# Room 7 – The 'Black Dungeon'

> Stop 7, Neamț Citadel Museum

We now descend into the Black Dungeon, a space that extends over three levels. The name says it all: darkness, damp and walls almost three metres thick.

- Where: Room 7: The 'Black Dungeon'
- Period: 15th–17th century
- Material: Three-level reconstruction with prisoner figures
- Audio recording (1:07): https://museu-cetatea-neamt.neamt.tesseramo.com/media/neamt/audio/muzeul-cetatea-neamt/en/cn-07.mp3
- Stop page: https://museu-cetatea-neamt.neamt.tesseramo.com/ghid/cetatea-neamt-neagra-temnita?lang=en
- On the indoor map: https://museu-cetatea-neamt.neamt.tesseramo.com/harta-interioara?stop=cetatea-neamt-neagra-temnita&lang=en

## Narration

We now descend into the Black Dungeon, a space that extends over three levels. The name says it all: darkness, damp and walls almost three metres thick. The prisoner figures you see were created with the help of a professional make-up team from the Youth Theatre in Piatra-Neamț, to make the atmosphere as convincing as possible. Medieval fortresses were not only places of defence but also prisons for enemies, traitors and prisoners of war. According to the museum's historians, in 1476 the citadel seems to have held Turkish prisoners taken at the battle of Vaslui, whom Stephen the Great put to work on the fortifications. Documents show that the great building sites of fortresses drew on peasants from the surrounding villages, townspeople, soldiers and prisoners. So some of the walls you are touching may have been raised by the very people locked up here. At the end of the tour you will also see Room 21, the two-chamber prison.