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Medieval quoted Sighisoara

Sighisoara, located in Transylvania, to 197 km of Bucharest and 117 km of Brasov.
At summer built since 1191 by the Saxon colonists who built fortifications. The city is located in the department of Wall, on the Plate “Tarnave” and of dimensioned and other of the river of Tarnava Mare.

Population: 36.000 inhabitants.

From 1999 the historical center of the town of Sighisoara is registered on the list of the world inheritance of UNESCO.

The first documentary certificate goes back to 1280 under the name of “Castrum sex” and after 1298 the city bears the German name “Schespurch”.

The city kept its old architectural unit. The medieval city is in the high city, built on a hill, inside a flanked enclosure of machicolation and keeps with weep holes.

The corporations of craftsmen (“bresle” who were to defend the city, played an important part in the life of the Sighisoara city.

There are several turns, each one bearing the name of the corporation which ensured defense of it: Turn of the Butchers, Turn of the Rope-makers, Turn of the Furriers, Turn of the Shoe-makers, the Tower of the Tailors and the Tower of the Tanners. At the Average Age They were there 14 turns of which nine were preserved to date.

The Citadel was built at the 12th century; it was reinforced and prolonged at the 15th century.
Today it counts 164 public houses and 13 buildings.


The most known bastion of Sighisoara is the Tower of Clock, so known under the name of the Tower of the Council, because it functioned like such between 14th and le16-ème centuries.

The Tower of Clock measures 64 m high, including 39.5 m for the roof and the arrow;
The tower has four turrets and a walk out of wood covered for the observation.
The four turrets symbolized the legal autonomy of the “Town council” which could apply, if necessary, the death penalty.

It is since 1648 that a clock (with figurines out of wooden which symbolizes the days of the week). The Clock, coming from Switzerland, is placed at the top of the Tower.


The arrow of the tower ends in a small gold sphere. In top, there is a weather cock, which predicts time.

At the Average Age the Tower was defended by regular soldiers. During the XX ème century the Tower sheltered the Museum of History.
In 1780, close to the Tower of Clock was built a covered walk: “The Passage of the Old Ladies”.


Other objectives to be visited:

The Church of the Monastery (built in the Gothic style) dominates the city and is placed on the “School Hill) with a height of 429m.

It belonged to the Dominican monks who lived in a monastery placed at the north of the church.
The monastery was demolished in 1888 and in its place the town hall was built.

On the platform of the Church “the Staircase out of Covert wooden is”, which was built at the 17th century to protect the access towards the church. In the beginning the staircase had 300 steps, but after 1849, their numbers were reduced to 175.
Inside one can admire the frescos of master craftsman Johannes Reychmuth (1483-1488).


The House of Vlad Tepes, where it is supposed that Prince Vlad (called Vlad Empaleur), would have been born in the 1430 or 1431 (son from Prince Vlad Dracul recognized in 1431 Prince from Valachia by the Sigismund Emperor from Luxembourg.

The Venetian House on the Place of the Museum, which dates from the 16th century and was rebuilt in Venetian the Gothique style.

The Rumanian Orthodox Cathedral is built in the Byzantine style in 1937.

Current Lower Ville is close to the bridge, on the Tarnava river.

The medieval Festival of Sighisoara proceeds each year during the end of the month of July and has like drank the conservation of the cultural identity of the Medieval City.

With this occasion there are representations of medieval theatre, characters of “commedia LED `arte” walk in the street, of the masks of the Average Age and the characters who point out the legends of “Dracula” inspired of the novel of the Irish writer Bram Stoker.


Text: Cléopatra Lorintiu

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