city was crossed by the imperial road from the Danube that linked the north of the province with Porolissum (Moigrad).
Archeological site
Today, the archeological site contains the following remains:
Amphitheatre
Gladiator school
Goddess Nemesis Temple
Liber Pater Temple
Gods Aesculapius and Hygieia Temple
Temple Basilica
Temple of god Mithra
Temple of palmyrans
Great Temple
God Silvanus Temple
Glass blowers' workshops
Horreum
Financial procurator's office
Thermae
Forum

Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa

Unfortunately, data about the history of the origins of the Pogány-castle are very incomplete. The building without outstanding artistic values, has been neglected by the art historians. It is only presumed, that this property belonged to the Pogány family from Clopotiva in the 19th century, especially Pogány György, and his son, Pogány Károly can be assumed to have had close connections to this castle.
György was still a student in the 1830s at Aiud, but already before the revolution from 1848, he had become the vice-count of Alba de Jos County. He was the one, who captured Varga Katalin, the leader of the mineworkers’ movement from the “Metaliferi” Mountains in 1847. In 1858 he became a judge, and in 1961 ha was already the count of the Alba de Jos County. His son, Károly (1848-1925) was born in Aiud, he finished his primary and secondary education in his hometown, and then he attended the law school in Budapest. Between the years 1875-1901 he was elected member of the Parliament several times.
The two-storey castle, with a mansard roof and corner-tower, lies on an 18 acred estate, in the middle of a park established in the second half of the 19th century. The park is crossed by a river, and near the castle one can find a fishpond as well. The building, which has an irregular ground-plan, has been constructed in several phases. The castle in its today’s form was most probably built in the second half of the 19th century by rebuilding and complementing an already existing part of the edifice dating from the 18th century. After the nationalization process, the building hosted the office of a rehabilitation center for handicapped children. The latest partial renovation processes took place in the 1990s, but the building still needs more work to be done.
The estate has been restored to the family’s living offspring, Pogány György, who is living in Aiud.
https://castleintransylvania.ro/

Pogány Castle in Păclișa

The Eclectic castle was built around 1872. The two-storey building has an oblong ground plan. Its design was inspired by the medieval knight’s castles, as reflected by the scalloped pediment on its west façade. For several decades, the castle was owned by the Naláczy family, but according to the legend, the Naláczy family had so many debts to the Nopcsa family von Felső-Szilvás that in return, this estate was sequestered by the defamed Baron Nopcsa (III.) László (Fatia Negra - "Black Face").
In 1872, the administration of the property was taken over by the Baron's younger son, (IV) Elek. He was the one who built the castle, moved here and performed modern agricultural works, for example he was the first to bring a threshing machine to Hunedoara County. Elek's first son, the adventurer (V.) Ferenc, whose name is linked to the attempts of becoming a king or spy abroad, thanks to his significant results in the field of paleontology, was considered to be a great scientist. Besides being the one who discovered the fossils of the dinosaur Magyarosaurus dacust, in 1903 he became a member of the Austro-Hungarian espionage services. While working on arming the tribes of Albania, he wrote an ethnography of Albania, in four volumes. In 1923, at the Conference in Trieste, he appeared self-proclaiming heir to the Albanian throne, but this was not accepted by the Great Powers who did not want a Nopcsa family member to take over the throne, nor the Monarchy. In 1916, he finished his mission in Albania, continuing its well-known activity in Romania. Thus, disguised in a nomad shepherd, he established a spy ring. He was unveiled by his supervisor, who was a double agent. At the time of proclamation of the Soviet Republic, Baron Nopcsa hijacked an airplane and left the country.
In 1920, the Geological Institute of Romania proposed him to join them, but the baron rejected this offer and returned to Săcel, where the rebel peasants beat him almost to death. The head wound he obtained at that time was not healed, this being the time when he began to suffer from neurological disorders. Between 1925-1929, Nopcsa Ferenc became the director of the Institute of Geology in Budapest. In 1933 he suffered a severe depression, after which he shot his friend and secretary Bajazid Elmaz Doda. After committing this fact, the baron committed suicide and being no data about his brother, (V.) Elek, it is supposed that all the male descendants of the family disappeared. In 1908, his sister Ilona (1883-1963) became the wife of Count Albert Pallavicini and moved to Italy. The heirs do not request the restitution of the castle. The main façade is defined by a central, bastion-like avant-corps, whose supporting walls and pillars, respectively crenels, refer, as well as the western façade, to historical times. The main entrance is under the arcade on the ground floor, and the arcade from upstairs leads from the porch into the park. On the pyramid roof, located above the avant-corps, there is a dragon-shaped weather vane.  The  main façade contains jack arched windows and above the upstairs windows there are Tudor-style eyebrow arch lintels.The western façade and the octagonal tower has broken arched windows.
Today, the building is deserted, looted, with falling plaster, broken windows and no furniture. The castle is owned by the Hunedoara County Council, and although, not a long time ago, it was used as a special school, today it is no longer in use.
https://castleintransylvania.ro/

