Râșnov

Râșnov (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈrɨʃnov]; German: Rosenau; Hungarian: Barcarozsnyó; Transylvanian Saxon dialect: Ruusenåå;[2] Latin: Rosnovia) is a town in Brașov County, Transylvania, Romania with a population of 15,022.

For other uses, see Râșnov (disambiguation).

Râșnov
Town
Coat of arms
Location in Brașov County
Râșnov Location in Romania
Coordinates: 45°35′36″N 25°27′37″E
Country	Romania
County	Brașov
Government
• Mayor	Liviu Butnaru (PNL)
Area	164.36 km^2 (63.46 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[1]	15,022
• Density	91/km^2 (240/sq mi)
Time zone	EET/EEST (UTC+2/+3)
Vehicle reg.	BV
Website	www.primariarasnov.ro

It is located at about 15 km from the city of Brașov and about the same distance from Bran, on the road that links Wallachia and Transylvania.

History

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1956	7,974	—
1966	9,700	+21.6%
1977	13,792	+42.2%
1992	16,384	+18.8%
2002	16,242	−0.9%
2011	15,022	−7.5%
Source: Census data

The Roman fort of Cumidava was discovered in 1856 near the town.

The castle of Râșnov was built in the years 1211-1225 by Teutonic Knights. Râșnov was mentioned for the first time in 1331 as Rosnou and again in 1388 as villa Rosarum.[3] While the village was razed many times in its history by Tatars, Turks and Wallachians, the castle was conquered only once, in 1612 by Gabriel Báthory.

In 2002, the Râșnov Fortress and surroundings were used during the shooting of several scenes from the American film Cold Mountain.

Myth

There is a myth attached to Râșnov Citadel. During a particularly long siege of the fortress, the citizens of Râșnov were concerned about the lack of available fresh drinking water. Two Turkish soldiers, having been captured earlier, were put to the task of digging a well in the centre of the fortress. These two men were assured that they would be given their freedom once the well was completed. According to local legend, it took them 17 years to finish the well, but they were still killed afterwards. This famous well still sits in the centre of Râșnov Fortress, and is 143 metres deep.

Culture

As of August 2013, Râșnov became the host of the first extreme metal festival in Romania, known as Rockstadt Extreme Fest which was held at the hill's base with the Râșnov Citadel. The festival featured bands such as Decapitated, Napalm Death, Gojira, Carach Angren, Septicflesh, Primordial among many others and it continues to this day.

Sports

Râșnov Sports Complex was built just outside the town in Cărbunarii Valley, for 2013 European Youth Winter Olympic Festival which was hosted in the nearby city of Brașov.[4]

Two ski jumping events took place in Râșnov, as part of the Women's Ski Jumping World Cup 2013/2014 competition. The events were scheduled for March 2014, on the "Valea Cărbunării" slope.[5] During the 2019–20 World Cup, both women and men have events in Râșnov.

See also

• List of castles in Romania
• Tourism in Romania
• Villages with fortified churches in Transylvania

References

1. "Populaţia stabilă pe judeţe, municipii, oraşe şi localităti componenete la RPL_2011" (in Romanian). National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
2. Rosenau
3. http://www.siebenbuerger.de/ortschaften/rosenau/informationen/
4. "Romania starts into the future". 2011-10-17.
5. "Ski Jumping - FIS-SKI".

External links

• The Râșnov Fortress
• Photos from Râșnov
• Fortress History
• Rockstadt Extreme Fest