Severin Medieval Fortress DROBETA-TRUNU SEVERIN

About Severin Medieval Fortress DROBETA-TRUNU SEVERIN

Severin Medieval Fortress has three possible origins: a Latin one, associated with the name of the emperor Septimius Severus Trajan, a Slavic one deriving from the word severnâi which means “from the north” and a religious one alluding to Severin from Noricum, patron saint of the Latin Church in the Middle Ages discovered in the perimeter of their ruins.

The citadel-fortress was built on the Danube shore, 500 meters from the Roman camp and Roman bridge built by Apollodorus of Damascus. In the nineteenth century, in this the area, a previous Dacian fortress was identified, which can be seen on Trajan's Column in Rome.
Archaeological excavations conducted throughout history, from 1936, concluded that the fortress was built in several stages. Its glory lasted from the XIII-th century until 1524, when it was destroyed by the Ottomans of Suleyman the Magnificent. Its existence was tied to the Knights of St. John who mentions it in their diploma as Zewrini Camp.

Severin Fortress has played an important role over time for Romanian Country, when the Hungarians attacked Oltenia, Andrew II of Hungary was to organize here the Banat of Severin.The first ruler mentioned by the history books around the year 1233 is Luca who apparently continued its construction over ruins of Drobeta colony.

In 1259 the Knights of St. John retire and its walls remain there for two centuries attacked by the Tatar, Bulgarian and Turkish cannons.
Through a project financed by the Regional Operational Programme 2007-2013, Drobeta Turnu Severin City Hall started reconstruction and preservation of the fortress, which will be completed in 2015. Then the Severin Fortress will have the pride given to it by its builders.