History.
Accommodation.
Places of interest.


History.

Sighisoara is one of the 7 fortified Saxon cities in Transylvania, known as "Siebenburgen", together with Brasov (Kronstadt), Cluj (Klausenburg), Sibiu (Hermannstadt), Bistrita (Bistritz) Medias (Mediasch), Sebes (Mühlbach) and was founded by German colonists. The chronicler Krauss lists a Saxon settlement in Sighisoara by 1191. This early settlement was most likely a village with a fortified refuge on the Castle Hill of today, and it was destroyed by a Tatar invasion in 1241, rebuilt, and in 1280 documented as Castrum Sex (citadel number six). Soon the Dominicans took interest in this place-in 1289 Schespurch (Scassburg) is indicated as seat of their monastery-and later the Franciscans.
Sighisoara is the most beautiful and best preserved medieval town in Romania, with its narrow streets and still-inhabited tall brick houses. The town is ringed by walls and 'defended' by 14 watch towers, of which only 9 are standing to this day. They all bear names of guilds. On a map of Sighisoara you'll find such names as 'The Ropers', 'Tinsmiths', 'Curriers', 'Furriers' and 'Tailors Towers'.

Sighisoara was first attested in a document dating back to 1280, and in the early 15th century, a fortification was constructed at its centre. In the following century, Sighisoara became not only an important cultural centre, but also a key place for artisans, being home to 19 guilds. The appearance of the citadel has remained very much the same, so that today you can still see the spectacular lofty buildings, their facades painted in various colors. Some of them are now used as hotels and restaurants.

Accommodation.

Sighiºoara is a popular tourist destination, due to its well-preserved walled old town.
The inhabitants of Sighisoara are hospitable people. They thought of offering accommodation and of creating special places where you can sit and relax inside the medieval citadel. There are guest houses and even hotels within the walls of the citadel, as well as rustic restaurants where tourists or people simply passing through Sighisoara can spend their time. Most tourists visit Sighisoara in summer, but there are some who want to see Sighisoara in winter or autumn.
If you are planning a summer trip to Romania, you may want to consider the end of July, as the medieval arts festival hits Sighisoara, and is a must see if you are here. The population of Sighisoara grows more then 10 x as people from all over Europe come to see this work of art. Sword fights in the streets, with parades and a real Carnival feel, the town erupts with joy. You can witness a witch burning in the main square, or go to one of the numerous beer tents scattered all over town.

In Sighisoara you will find restaurants which offers international and local cuisine. Modern luxury restaurants, as well as traditional ones decorated in a rustic-rural style offers a rich variety of  traditional, saxon and hungarian dishes and drinks which will provide you a great satisfaction.

Dracula's Birthplace. Every years many tourists visit Sighisoara which is famous as the birthplace of the 15th century prince, Vlad Tepes, the real Count Dracula.
Vlad III  (Vlad the Impaler aslso known as Dracula) was born in November or December of 1431 in the Transylvanian city of Sighisoara. At the time his father, Vlad II,  was living in exile in Transylvania. The house where Vlad the Impaler (Dracula) was born still exists today in the medieval citadel of Sighisoara, which has been inhabited continually since his time. In 1431 the house was called the "nest of spying from Sighisoara" and is located near the clock tower which many people still visit every year. Inside the house on a wall of a second floor room are a couple of original pictures dated of the years of Vlad the Impaler.

Sighisoara is as much a living town as it is a museum piece.

Places of interest.

The medieval fortress stands on a hill watching over today's town, standing guard over the road that follows the Tarnava Mare river valley, crossing Sighisoara from East to West. Walking in through the main entrance below the Clock Tower, you can see houses that are still inhabited today and the small streets winding this way and that.

Sighisoara has an old medieval appearance, it's a pearl of Transylvania, a town where the past, history and a true medieval atmosphere can be encountered at every step. Visiting this medieval citadel, Romanians and foreigners cannot help but fall in love and wish to come back, even for a weekend, as various cultural events are held in this town during weekends. The town hall of Sighisoara has been organizing 6 annual festivals for a few years now: a music festival, an academic music festival, a poetry festival, a brass band festival, a festival of ethnic communities in Romania and most important of all, the Medieval Sighisoara Festival, held for more then 10 years ago. There are a lot of attractions in Sighisoara, the Clock Tower, the medieval streets and the 7 guilds' towers. And the locals are definitely an attraction, always ready to get into the spirit of things.

The highest of them is the Clock Tower, standing at 64 meters. This now hosts the town's History Museum and used to be the meeting place for the town council. After passing a row of halls, going up narrow flights of stairs, on the last floor you'll discover an old clock mechanism which is still functioning and which moves 7 wooden figurines. Depending on the day of the week, a pagan saint can be seen outside the tower: the goddess Diana, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and the Sun. From the wooden gallery, which was once used by the guards, you can take a bird's eye view of both the medieval citadel and the new town.

