Castle & fortressTransylvania

Black Tower in Brașov: the lookout blackened by lightning

The Black Tower (Turnul Negru) is a medieval watchtower standing on a rocky spur of the hill above the old town of Brașov, in central Romania. Built around 1460 as part of the town’s outer defences, it was struck by lightning, burnt, rebuilt and finally restored, and today it is a quiet detour for anyone exploring the fortifications of Brașov.

The Black Tower owes its name to a thunderbolt: on 23 July 1559 lightning set its roof ablaze, and the soot kept the walls dark for hundreds of years.

WhereOn a rocky spur of the hill north-east of the old centre of Brașov, Romania

TypeMedieval watchtower, part of the town’s fortifications, second half of the 15th century

Best forMedieval defences, town history and a short walk out of the centre

Getting thereOn a hillside above the old town, reached by a stone-paved path; Catherine’s Gate and Șchei Gate are right next to it

The history of the Black Tower

The Black Tower was built in the second half of the 15th century, around 1460, to make the defence of the walls of Brașov (Kronstadt in German) easier. It is one of the four outer towers of the town’s fortifications and stands north-east of the centre, on a corner of rock about 31 metres from the walls, opposite the Blacksmiths’ Bastion. Its job was twofold: to keep watch over the hillside and to defend it. The tower is first mentioned in documents in 1541.

Together with the White Tower, the other outer tower on the same side, it controlled the ground below the hill known as Warthe and stopped enemies from passing under the walls. That kept attackers from reaching the town from the slope and from damaging the walls by rolling stones downhill. A chain of about 300 kilograms, called “ad catenam magnam ad Grafft” in the documents of the time, could be lowered from the tower to close the gap between its rock and the town wall. So that the guards could see as far as possible, the hillside was left bare of trees until the end of the 19th century. According to the English Wikipedia, the pass beside the tower was only widened in 1819–1820.

The name comes from a disaster. On 23 July 1559 lightning struck the tower and set fire to its pointed, pyramid-shaped tiled roof, which burnt down. The walls were blackened by the fire and stayed dark for centuries, which is how the Black Tower got its name. In 1689 the great fire that nearly destroyed the whole town also damaged it, and in 1696 it was struck by lightning again; it was only rebuilt in 1735. Its last use as a shelter and lookout came during the plague epidemic of 1756, when it served the guards of the sanitary cordon around the town.

Afterwards the tower was neglected. In 1827 the town’s building supervisor, Johann Birthelmer, proposed a new roof to protect it as an old monument of the ancestors, but the town council refused because the tower would bring no benefit to the town. The question returned only in 1900, and in 1901 the upper part of the walls was strengthened. Decay went on, and in July 1991 the south wall collapsed after heavy rain. A major restoration followed between 1993 and 1995: the walls were rebuilt, the soot was cleaned off and a glass pyramid roof, similar in shape to the original, was added. Work on the interior finished in 2001, a stone-paved path was laid to the tower, and on 5 September 2001 it joined the town’s museum circuit with an exhibition on the towers in the defensive system of medieval Brașov.

Curiosities about the Black Tower

The tower was named after lightning. The strike of 23 July 1559 burnt its roof and left soot on the walls, which stayed black for hundreds of years.
A chain of about 300 kilograms could be lowered from the tower to block the passage between its rock and the town wall; a medieval document calls it “ad catenam magnam ad Grafft”.
The slope below the tower was kept free of trees until the end of the 19th century so that the guards in the Black Tower and the White Tower had a wide field of view.
Its last known use as a shelter and lookout was in the plague of 1756, when it housed the guards of the sanitary cordon around Brașov.
The glass pyramid roof added in 1993–1995 recalls the shape of the original pyramid roof, which was made of wood and covered with shingles.
The entrance from the town side was about 2 metres above the ground and reached by a movable ladder; a drawbridge linked the tower to the town’s fortifications.

Tours near Black Tower, Brașov

Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:

Black Sea and Constanta City - Private Tour

★ 4.9 (91 reviews) · 11 h

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Bran (Dracula) Castle, Bear Sanctuary, Rasnov Fortress & Palinca Distillery

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Bear Sanctuary, Bran (Dracula) Castle, Peles Castle From Brasov

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Horseback Riding Tour In Brasov - Ride Through Fields, Forests & Hills

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Visiting the Black Tower: what to see

The tower is small: a square base of about 50 square metres and a height of 10.6 metres, with walls 1.7 metres thick, built of natural stone with limestone tuff blocks at the corners.
Inside are three floors for defenders, each with a gallery around it and two windows in every direction. Since 2001 the interior has housed an exhibition on the towers of medieval Brașov.
A stone-paved path leads up to the tower. It stands next to the Blacksmiths’ Bastion and the White Tower, so you can combine it with other parts of the old defences.
Catherine’s Gate and Șchei Gate, also on this site, are right beside it, and Râșnov Citadel is about 11 km away.
Check the current opening hours before you go: they are not given in the sources used here.

Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.

Map: where Black Tower, Brașov is

Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors

Photos of Black Tower, Brașov

Questions

Where is the Black Tower in Brașov?

It stands on a rocky spur of the hill north-east of the old centre of Brașov, about 31 metres from the town walls and opposite the Blacksmiths’ Bastion.

Why is it called the Black Tower?

Lightning struck it on 23 July 1559 and burnt its roof. The fire blackened the walls, and the tower stayed black for hundreds of years.

When was the Black Tower built?

In the second half of the 15th century, around 1460. It is first mentioned in documents in 1541.

What was the Black Tower used for?

It was a lookout and defensive tower. With the White Tower it controlled the ground below the walls, and a heavy chain could be lowered from it to close the passage.

Can you go inside the Black Tower?

Since 2001 the tower has been part of Brașov’s museum circuit, with an exhibition on the town’s medieval towers. Check the current opening hours before you go.

What is there to see near the Black Tower?

The White Tower, the Blacksmiths’ Bastion, Catherine’s Gate and Șchei Gate are close by; Râșnov Citadel lies about 11 km away and Prejmer fortified church about 17 km.