Romanian fortified towers influenced Le Corbusier

The architectural style of the Romanian 'culă'—a fortified, tower-like residence—had a significant influence on the modern architect Le Corbusier. During a 1911 study trip through the Balkans with art historian August Klipstein, the young Charles-Edouard Jeanneret encountered these structures, which later informed his purist architecture and spatial organization.

Originating from the late 17th and early 18th centuries, the culă was built by boyar families, primarily in the Oltenia region, to provide security against Ottoman threats, bandits, and local uprisings. These compact, two-to-four-story stone and brick towers were typically constructed on hills outside settlements, allowing landowners to monitor their property and detect approaching dangers from a distance.