Rupea (German: Reps; Transylvanian Saxon: Räppes; Hungarian: Kőhalom, lit. 'mound of rocks'; Latin: Ripa) is a town in Brașov County in Transylvania, Romania. It administers one village, Fișer (Schweischer; Sövénység). Both Fișer and Rupea have fortified churches. Older Romanian names for the settlement include Cohalm and Holuma. In 2021, the town's population was 4,907 inhabitants.
The town is nationally known for its fortress, which in 2023 attracted around 100,000 tourists. Additionally, 11 km from the town runs Via Transilvanica, the most important and longest hiking and endurance trail in Romania, and 13 km away lies the rural site of Viscri, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage.
Administration
The current local council has the following political composition, based on the results of the votes cast at the 2024 Romanian local elections.
The town is located in the northern part of Brașov County, in a hill region on the banks of the river Cozd and its left tributary, the Fișer. The town is located on the E60 route, 60 km (37 mi) from the county seat, Brașov, and 50 km (31 mi) from Sighișoara. The Rupea railway station serves the CFR300 mainline, which connects Bucharest with the Hungarian border near Oradea.
History
Founded most likely between the 12th and 13th centuries (see terra Daraus in the Diploma Andreanum, 1224), with the regional legal reorganisation, Rupea developed at the foot of the fortress, which in the past was an important defensive strategic point for the Saxon administration in southern Transylvania and hosted a seat of justice.
In 1925, Rupea became the headquarters of plasa Rupea, within Târnava-Mare County, until 1950. Following administrative-territorial reforms during the communist period, the town was part of Stalin Region (1950–1960), later renamed Brașov Region (1960–1968), and starting from 1968, it became part of Brașov County.
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