Sighisoara, Mures County
 

City of Sighisoara

General info

The towers and spires of this medieval citadel can be seen even from a distance, set against the hills along the road from Brasov to the valley of the river Tarnava. Founded by Saxon traders and artisans in the late 12th century on the site of a Roman settlement that dates back to 101 - 102 BC, it as almost completely intact within its fortified walls and has been registered with the UNESCO World Heritage list.

It was known as Castum Sex in the Roman era, Schassburg to the Saxons, and Sgesvar ti the Hungarians, who today are its largest ethnic minority. In the 15th century Sighisoara gained the status of a free city, governed by the merchant guilds, and played an important strategic and commercial role in the central Europe.

The Walls and the Tower

Today Sighisoara is formed by two sections separated by the river. The upper city on the hilltop overlooks the lower city, which is more modern and has more hotels, shops and restaurants. The ring wall that encloses the citadel extends for about a one kilometer perimeter dotted by towers and bastions on which artillery was once positioned.

The walls are almost completely intact, although only two of the original five bastions have survived. The nine towers that stand along the wall were part of the original defensive complex, formed by fourteen towers, each named after the guild responsible for maintaining it. The most imposing were those of the richer, more powerful guilds, such as the Tailors Tower, which stands along the western side, the Tinmakers' Tower, traversed by a beautiful wooden gallery, and the Goldsmiths Tower, of which only a bastion remains protecting the southeastern corner of the citadel.

The Clock Tower, symbol of the city, overlooks them all as it surveys the eastern side. The spire surmounting the pyramidal roof, circled by four turrets, dominates the stairway that leads into the ring wall. On the top, a gilded sphere supports a weathercock. The tower was built in the 14th century for the purpose of protecting the citadel's main entrance and hosting the city assembly. The roof was redone in stages following a fire that broke out in 1676: the present day roof of enameled terra-cota dates back to the late 19th century. In the early 17th century, the tower had a clock, and in 1684 a carillon mechanism was added to it that included wooden statues almost one meter tall, depicting Roman gods symbolizing the days of the week. Modernized in recent times, the clock marks the times of day by alternating symbolic figures; at six in the morning the Angel of Day comes out, and at six in the evening the Angel of night appears, holding two candles in his hands. When the clock strikes midnight, the figures that symbolize the days of the week change.

Since 1899, the tower has held a historic museum that illustrates the past of Sighisoara starting from the Dacian era. It has coins, equipment, weapons, a medieval pharmacy and a scale model of the upper city. The five story edifice has a balcony running around the roof that offers a beautiful view of the old city, with its nucleus of 150 red - roofed houses lining steep, cobbled lanes, the lower city and the Tarnava valley.

Photos

  • City of Sighisoara
  • City of Sighisoara
  • City of Sighisoara
  • City of Sighisoara
  • City of Sighisoara
  • City of Sighisoara
  • City of Sighisoara
  • City of Sighisoara
  • City of Sighisoara
  • City of Sighisoara
  • City of Sighisoara
  • City of Sighisoara
  • City of Sighisoara
  • City of Sighisoara
  • City of Sighisoara
  • City of Sighisoara
  • City of Sighisoara
  • City of Sighisoara
  • City of Sighisoara
  • City of Sighisoara
  • City of Sighisoara
  • City of Sighisoara
  • City of Sighisoara
  • City of Sighisoara

Attractions

Tours

  • One day tour (A1)

    Brasov Citadel
    Rasnov Citadel
    Bran Castle (Dracula's Castle)
    Peles Castle (Sinaia)

  • One day tour (A2)

    Brasov Citadel
    Rasnov Citadel
    Bran Castle (Dracula's Castle)
    Fagaras Citadel

  • One day tour (A3)

    Brasov Citadel
    Rupea Citadel
    Sighisoara Citadel

  • One day tour (A4)

    Brasov Citadel
    Harman Fortress
    Prejmer Fortress

  •  

  • Dracula Tour (B1)

    Explore the Transylvanian lands in the search of Dracula's true story. During day 1 you will be visiting Rasnov Citadel and Bran Castle. In the evening Brasov old city will be presented to you. A special accommodation will be taken care of for you at a lodging that is a scaled copy of the Bran Castle. On day 2 you will explore Sighisoara's Citadel followed by lunch at a restaurant located in the home where Vlad Tepes was born and raised.

  •  

Transfers

 
Phone: +4 0722139979