The ALBA CAROLINA fortress is a fortress with VAUBAN type bastions built at the beginning of the 18th century in the medieval town of ALBA IULIA on the CITADEL HILL, having the role of a strategic fortification to defend the Habsburg Empire against the military efforts of the Ottoman Empire and to consolidate the Habsburg power locally.
   Prior to the era in which it was built, there were 2 other previous fortifications in the same place:
    • The ROMAN FORT of the XIIIth Legion GEMINA (106 CE) and
    • The MEDIEVAL FORTRESS of BĂLGRAD (16th-17th centuries).
   The necessary land (140 ha) was freed between 1713-1715 by the demolition of the old medieval city, which had to be moved to the eastern part of the fortress (the current lower city).
   The fortification was built with materials from the area, the rough work being performed in two-week series by over 20,000 Romanian serfs, brought from all over TRANSYLVANIA.