Cetatea Almaşului (Ruine)

The Almaș Fortress, located near the village of Almașu in Sălaj County, was built between 1247 and 1278. It is considered one of the oldest and most solid medieval fortifications in Transylvania.

The first documentary mention of the fortress appears in 1370, when King Louis the Great offered it as a donation to the magister Bebek György, together with his sons, Imre and Detre, as well as to their grandsons, György, László and Ferenc. Throughout the 15th and 16th centuries, the fortress was the scene of several sieges, generated by the confrontations between the Transylvanian nobility and the King of Hungary. During the 15 Years' War, General Basta surrounded the fortress, promising the defenders freedom in exchange for surrender. However, after the fortress was surrendered, Basta's soldiers massacred the inhabitants.

In the period 1545-1546, the fortress was owned by the ruler of Moldavia, Petru Rareș.

After being abandoned and falling into ruin, the fortress was rebuilt in 1627 by the noble Csaky family. However, in 1662, the fortress was again besieged and destroyed.

The last major siege of the fortress took place in 1658, when it was attacked by Tatars coming from the direction of Cluj, heading towards the Meseșană Gate. They enslaved the local population and set fire to the fortress, which has not been rebuilt since then, remaining in ruins.

The ruins of the fortress are included in the List of Historical Monuments in Sălaj County in 2004, under the identification number 324, with the LMI code SJ-II-a-A-05009, being mentioned as the Almaș Fortress (ruins) from the 13th century, rebuilt in 1627.

The remains of the Almaș Fortress in Almașu are located at a distance of approximately 1500 meters from the village.

Sursa: ro.wikipedia.org