The bastion fortress called Alba Carolina at Alba Iulia is the largest fortress in Romania, standing for more than 300 years. The fortress is the place where you can go back in time, over two millennia, among the vestiges of three fortifications, from so many different eras. In other words, each fortress built here included the old one called:The Roman fort, the medieval fortress and the Alba Carolina fortress.
The last one was built in Alba Iulia at the beginning of the 18th century. The first project of the fortification was carried out by the Italian architect Giovanni Morando Visconti, who also led the first phase of the works. The architect died of plague and sleeps forever in the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Alba Iulia.
The role of the Fortress was a military one, of defense, given by the bastion system, by the typology of the artillery pieces with which it was equipped, as well as by the size of the troops existing inside it. The fortress was attacked only once in its military existence, but never conquered. The episode took place in 1849, when 8,000 Hungarian soldiers unsuccessfully besieged it.
The fortress of Alba Carolina has undergone spectacular changes in recent years, which make it increasingly visible on the tourist “cake” of Europe. In parallel with the restoration works, co-financed by European funds, the use of its exceptional cultural heritage was considered. The fortification is the place where cultural festivals take place, famous orchestras are heard, where top artists, Romanian and foreign, perform.