The Red Defences, the place where the prince of Transylvania Gabriel Bethlen was born, is located on the banks of the Mureș River, in the Hunedoara town of Ilia, and is currently a museum. The fortress of Ilia is mentioned in documents from the middle of the 15th century. Its owners in the 16th century were members of the Dienesi family, direct descendants of these people, mentioned since the 13th century in connection with this important area in Hunedoara county.
The access is easy, from DN 7, on the road from Deva to Arad. You can't miss the Red Defences in Ilia, which is located 21 km North-West of Deva, situated on the banks of the Mureș River. Even if it is located in a park, which seems inaccessible to the public, whoever tries the gate, notices that it is open. If you are lucky you can find a guide to let you admire the inside.
The place of birth of the prince is marked with a commemorative plaque with coat of arms and inscription, which was made in Cluj in 1627. The more comfortable mansion, which took over the function of the dwelling tower, was built by Stephen, the prince's younger brother. In 1670, the Transylvanian states ordered the demolition of the other three bastions together with the stone walls of the fortress, so that they could not serve as a base of military operations for the Turkish garrison in Lipova. At that time, the estate already belonged to the great-grandchildren of Stefan Bethlen's Thököly family.
The Red Defences were built in 1582 by Wolfgang Bethlen of Iktar. The architectural monument in Renaissance and Baroque style was restored in the romantic style and is part of the memorial house category. The building was designed for living and decorated with carved stone frames and exterior decorative painting. The bastion ring consisted of a dwelling tower of medieval origin and a mansion. The latter was built after 1629. The fortress of Ilia is mentioned in documents from the middle of the 15th century.
Gabriel Bethlen, the prince of Transylvania, was born here in one of the rooms of the tower, in 1580, becoming the prince of Transylvania between 1613-1629. In 1627, in Cluj, a commemorative plaque with a coat of arms and inscription was made, which marked the place of the prince's birth. In 1603, for a short time, the castle was occupied by General Basta's army, after which it returned once again to Prince Bethlen. The castle was transformed into a border fortress, as a defense against the Turks, then on the orders, at the behest of Bethlen, in 1613, the fortress was fortified with a bastion ring. It was the task of the prince's army to defend the inhabitants of the nearby areas. The fortress was inherited by the family of Emeric Thököly, with the army stationed in the fortress continuing.
In 1670 Apafy Mihály ordered the demolition of the other three bastions together with the stone walls of the fortress, so that they could not serve as a base for military operations of the Turkish garrison. From that year, Ilia was no longer considered a border fortress, the building built on the estate was a unfortified baroque mansion.
The residential tower and the mansion were demolished by the descendants of Ioan Kaszoni, the vice-chancellor of Transylvania. The bastion was rebuilt after 1850, in romantic style. Then again in 1909 it was rebuilt, with a modern commemorative plaque. Today, Gabriel Bethlen's memorial house is taken over by the St. Francis Foundation, which recently restored it and gave it its former splendor, transforming an area of the building into a visitable museum space.
foto source: Muzeul Civilizației Dacice și Romane Deva
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