Colt Fortress

The fortification is the main attraction of Rausorului valley which it dominates from above the monastery in Colti-Suseni. During clear, shiny days, its shape can be seen from far away, from the center of Hateg valley. In order to reach the ruin, one must follow the paths going left before the driveway bridge. The road up is not marked and it takes approximately a half hour. An alternative route is to take the educational trail leaving from Nucsoara Village which has been marked by those from Retezat National Park Administration until the fortress, which has informative panels along the way about the life in the region.
The ruin is only accessible from the east, where the path follows the ancient  defensive ditch that used to isolate it from the rest of the rocky plateau. The keep is the most impressive among the preserved elements. It stands on the rocky peak that lent the fortification its name (Colti, in romanian – “peak” or “fang”). The name is unique among the fortifications from Hateg and Transylvania in general, being only ancient Romanian name given to a fortification erected by Romanians.
The owners were the Romanian cnezi, later on nobles, from Rau de Mori village. The main branch of the family, having a certain Cande as ancestor, took on the name Kendeffy in the end of the fifteen century. The family has a long history in the district, being the one to initiate most of the social, cultural, and religious novelties during almost two centuries.

The keep was the first element of the fortification to be built. Three of its floors have been preserved until today. It was already built in the end of the 14 century, probably soon after the royal fortification in Hateg. One cannot precisely date the time when the earliest curtain walls were built.
Only the last phase of major renewals can be dated back to the second half of the sixteen century. The most vulnerable point of the fortification was then reinforced with two bastions that could also fit cannons.
Further data on the fortification only appear towards the middle of the seventeenth century, when its inhabitants bought their peace from the Turks who had arrived from Banat.
Even if the monument has degraded during time, with several fragments of the curtain wall collapsing over the cliff, the preserved walls, the impressive location, and the renown of the Kendeffy family contributed to the creation of romantic legends that found their way into high literature as well. The most famous is Jules Verne’s “Castle in the Carpathians”.

Location: Suseni, Rau de Mori, Hunedoara County, Romania.