In 1620 the soldiers of Salonta city have started to build their own fortress. The defensive building has been finalized 15 years later with the help of prince Rákóczi. The watchtower, which was actually the armory of the old fortress, where the guns and the gunpowder was held, still exists today, being one of the emblematical buildings of the city from the heart of Câmpia Crișurilor. In fact, the ‘Ciunt Tower’ is the only structure that has survived the demolition of the fortress. In 1658, for strategic reasons, being threatened by the Turks, Rákóczi György I (George I Rákóczi) Prince of Transylvania, has ordered abandoning the city and burning it along with the fortress that was protecting it. As a consequence of this destructive fire, the tower has remained without a roof for 240 years.