Some 3km down Str Mitropoliei, the City of Residence Citadel (1388) is where an attack by Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II was halted in 1427, 23 years after his conquest of Constantinople (Istanbul). Without this defensive achievement against the Islamic empire, the Bucovina painted monasteries would not likely have been built.
Massive stretches of the rectangular structure remain. The original fortress was dubbed 'Muşat’s Fortress' (after founder Petru I Muşat). Its eight square towers were surrounded by trenches. Ştefan cel Mare added 4m-thick, 33m-high walls, foiling archers outside.
The unconquerable fortess withstood multiple attacks. Exasperated Ottomans finally blew it up in 1675; a century later, home builders were still pillaging the ruins. Continuing restoration and excavation work began in 1944.
Nearby, the Bucovinian Village Museum displays relocated Bucovina traditional homes, with their original furnishings, accessories and tools.
