Category:Bădeni, Harghita

Bădeni 

village in Harghita County, Romania
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Instance of	village
Location	Mărtiniș, Harghita County, Romania
Population	205 (2021)
46° 13′ 04.06″ N, 25° 20′ 51.36″ E
Authority file  Q512357 Reasonator Scholia Wikidocumentaries PetScan statistics WikiMap Locator tool KML file WikiShootMe OpenStreetMap Search depicted

The Bădeni Castle is located on the Bădeni hilltop, on one of the prominent points along the Homorodul Mare River. The highest peak (856 m) rises in the western part of the hill, where the remains of the Bădeni fortress can be found. Its structure is basically divided into two parts: an inner and an outer fortress. The inner fortress is almost rectangular, slightly trapezoidal in shape, with a defensive tower at each corner. The outer fortress consisted of a gate tower and a larger, presumably cannon tower. The first authentic written mention of the fortress was in a document given by Mihály Apafi, Prince of Transylvania, issued on the 5th of June 1663 in Iernut. The Prince, at the request of the Szekler nobles of Bădeni, Ighiu, Daia, Locodeni, Văleni and Rareș, allowed six fight-able men of their choice to be left at home to guard the fortress in the event of war. It is possible that each tower was erected by one village, because of the frequent Ottoman-Tatar invasions of the period. The Bădeni Castle was last used for defensive purposes at the end of the 17th century. The fortification, which had become a ruin, was carried to the surrounding villages in the following centuries, where houses were built from its stones.