Suceava Fortress

The Fortress of the Throne was begun in the late fourteenth century and enlarged by Stephen the Great, who wrapped the original core in a thick outer wall with round bastions and dug a deep ditch, creating a fortress that resisted repeated Ottoman and Polish sieges. It served as the seat of the Moldavian princes while Suceava was the capital. Blown up in the seventeenth century on Ottoman orders, it lay abandoned for about three hundred years; the Austrian architect Karl Adolf Romstorfer raised its walls from ruin at the turn of the twentieth century, and a major restoration with European funds from 2015 rebuilt roofs, rooms, the chapel and the bridge, and filled the interiors with reconstructed furnishings, costumed figures and interpretation. It is now one of the most visited monuments in Moldavia. The hill also holds a park and an open-air village museum below, and from the walls the view runs across the city to the hills of Bucovina.

History

Petru Mușat built the castle in the late 14th century, and Alexander I and Stephen the Great strengthened it as the seat of the princes of Moldavia. It lost that role when Alexandru Lăpușneanu moved the capital to Iași in 1565 and was later left for about 300 years, until the Austrian architect Karl Adolf Romstorfer raised its walls from ruin at the turn of the 20th century; restoration with European Union funds started in 2015 (Wikipedia, Medieval Seat Fortress of Suceava).

What you'll find

• The rebuilt interiors - halls, chapel and chambers restored and furnished.
• The outer bastions - Stephen the Great's artillery-era ring and ditch.
• The approach bridge - a long timber bridge across the ditch to the gate.
• City and hill views - Suceava and the Bucovina country from the walls.

When to go

April to October for the best conditions, though it opens year-round with shorter winter hours. Summer weekends and school holidays are busy. The park below is pleasant in autumn. Evening light on the walls is good.

What to expect

The recent restoration is extensive and much of what you walk through is new construction with mannequins and reconstructed rooms, which divides opinion sharply. Interpretation is largely in Romanian. The walk up from the centre is steep. It is a family-oriented site in high season and can be noisy.

Nearby

The Bucovina painted monasteries lie west; Putna is northwest.

Key facts