Râșnov

For other uses, see Râșnov (disambiguation).
Râșnov
Town

Coat of arms

Location in Brașov County
Râșnov

Location in Brașov County

Coordinates: 45°35′36″N 25°27′37″E / 45.59333°N 25.46028°E / 45.59333; 25.46028Coordinates: 45°35′36″N 25°27′37″E / 45.59333°N 25.46028°E / 45.59333; 25.46028
Country  Romania
County Brașov County
Status Town
Government
 • Mayor Ioan Adrian Veștea (National Liberal Party)
Area
 • Total 164.36 km2 (63.46 sq mi)
Population (2002)
 • Total 15,466
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 • Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Website http://www.primariarasnov.ro/portal/index.php?lang=ro

Râșnov (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈrɨʃnov]; German: Rosenau; Hungarian: Barcarozsnyó; Transylvanian Saxon dialect: Rusnâ; Latin: Rosnovia) is a town in Brașov County, Romania with a population of under 16,000.

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
YearPop.±%
1956 7,974—    
1966 9,700+21.6%
1977 13,792+42.2%
1992 16,384+18.8%
2002 16,242−0.9%
2011 14,081−13.3%
Source: Census data
The clock tower and Râșnov Citadel in the background

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.[1] While the village was razed many times in its history by Tatars, Turks and Valachs, the castle was conquered only once, in 1612 by Gabriel Báthory.

In 1856, the Roman fort of Cumidava was discovered near the town.

In 2002, the Râșnov Citadel 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 Râşnov 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 in 2014, Katatonia being the first band confirmed.[2]

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.[3]

Two ski jumping events will take place in Râșnov, as part of the Women's Ski Jumping World Cup 2013/2014 competition. The events are scheduled for March 2014, on the "Valea Cărbunării" slope.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.siebenbuerger.de/ortschaften/rosenau/informationen/
  2. ↑ "Katatonia, prima confirmare pentru Rockstadt Extreme Fest 2014". puterea.ro.
  3. ↑ "Romania starts into the future". 2011-10-17.
  4. ↑ "Ski Jumping - FIS-SKI".

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Râșnov.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Râşnov.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, February 13, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.