Kelling
The Count's Fortress in Kelling (Câlnic) – a medieval jewel.
The small village lies in the Transylvanian Unterwald, 15 kilometres from Mühlbach (Sebeș).
The fortress was built in the 13th century as an aristocratic residence. Count Chyl of Kelling had a residential tower built for himself in the village. According to the customs of the time, it was surrounded by massive walls and a moat. The relationship between the count's family and the villagers was not the best, so the last hereditary count sold the residential fortress to the village community. As the new owners of the fortress, the villagers built a new ring of inner walls, a chapel and three defensive towers. Two of these towers can be visited today. In the chapel, fragments of frescoes from the 16th century have been preserved. On the western side there is a wooden gallery painted in the Renaissance style from 1733.
An extremely valuable object in the Evangelical church is the organ, built in Vienna in 1867 and still in operation.
Each year this distinctive landmark of the village, which is part of the World Cultural Heritage, is visited by over 50,000 tourists.
The Count's Fortress is one of the last surviving count's fortresses in Transylvania.
360° Panorama
Panorama 1Panorama 2Author:
Zîmța Andreea
Date: 18.12.2017
For photos from Kelling, please click: Photos from Kelling