Râşnov

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.

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. 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.

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.

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Wikipedia