The Fortress of Deva, in , is located in the city of Deva

Deva, Romania

Deva is a city in Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania, on the left bank of the Mureș River. It is the capital of Hunedoara County.-Name:...

, Hunedoara County

Hunedoara County

Hunedoara is a county of Romania, in Transylvania, with its capital city at Deva.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 485,712 and the population density was 69/km².*Romanians - 92%*Hungarians - 5%*Romas - 2%*Germans under 1%....

, Romania

Romania

Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...

, on top of a volcanic hill.

Position

The Fortress is located on a top of a volcanic hill, one of the last branches of Poiana Ruscă Mountains

Poiana Rusca Mountains

The Poiana Ruscă Mountains are a Carpathian mountain range in western Romania. Its highest summit is the Padeş, at 1,382 m. The Poiana Ruscă Mountains are situated roughly south of the river Mureş, northeast of the river Timiş and west of the river Strei...

. From the foot of the hill Deva city spreads out, beginning with Magna Curia

Magna Curia

Magna Curia or The Bethlen Castle is a palace located in Deva, Romania.-History:In 1582 the hungarian captain Ferenc Geszty, in charge with the Deva Castle's garrison, erected a house at the foot of the citadel hill...

and the public park. Nearby are located the lower funicular station (which is used by tourists to reach to fortress), and buildings of the most administrative institutions of the city: The Court House, The Prefecture, The County Hall, The Finance Administration, the old Police headquarters, The City Hall and two of the most oldest schools from Deva: Colegiul Național "Decebal" and Liceul Pedagogic.

History

The first evidence of the medieval Deva Fortress dates back to the second half of the 13th century, in 1269, when Stephen V

Stephen V of Hungary

Stephen V , was King of Hungary from 1270 to 1272.-Early years:...

, King of Hungary

King of Hungary

The King of Hungary was the head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 to 1918.The style of title "Apostolic King" was confirmed by Pope Clement XIII in 1758 and used afterwards by all the Kings of Hungary, so after this date the kings are referred to as "Apostolic King of...

 and Duke

Voivodeship

Voivodship is a term denoting the position of, or more commonly the area administered by, a voivod. Voivodeships have existed since medieval times in Poland, Romania, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia and Serbia....

 of Transilvania, mentioned "the royal castle of Deva" in a privilege-grant for the Count

Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary)

A county is the name of a type of administrative units in the Kingdom of Hungary and in Hungary from the 10th century until the present day....

 Chyl of Kelling

Câlnic, Gorj

Câlnic is a commune in Gorj County, Romania. It is composed of nine villages: Câlnic, Câlnicu de Sus, Didileşti, Găleşoaia, Hodoreasca, Pieptani, Pinoasa, Stejerei and Vâlceaua....

 .

From 1273 dates the first record about a military operation that involved The Fortress. Under its walls, the cumans

Cumans

The Cumans were Turkic nomadic people comprising the western branch of the Cuman-Kipchak confederation. After Mongol invasion , they decided to seek asylum in Hungary, and subsequently to Bulgaria...

 are defeated by Petrus Chak , who is rewarded for his victory by Ladislaus IV, King of Hungary. In his letter, Ladislaus IV mentioned the facts with the words: sub castro Dewa contra Cumanorum exercitur viriliter dimicavit.

At the end of the 13th century, The Deva Fortress is in the property of Ladislaus Kán, Voivode of Transylvania, who organised here a court besides the military garrison.