photo : alba-iulia.info
Built between the years 1715-1738 in Alba Iulia, a beautiful part of Romania situated in Alba county, the fortress is the most representative fortified citadel from Romania of a type named "Vauban".
It was built after the plans of an architect named Giovanni Morando Visconti. The citadel has seven bastions and it has all the elements of fortification adapted to the military techniques of the time mentioned.
The entry can be made through six gates decorated with statues and reliefs made by sculptors who were led by Johhan Konig. The building is apreciated in many parts of the world because the whole ensemble is made after the most significant sets of plastic and baroque art from Transilvania.
The first gate of the citadel, situated in the eastern part of the ensemble was built in a shape of tiuph arch provided with three openings.
The third monumental gate is the most important sculptural ensemble of the fortress. The prismatic building has is decorated figurative, anthropomorphic, zoomorphic and vegetal, after inspirations from the battlefield scenery.
Between the citadel's walls were held the most important events from the history of the Romanian people: the epilogue of the Horea's revolt, the great unification of Transilvania with Romania in 1918, on December 1.
