RUPEA FORTRESS (Romanian: Cetatea Rupea, in Latin rupes meaning "cliff",or "cleft stone".) is a medieval fortress and first mentioned by a 1324 document. It is situated on a 120 m high basalt cliff, to the west of the town of RUPEA in ROMANIA, on 70 km from BRAȘOV, on the road to SIGHIȘOARA. It was restored in 2010–2013.
   RUPEA FORTRESS stands on one of the oldest archaeological sites in ROMANIA, the first signs of human settlements dating from the Paleolithic and Early Neolithic (5500 BC–3500 BC).
  In Dacian times, on these places was raised the dava known as RUMIDAVA or RAMIDAVA; conquered by the Romans, RUMIDAVA became the Roman castra RUPES.
   In the 14th century it had a key strategic role, being the main linking point between the 3 Romanian provinces: TRANSYLVANIA, MOLDAVIA and WALLACHIA.
  Between 1432 and 1437 the fortress was attacked and robbed by Turks, and finally abandoned in 1643 after a devastating fire turned it into ruins.
   During the plague of 1716, the fortress was used as a refuge for those who were not affected by the the plague. In 1788 as a refuge against Turkish invasion.
   The fortress was finally abandoned in 1790.
  After that, the fortress was left in ruins until 1990, when the local authorities decided to seekfunds for the restoration..
   The work took three years, and the fortress was reopened to the public on 15 June 2013.
  Today, the fortress is an important tourist attraction, being visited annually by over 150,000 tourists.