After the first Tartar invasion from year 1241, the rock citadel from Rasnov construction has began, the defensive system of Barsa Land being completed also with the peasant fortress. Those citadels enclose a polygonal perimeter, being placed on the elevations with difficult access and being formed by rocked thick walls reinforced with towers and gates. The population from the neighboring villages had taken refuge between these walls, sometimes for long periods of time, going on with their existence also during hard times.

From this series of fortresses, the biggest and the most complex fortress from the South and South East of Transylvania is the Peasant Fortress of Rasnov. From the year 1335, when the Tartars had invaded Barsa Land, we have the first documentary mention, which tells about the resistance of the Brassovia from the Tampa and Rasnov Citadels at this invasion. This thing proves that the Rasnov Citadel was already powerful, its construction being started many years ago.

The proper citadel and the outside court enclose a polygonal perimeter where the rocked walls follow configuration of the peaks of the hills on which they are placed.

On the North-West and East sides, the walls are double, being foreseen with holes for damping the burned resin and inserts for shooting. The space between the curtains formed the shooting galleries and in some places was used as shelter for the cereals. Three towers reinforced the North Side of the wall in a square plan and at its ends another two bastions were lifted. The East Side being the most exposed to the danger because of the easy access on the hill smooth slope was powerfully fortified. The two levels gun tower backward doubled the bastion from its extremity. In the middle of the tower was built the Pentagonal tower, also with two levels and in the other extremity, towards North, was built another powerful tower, also doubled. The last one had resisted only until one of the earthquakes from the year 1802.

The East Side wall was also doubled in the inside by another one and the shooters used the two levels corridor between them also as gun's warehouse. By perimeter, the walls were reinforced by nine towers and two bastions. The access in the citadel was performed under the square tower and by the Iron Gate foreseen with weepers from the outside court or by the second gate situated near the bastion from the end of the South Side. By the road that was mounting from the left part of the Rasnov-Poiana Brasov Road it can be reached the main entrance from the outside court. A path was leading to the second entrance, which is circulated even today, that starts from the old hospital court and that has been into function until the year 1718 and that connected directly the settlement place to the citadel. The inner of the citadel was organized as a small settlement with dwellings, school, chapel, and its own well since 1640, in that way being able to ensure the long term cvasinormal population living. The chapel lifted in 1650, in the highest point of the citadel was also used as an observation tower. The chapel resisted until the year 1802, when fell once with the tower from North extremity of the wall. Today it can be seen only as small parts of its foundation.

During the numerous fights for supremacy over Transylvania between the Turkey and Austrian Empire, the fortress from Rasnov becomes for a long time a refugee place, during this period it were practiced in the walls numerous shooting holes and it were brought big quantities of arches, bombshells and gunpowder. In order to repress the anti-Austrian uprising leaded by the Moise Secuiul, Wallachia's army crosses the mountains by the Bran Pass and sets its camp between Rasnov and Cristian on June 1603. The first battle took place near Cristian and the paper mill from Brasov. In the Rasnov Fortress the villagers of the villages affected by the events were taken refuge, they had supported the Prince of Wallachia, which had a good relation with the Brasov Citadel.

The Bathory's army besieged the Rasnov Fortress on month of March 1612 and conquers it on April, the Rasnov fortress being forced to surrender after what the Bathory's army intercept the road to the water supply secret source. After what Gabriel Bathory settles a garrison formed by his people into the citadel, the Rasnov tried two times to re-conquer the citadel, with army help from Brasov, but unsuccessfully. These events leaded to the starting of the well digging into the fortress. The well was dug for 17 years, since 1623 until 1640, as the legend says, by two Turkey prisoners to whom it was promised the release at the end of the well digging. The well had 146 meters depth and was used until the year 1850, when because of the wheel braking , was abandoned, its existence gave a high degree of safety to the citadel, because the gate didn't had to be opened for people's water supply.

The fortress was again inhabited for a long time because of the Turkey- Tartar's army that in 1658 practiced numerous penetrations in Transylvania, lay waste Barsa Land, burn and plunder the settlements places, but they did not succeed to penetrate either the citadels around the churches or the Rasnov Fortress. The settlements rebuilding last until 1661 when the population could go down from the Rasnov Fortress, but in 1690, because of the last Turkey attack over Transylvania, the population was once again forced to retry between the citadel walls. These walls, during the peace periods were often rebuilt and adjusted to the new fight techniques, most natural, because the fights and the bad weather left traces on the old walls.

As far as we get close to the 19th century, the defensive role for the purpose of which the citadel was built starts to significantly diminish. Only in 1789, for several months, during the war between Russian and Austrian armies against the Turkeys, the citadel had offered shelter to the people, and after the Revolution from 1848, the citadel was abandoned.