Nopcsa Castle (Săcel)

Castelul Nalatzi-Fay din Nălațvad, județul Hunedoara a fost construit în secolul XIX. Ansamblul castelului Nalatzi-Fay cuprinde și un parc dendrologic, aflat în paragină ca și clădirea castelului. Figurează pe lista monumentelor istorice sub codul LMI: HD-II-a-A-03369.
Istoric și trăsături
Castelul a fost construit de György Teleki și de soția acestuia, Ilona Kendeffy, în a doua jumătate a secolului al XIX-lea și era înconjurat de un parc deondrologic. Dintre cei trei copii ai cuplului, Blanka s-a căsătorit în 1888 cu Viktor Fáy, ei fiind proprietarii domeniului la începutul secolului al XX-lea.
Era o clădire cu două nivele, cu un acoperiș înalt de tip mansardă, însă ferestrele de la mansardă au fost demontate, iar ulterior acoperișul a fost modificat. Clădirea centrală a castelului, de formă dreptunghiulară, are anexate trei turnuri cu trei nivele. Cel mai subțire se află pe fațada principală și este asimetric. Celelalte două turnuri se află la colțurile fațadei posterioare. Ferestrele clădirii centrale, aflate la parter, nu au ornamente, iar cele de la etaj au coronament de fereastră. Toate cele trei turnuri au în prezent un acoperiș simplu, de formă piramidală. Turnulețele aflate deasupra ferestrelor de la mansarda clădirii principale au fost înlăturate. În secolul XX, clădirile anexe aflate în spatele castelului au suferit modificări semnificative, căpătând forma actuală.
În august 1948, castelul nobililor Fay și grădinile sale au fost naționalizate și date în folosință, pentru următorii 50 de ani, Liceului Agricol din Timișoara.
Atât exteriorul, cât și interiorul castelului se află într-o stare foarte avansată de degradare, ruinele fiind obiectul unui litigiu în instanțe între statul român, respective Consiliul Local Hațeg, și preupușii moștenitori ai lui Victor și Blanka Fay, ultimii nobili care au avut în proprietate castelul.

Nalatzi-Fay Castle

Kendeffy Castle is located in Sântămăria Orlea, Hunedoara County, being built by the Kendeffy family in 1782. Kendeffy was a family of very rich nobles at that time, who needed a residence in Țara Hațegului. The beautiful building was nationalized in 1946 by the communists, and in 1982 the castle was taken over by the Hunedoara county administration and transformed into a hotel. The castle is listed on the list of historical monuments in Hunedoara County (2010). Kendeffy Castle is one of the most beautiful castles in Transylvania and was built in 1782 by Count Elek Kendeffy, a member of a family of very rich nobles. The access can be made from the national road Simeria - Hațeg - Petroșani that crosses the village Sântămăria-Orlea, in the center of the village on the right on the road to Vadu and Săcel. The castle is private property.
The history of the Kendeffy family
The Kendeffy family was of Cumanian origin, the first documentary attestation of which dates from 1236. Ioan, son of Kende from Râu de Mori, was exempted from any princely service by the Transylvanian voivode in 1406, and in 1415 he already had noble privilege. King Sigismund gives a coat of arms to the aforementioned Ioan.
Ioan had two sons, so the family split into two branches, the Kendeffy and the Kenderessy. Both brothers received the broadsword right from King Matthias Corvinus. The raising of the family politically and economically was possible especially through marriages, carried out with members of the families of high nobles, in this way the Kendeffy family procured large estates in the southern part of Hunedoara county, in the Haţeg region. The family owned three imposing residences in the area, including the castle from Sântămăria-Orlea, which had several construction phases. The first written proof of the constructions made at Sintămăria-Orlea is a contract from 1777, referring to the construction of the building. The commemorative plaque placed above the main entrance, which marks the date of 1782, also refers to this construction phase.
The beauty of the castle - past and present
Kendeffy Castle is located near the center of the village, rising above the road that connects the villages of Râu de Mori and Sântămăria-Orlea. The building has an almost rectangular plan and is composed of three units, and draws attention mainly due to its monumental tower. The castle, placed on a height delimited by a parapet built of stone and brick, and accessible by two ramps, has a predominantly neo-Gothic aspect, through the following architectural elements: the tower, the battlemented railing, vials, broken arched windows, the small balcony, and due to its asymmetrical composition. The old furniture of the castle has almost completely disappeared. Based on the written inventories and the few photographs from the period, it can be said that at the end of the 19th century carved oak pieces of furniture dominated, and in the rooms with representative function (such as the living room and the smoking room), on In addition to the pretentious furniture, a series of art objects, books, weapons, game trophies were on display. Using coats of arms and painted shields, the interiors tried to evoke the Middle Ages, this trend joining organically the romantic way in which the facades of the building were designed.
https://www.gohunedoara.com/