Cetățeni

Cetățeni lies in the narrow Dâmbovița valley on an old road toward Transylvania through the Bran pass. A rocky height above the river held a medieval stronghold, able to watch the constricted route below. Nearby, a church was cut into the rock at the hermitage of Cetățuia Negru Vodă, a place linked by tradition with Wallachia's early princes. In 1595 Michael the Brave waited on the heights for Transylvanian troops during his struggle against the Ottomans. Caves and steep slopes made the site a refuge as well as a watchpoint.