The Făgăraș Fortress is situated at the heart of the town of Făgăraș and has been the location of the Museum of the Făgăraș Lands since 1954. The Museum shelters rich collections of archaeology, medieval history, ethnography and folk art (mostly glass icons). The fortress was erected between the 10th and 11th centuries and rebuilt several times. It was one of the most important fortresses in Transylvania, which withstood many a Turk and Tartar attacks.

Prince Michael the Brave and his family found shelter here in 1599.

Between the 15th and 17th centuries, the Făgăraș Fortress was enlarged and modified in the Renaissance style. The entrance was widened and connected to the Olt River. In the 17th century it provided protection to 50 nearby villages, thus encouraging the development of craftsmen guilds, mostly those of leather dressers and pottery makers. In this period, the fortress served as a residence for the princes of Transylvania, who used to convene the Transylvanian Diet in the halls on the first floor. The massive walls and the tall towers and roofs are made of bricks. The building has a trapezoidal shape with bastions in each corner. The castle that lies in the middle of this trapeze has 80 rooms. The interior decorations, dating from the 18th century (when the citadel was made into a military garrison), have not been preserved.