# Counts' Fortress (Cetatea Greavilor)

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Transylvania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/transilvania) › [Alba County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/alba) › [Gârbova](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/locality/garbova)

> A fortified noble residence in central Gârbova, with stone walls, a former keep turned clock tower and a gate tower once used to store bacon.

**At a glance:** Fortresses and fortifications in Gârbova, Alba County. The visit takes 45 min. Information verified on 11 November 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** Call the key holder before your visit to arrange access to the courtyard and towers.
- **Visit duration:** 45 min — including towers and display
- **With kids:** Yes — take care on tower stairs
- **Parking:** Yes, free — beside the town hall
- **Best season:** April – October — courtyard in dry weather
- **Address:** Piața Cetății, beside the DJ106F, Gârbova, Alba County
- **Coordinates:** 45.85984, 23.72253
- **Phone:** +40 756 608 018
- **Website:** https://kirchenburgen.org/ro/location/urwegen-garbova/
- **Wikipedia:** https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cetatea_Greavilor_din_G%C3%A2rbova
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12723862
- **Categories:** [Fortresses and fortifications](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/fortresses-and-fortifications)

## About Counts' Fortress (Cetatea Greavilor)

The Counts' Fortress stands in the centre of Gârbova village. It was built in the 13th century for a local noble family, with a residential keep protected by a curtain wall. The Saxon community later took over the fortress and adapted it to defend the village and store provisions.

The fortification was extended in the 15th century, and the keep became a bell tower. Its present appearance dates from 1879, when the belfry was added beneath the pointed roof with four corner turrets. The entrance passes beneath the gate tower, also known as the Bacon Tower after the food stored here by local people.

### What you can see

From the square you can follow the stone wall and see the white clock tower rising above it. Inside are the fortified enclosure and buildings used by the community, including the old school. The ensemble was restored and reopened in 2014. The Lutheran church stands alongside it, while the base of the bell tower preserves the former keep of the noble residence.

## Don't miss

- The former keep, raised to form a clock tower with four corner turrets.
- The passage beneath the gate tower, also called the Bacon Tower.
- The stone wall enclosing the fortress courtyard.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** the fortress is about 24 km and 20–25 minutes from Sebeș. It stands in the village centre, beside the DJ106F.

### Where to park

Free parking is available beside the town hall in the village centre. From there it is about 70 m to the fortress, a minute on foot.

### Rules

Follow the instructions of the person opening the fortress. Take care on the tower stairs and supervise children.

### Facilities

Ethnographic collection within the enclosure.

## Details

- **Construction period:** 13th century
- **State of preservation:** surviving walls and towers

## Frequently asked questions about Counts' Fortress (Cetatea Greavilor)

**How long does a visit to Counts' Fortress (Cetatea Greavilor) take?**

A visit to Counts' Fortress (Cetatea Greavilor) takes about 45 min (including towers and display).

**Can you visit Counts' Fortress (Cetatea Greavilor) with kids?**

Yes, Counts' Fortress (Cetatea Greavilor) is suitable for children (take care on tower stairs).

**Where can I park at Counts' Fortress (Cetatea Greavilor)?**

There is free parking at Counts' Fortress (Cetatea Greavilor) (beside the town hall). More under “Where to park”.

**How do I get to Counts' Fortress (Cetatea Greavilor)?**

Counts' Fortress (Cetatea Greavilor) is located at Piața Cetății, beside the DJ106F, Gârbova, Alba County. More under “Getting there”.

**When is the best time to visit Counts' Fortress (Cetatea Greavilor)?**

The best season for Counts' Fortress (Cetatea Greavilor): April – October (courtyard in dry weather).

## Nearby attractions

- [Câlnic Fortress](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/calnic-fortress) — Fortresses and fortifications · Câlnic, AB · UNESCO World Heritage · Top 100 · 8 km
  A 13th-century count's residence, bought by the Saxon villagers in 1430 and turned into a peasant fortress: a Romanesque keep, two rings of walls and a chapel, in a valley near Sebeș.
- [Căpâlna Dacian Fortress](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/capalna-dacian-fortress) — Fortresses and fortifications · Căpâlna, AB · Free · 1½ – 2 hours · UNESCO World Heritage · 13 km
  The ruins of a Dacian fortress on a wooded hill above the Sebeș valley: limestone walls in the murus dacicus technique and the base of a tower house, the only Dacian UNESCO site in Alba County.
- [Tailors' Tower (Students' Tower)](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/tailors-tower) — Fortresses and fortifications · Sebeș, AB · 20 min · 20 km
  A defensive tower in Sebeș's town fortifications, built by the tailors' guild at the end of the 14th century and tied to the story of the student who survived the Ottoman siege of 1438.
- [Sebeș Lutheran Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/sebes-lutheran-church) — Churches · Sebeș, AB · 45 min · 21 km
  The Saxons' Gothic church in the centre of Sebeș, with a tall 14th-century choir and the largest winged altarpiece of any Lutheran church in Romania.
- [Râpa Roșie](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/rapa-rosie) — National parks and reserves · Sebeș, AB · Free · 1 – 1½ hours · 22 km
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- [“Priest Zosim Oancea” Glass Icon Museum](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/priest-zosim-oancea-glass-icon-museum) — Museums and memorial houses · Sibiel, SB · 15 lei · ½ – 1 hours · 24 km
  A museum in the village of Sibiel, beside the Holy Trinity church, with about 600 glass icons from Nicula, Făgăraș, Șchei, the Sebeș Valley and Mărginimea Sibiului, gathered from 1969 by Father Zosim Oancea.

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Last updated: 11 November 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania