Giurgiu

Giurgiu lies on the northern bank of the Danube, opposite the crossing to Ruse. Its island fortress guarded an approach to Wallachia and became a contested stronghold on the frontier with the Ottoman Empire. The river linked the town to a wider world of merchants and armies, while its fortifications made it a frequent target in wars for control of the crossing.

The fortress was already known in the late fourteenth century. Mircea the Elder rebuilt it, and issued a document from Giurgiu in 1409, but the Ottomans captured it between 1417 and 1420. In 1595 allies of Michael the Brave took the fortress during the campaign against the Ottomans; it returned to Ottoman hands in 1597 and was strengthened again. After the Russo-Turkish War of 1828–1829, the Treaty of Adrianople returned Giurgiu and its district to Wallachia and provided for the demolition of its fortifications.