The Clock Tower.
Landmark of Sighisoara, the Clock Tower is the most impressive and picturesque if it's towers. Its role was to be the main gate into the citadel and to house the town's council. It was built in the second half of the 14th century and expanded to 64m height in the 16th century. After a big fire in 1676 (when the town's gunpowder deposits exploded) the roof of the tower was restored to the present Baroque shape, and in 1894 the colorful tiles were added. The four small corner turrets (also seen in other Transylvaniantowns) symbolize the fact that the town had judicial autonomy, and the "right of sword" (ius gladii) which was the right to convict criminals to death. The clock was installed in the 17th century. The tower houses the town's History Museum. Make your way to the wooden balcony at the top of the tower where you can look out over the town with its terra-cotta roofs and painted houses and the surrounding countryside. On the way to the balcony one can also see the clock mechanism.

The Church on the Hill.
This beautiful Gothic church dominates the hill at the southern end of the citadel. It can be reached by climbing the 175 steps of the covered wooden Schoolboys' Stairs which dates from 1642. The building of the church started in 1345 and ended in 1525, 180 years later. Huge pillars carry a lofty gothic ceiling (restored after an earthquake in 1838). The church was completely painted on the inside but in 1776 it was decided to destroy the old painting provided that exact copies should be made on parchment. Unfortunatelythe copies were lost. The recent restoration brought out fragments of the late 15th century frescoes. Inside the church there are also beautiful religious sculptures and paintings like the pulpit carved in 1480, an old stone front dating from the 15th century as well as shrines brought from the churches of Saes and Cund. The church has been recently restored.

Vlad Dracul’s House.
The Vlad Dracul House is located in the Citadel Square, close to the Clock Tower. This ocher-colored house is the place where Vlad Tepes, the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s famous Dracula, was born in 1431 and lived with his father, Vlad Dracul, until 1435 when they moved to Targoviste. A wrought-iron dragon hangs above the entrance. The ground floor of the house serves as a restaurant, while the first floor is home to the Museum of Weapons.

The Stag House.
Built in the 17th century in Transylvanian renaissance style, the house draws its name from the stag skull set on one of the corners of its façade. Recent restorations revealed an external mural depicting the stag's body. Nowadays, the building houses a hotel, with a ground floor that doubles as a cellar bar.

The Venetian House.
Built in the 16th century, the house was later restored in Venetian gothic style with the upper part of the windows forming a three-lobe arch.

The Church of the Dominican Monastery.
Not far from the Clock Tower stands the Church of the Dominican Monastery. First attested in a document in 1298 as part of a Dominican monastic settlement, the church became the Saxons’ main Lutheran church in 1556. The monastic complex demolished in 1888 and its place was taken by the present town hall. Only the church has remained from the original structure.
Built in late-gothic style typical of the hall-churches, with two naves and two rows of pillars, the church was restored in the 15th century and then again in the 16th century after the big fire of 1676. The last repairs were done in 1894 and 1929, when the church acquired its present-day look.
Inside the church, you can admire some valuable artistic objects, such as the bronze font dating back to 1440, the stone doorframe carved in 1570 in Transylvanian renaissance style and built into the northern wall of the church, the collection of 16th and 17th century Oriental carpets, a baroque organ and a fine altarpiece from 1680. Classical and baroque concerts are often held here.

The Lower Town.
Lack of water and supplies made life in the Citadel quite difficult at times. By comparison, living conditions in the Lower Town, which had started to develop at end of the 15th century, were much better. Today, the Lower Town, less picturesque than the Citadel area, centers around Hermann Oberth Square (Piata Herman Oberth) and Strada 1 Decembrie. Here, you can admire 17th century houses.

The History Museum.
The museum consists of the clock tower, torture chamber and the medieval arms exhibition; one ticket will let you see all three. The Camera de Tortura (torture chamber) at the foot of the clock tower was used for prisoners and also to extort confessions, using an amazing array of cruel instruments. Some devices are on display here and on the walls are copies of German books documenting the use and effectiveness of the contraptions. Ask the staff to show you the brick where around 1680, a prisoner scratched the hardly legible words 'Morgen wird ich…' ('tomorrow I will be….'), and see if you can figure out the last word. The Medieval arms collection next door shows the development of weapons used in and around town throughout the ages.

The Torture Room.
This small but interesting museum is housed at the foot of the Clock Tower in the same room where prisoners were tortured and confessions were extorted during the Middle Ages. Some of the amazing torture instruments and methods are on display.

The Weapons Collection.
Housed on the first floor of the Vlad Dracul house, the museum features an array of medieval weapons, showcasing the development of weapons used in and around the town throughout the ages. Also on display is an oil portrait of Michael Freiherr von Melas (1731-1806). Born in Sighisoara, he became a general of the Austrian mounted troops and fought against Napoleon Bonaparte’s army at Marenga (June 14, 1880).

 
 

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