Câlnic, Alba

Câlnic (German: Kelling; Hungarian/Turkish: Kelnek) is a commune in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania, composed of two villages, Câlnic and Deal (Dál). Câlnic village is known for its castle, which is on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites.

Câlnic
Commune
Câlnic Citadel
Câlnic Citadel
Location in Alba County
Location in Alba County
Câlnic is located in Romania
Câlnic
Câlnic
Location in Romania
Coordinates: 45°53′10″N 23°39′11″E
CountryRomania
CountyAlba
Population
 (2021-12-01)[1]
1,810
Time zoneEET/EEST (UTC+2/+3)
Vehicle reg.AB

The castle
Main court of the Câlnic castle. The building to the left is the chapel. Behind the wall, hills surrounding the village and the castle can be seen.
Main court

Câlnic Citadel, first mentioned in 1269, is very well preserved. Built as a noble's residence, it was bought in 1430 by local peasants and fortified. It consists of a large court surrounded by walls and some buildings adjacent to the walls. In the middle of the court there is a large donjon as well as a chapel. The castle differs from most other constructions of this type in that it is not situated on a hilltop but rather in a depression, much lower than the surrounding hills. This position, clearly inconvenient in case of a siege, can be explained by the castle's first function as a residence, not meant as a defensive construction.

Outside view of the castle

See also

Bibliography

Liviu Stoica, Gheorghe Stoica, Gabriela Popa - Castles & fortresses in Transylvania: Alba County / Castele și cetăți din Transilvania: Județul Alba, Cluj-Napoca, 2009, ISBN 978-973-0-06141-3

References
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Câlnic.
  1. "Populaţia rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021" (XLS). National Institute of Statistics.
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