Location: |
1.5 km from Rasno, 7.5 km from Poiana Brasov.
500 m walk through the forest to the cave entrance.
(45.582273, 25.496398) |
Open: |
MAY to SEP daily 10-20. OCT to APR daily 10-18. Tours every 30 minutes. [2020] |
Fee: |
Adults RON 15, Children RON 10. [2020] |
Classification: | Karst Cave |
Light: | LED |
Dimension: | L=1,000 m, T=12 °C, A=825 m asl. |
Guided tours: | L=330 m, D=60 min. |
Photography: | allowed |
Accessibility: | no |
Bibliography: | |
Address: | Pestera Valea Cetatii, Valea Cetatii no. DN1 E, Rasnov - Brasov, Tel: 0728-961-532, Tel: 0724-345-898. E-mail: |
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info. |
1949 | cave discovered after debris in the entrance was flushed out by a flood. |
1954 | first explored by young people from Râşnov. |
2010 | beginning of development. |
2011 | opened to the public. |
2011 | concert in the cave performed by the Brasov Philharmonic. |
Pestera Valea Cetatii (Fortress Valley Cave) is named after the valley where it is located. The cave is also called peștera Fundata (Dugout Cave) because its entrance was clogged by cave sediments. It was discovered after the entrance was opened by a flood from inside. It was still too narrow and so the explorers had to dug first to make it passable. During the work they joked that this was a dug out cave, and the name stuck.
The cave is now the youngest show cave of Romania, and was developed after the newest concepts for cave conservation. The trails are elevated and made of a special sort of fiberglass, which is strong, light, and does not emit any substances. In other words it just sits on the cave floor and could be removed completely at any time. The cave light was made with LED lamps, which reduces the needed energy and produces less lampenflora. It is the most modern show cave in Romania and so far the only one with LED light.
In the first year of its opening a concert in the cave was performed by the Brasov Philharmonic in the hall called the Cathedral. They have already become a tradition and are held every year. The Cathedral has an impressive height and exceptional acoustics.
The entrance is called Poieniţa Dracului (Devil's Glade) due to frequent extreme weather phenomena. A passage leads to the Sala Mare (Great Hall), which has a height of 30 m and is the highlight of the tour.