THE EARLY MEDIEVAL FORT FROM MOLDOVANESTI, CASTRUM TURDAWAR

If you embark on the adventure of discovering the fortifications of medieval Transylvania, one of the stops must, without a doubt, be at Moldovenești, in Cluj County. Here, on the right bank of the Aries River, on the hill northwest of the locality, a proud fortress stood in the early Middle Ages, which served as the center of Turda county until the 13th century.

Strategically located at an altitude of 460 m, the fortification had good visibility both to the west, over the mountains that accompany the narrow valley of Aries, and to the east, over Turda. Its role was, most likely, to ensure control over the gold deposits of the Ariesu valley, the Turda salt mines and the communication road with the gold centers in the Apuseni mountains.

Although the ruins of the fortification are no longer visible today, the experience from the perspective of the natural landscape is a special one.

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Brief historical foray

Moldovenești Fortress (Turdavár/ Várfalva) is one of the oldest fortified structures in Transylvania. Research carried out so far indicates the dating of the first constructive phase of the fortress at the earliest during the 11th century.

It is assumed that the fortress was destroyed by the Mongols during the invasion of 1241-1242 or 1284-1285. It is certain that, after the 13th century, the Moldovenești fortress was no longer in operation.

Architectural features

The Moldovenești fortress had an oval-irregular curtain wall, built in at least three constructive stages. If in a first phase the fortification system consisted of a wave of rammed earth and a complex wooden palisade, in the second phase, at the transition between the 11th and 12th centuries, an enclosure of shaped stone blocks was built, forming the faces of a wall with a thickness of 1.20 m and filled with earth and gravel.

In the third phase of the 12th century, a stone wall with a thickness of 3-4 m was built. The facades of the wall were made of parallelepiped or cubic blocks, and the filling was made of rough stones and stone chips tied with plaster mortar.

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Unique experiences

If you arrive in Moldovenesti, visit the Unitarian Church, dating back in the 13th century. There are also Unitarian churches in the villages of Bădeni and Plaiesti, and in Stejeriș you can see the Reformed-Calvin Church. In the villages of Bădeni and Podeni you will discover two wooden Orthodox churches from the second half of the 18th century.

If you love walking in nature, just a few kilometers away are the Borzești Gorges, known for their wild landscape and spectacular waterfalls.

From Moldovenești you can go to Turda Salt Mine or Turda Gorge, but also to the locality of Rimetea, famous for its unique architecture.