4. The wooden bridge and the West Gate
We enter the wooden bridge. We are at the West Gate. We read here that over the centuries the fortress was besieged by Tatars, Transylvanian rebels, the armies of the Principality of Transylvania, Turks and Austrians. The entrance is a vault built into the stone wall of the fortress and flanked by several flags of Romania, the EU and the fortress’ coat of arms. To the right of this entrance is a bas-relief with a stone inscription from 1627. It marks the completion of the construction of the last bastion of the fortress.
Above the plate was placed the ellipsoidal coat of arms of Prince Gabriel Bethlen. Detailed descriptions from documents from the 19th century made it possible to reconstruct the heraldic composition, in the scarlet shield appearing the insignia of the Hungarian Regent, of the Principality of Transylvania, the eagle from the coat of arms of one of the Silesian duchies, and in the middle the coat of arms of the Bethlen de Iktar family. The translation of the text would be:
Gabriel of Pannonia, descendant of Hercules, raised these walls of gigantic strength for love of country, which would even reverse the fate of the great mythological wars, Troy, Tarpeian Rock, Babylon. The stars resound with his merits, and his divine name will be written in the stars.