A Teutonic stronghold in the Carpathian Mountains

Abstract

The HiLands Project (2018-2022) brought the opportunity to investigate several main communication corridors within the Curvature Carpathians. At the northern end of Rucăr-Bran Pass we had a great surprise, finding in the woods three strongholds, just one kilometre west of Bran Castle. Several trips on the mountain and two short digging sessions uncovered two hillforts made by the Teutonic Order, and a third one, shortly after they left. Hidden in dense forests, they have been deserted and forgotten, not being recorded in any historical accounts. The two western strongholds are enclosed by a common outer palisade, as they were built and used together. They are rather small, each with two rows of palisades, separated by a large ditch. The eastern one firstly served as a chalk quarry for the above-mentioned buildings, but two or three generations later was turned into a fortification. The northern long side is made up by a bare cliff, almost vertical, the southern side is closed by a large palisade, with no ditch (as it was not necessary due to the strong slopes). The downside of our research is the almost complete lack of artefacts from the 13th century, the proposed chronology being based exclusively on C14 AMS technology. Such a situation fuelled the question whether the western complex could be one of the five attested Teutonic fortresses. Its position is outstanding, offering perfect visibility up to the Bran Pass (10 km southward) or down to the Râşnov fortress (12 km northward).