# Turnu Fortress [Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Muntenia](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/muntenia) › [Teleorman County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/teleorman) › [Turnu Măgurele](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/city/turnu-magurele) > The ruins of a medieval fortress on the Danube bank, documented in the time of Mircea the Elder and held by the Ottomans until 1829, with a consolidated round central tower. **At a glance:** Fortresses and fortifications in Turnu Măgurele, Teleorman County. The visit takes 30 min. Information verified on 10 October 2026. ## Key facts - **Opening hours:** We found no official visiting schedule. The ruin is in the open air; an unofficial tourism site lists it as accessible at all times, but the town hall has not confirmed this. Ask Turnu Măgurele town hall (tel. 0247 416 451) before you come. - **Visit duration:** 30 min — small ruin, in the open air - **With kids:** Yes — open-air ruin - **Best season:** April – October — open ground in the Danube plain - **Address:** Drumul Cetății, ~3 km south of the town centre, Turnu Măgurele, Teleorman County - **Coordinates:** 43.719, 24.8616 - **Phone:** +40 247 416 451 - **Website:** https://www.municipiulturnumagurele.ro/ - **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turnu_Fortress - **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q60669022 - **Categories:** [Fortresses and fortifications](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cetati-si-fortificatii), [Monuments and historic sites](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/monumente-si-situri-istorice) ## About Turnu Fortress Turnu Fortress stands south of the town of Turnu Măgurele, in the Danube floodplain, a few kilometres from where the Olt flows into the river. Documents mention it in the time of Mircea the Elder: a 1397 diploma of King Sigismund of Luxembourg recalls the fighting of 1394–1395 over "Nicopolis the Little". Archaeological research dates the tower, the ditch and the enclosure wall to the late 14th century, and the fortress belonged to the chain of fortifications raised along the Danube against the Ottoman threat. After 1417 the fortress passed, in circumstances that are still unclear, under Ottoman rule and became a Turkish raya, known as Kule ("the tower"). Wallachian princes held it only for short periods, among them Vlad the Impaler and Michael the Brave, and after 1601 it returned to the Ottomans. The sources give slightly different years for some of these moments, so the exact dates should be treated with caution. After the Russo-Turkish war of 1828–1829, under the Treaty of Adrianople, the left bank returned to Wallachia, and the fortress was demolished and burned in 1829; its stone was reused as building material. The main feature is the central tower, circular in plan, about 17 m in diameter with walls about 3 m thick, surrounded by an enclosure wall and a defensive ditch. The fortress was built on marshy ground, and the damp hastened its decay. Excavations were carried out by Grigore Florescu (1936–1943), Gheorghe I. Cantacuzino (1978–1981) and, more recently, Ionel Cândea and Ecaterina Țânțăreanu (2006–2009). From 2018 the ruin was consolidated and enhanced under a European-funded project run by the town hall. ### What you can see What remains today is an open-air ruin, not a castle with rooms to tour. You can see the consolidated central tower, the remains of the enclosure wall, the steps on one of the bastions, the well and the outline of the ditch and the outer enclosures. The paths around are gravel, and the stones recovered during the excavations have been reused next to the monument. The place grips you mostly through its sense of space: the fortress stands isolated in the Danube plain, and towards sunset the light on the pale stone makes for the best photographs. ### Good to know The enhancement project had two stages: the first (consolidation, landscaping, fence) was completed in 2021, and the second foresaw a semi-buried annex and an access point. We found no official visiting schedule and no recent announcements about reopening or works in progress, so it is worth asking the Turnu Măgurele town hall before making a special trip. Do not confuse it with the handball club "CSM Cetatea Turnu Măgurele", which only shares its name. ## Don't miss - The round central tower, about 17 m across, with walls about 3 m thick. - The outline of the defensive ditch and the outer enclosures, visible around the tower. - The well and the bastion steps, brought back to light by the excavations. - The open view over the Danube floodplain, especially at sunset. ## Good to know before you go ### Getting there **By car:** the fortress is ~3 km south of the centre of Turnu Măgurele, on Drumul Cetății; it is ~140 km from Bucharest (about 2.5 hours) and ~55 km from Alexandria. Enter the coordinates, or "Cetatea Medievală Turnu", in your satnav. **Public transport:** the town has a railway station and a bus station; we found no public transport to the fortress itself, so the last kilometres are by taxi, by car or on foot. ### Rules Open-air ruin: do not climb the walls or take stones. Fly drones only in line with the rules in force. Wear comfortable shoes; the ground around is uneven. ## Details - **Construction period:** late 14th century - **Founder:** the time of Mircea the Elder - **State of preservation:** consolidated ruin - **Historical period:** Middle Ages - **Civilisation:** Romanian, Ottoman ## Frequently asked questions about Turnu Fortress **How long does a visit to Turnu Fortress take?** A visit to Turnu Fortress takes about 30 min (small ruin, in the open air). **Can you visit Turnu Fortress with kids?** Yes, Turnu Fortress is suitable for children (open-air ruin). **How do I get to Turnu Fortress?** Turnu Fortress is located at Drumul Cetății, ~3 km south of the town centre, Turnu Măgurele, Teleorman County. By car: the fortress is ~3 km south of the centre of Turnu Măgurele, on Drumul Cetății; it is ~140 km from Bucharest (about 2.5 hours) and ~55 km from Alexandria. Enter the coordinates, or "Cetatea Medievală Turnu", in your satnav. Public transport: the town has a railway station and a bus station; we found no public transport to the fortress itself, so the last kilometres are by taxi, by car or on foot. **When is the best time to visit Turnu Fortress?** The best season for Turnu Fortress: April – October (open ground in the Danube plain). ## Nearby attractions - [Sucidava Fortress](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cetatea-sucidava) — Fortresses and fortifications · Corabia, OT · Free · ½ – 1 hours · 43 km The Daco-Roman and Roman-Byzantine fortress in Corabia, with its excavated walls and towers, a 6th-century basilica, the "secret well" and the northern pier of Constantine the Great's bridge over the Danube. - [Cathedral of Saint Alexander in Alexandria](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/catedrala-sfantul-alexandru-alexandria) — Monasteries and churches · Alexandria, TR · Free · 30 min · 61 km The cathedral of the Diocese of Alexandria and Teleorman, built between 1869 and 1898 in the town centre: a three-towered brick church painted in 1898 by Ștefan Luchian and Constantin Artachino, and a listed historic monument. - [Brâncoveni Monastery](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/manastirea-brancoveni) — Monasteries and churches · Brâncoveni, OT · ½ – 1 hours · 102 km A convent in Olt, in the village that Matei Basarab and Constantin Brâncoveanu came from: defensive wall and bell tower of 1634–1640, a Brâncovenesc great church of 1699, and a museum with a lapidary. --- Full page: https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cetatea-turnu Other languages: Română: https://peplaiuri.ro/cetatea-turnu.md · Deutsch: https://peplaiuri.ro/de/cetatea-turnu.md · Italiano: https://peplaiuri.ro/it/cetatea-turnu.md Last updated: 10 October 2026 Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania