Sighișoara: Medieval Hill top town
I recently wrote about our short break in Romania, and the time we spent in the medieval Saxon city of Sibiu. After spending time in Sibiu, we went to Brașov, but stopped by Sighișoara on the way. We had hoped to drive along the windy and impressive Transfăgărășan road by Lake Bâlea; but it was closed due to snow.
When we got to Sighișoara we stopped for lunch first, and the the sun was just beginning to go down when we left.
I can't remember the name of the restaurant we went to; I wish I could so I could warn people not to go there. Ever. I had an abomination of a Ciolan afumat cu fasole (ham hock in a stew of baked white beans). This dish is usually flavoursome and hearty. The dish I was served was a forlorn and slightly dry piece of meat swimming in a sea of Heinz baked beans. If you've not going to do it properly, why even bother? Rant over.
Anyhoo, back to fun stuff. Sighișoara is a medieval town that has been continuously inhabited since the 6th century BC. The hill top town is fortified, with nine of the original fourteen guild towers around the old town wall. These include the Tailor's tower the Cobblers tower, and perhaps the most notable, the clock tower. The guild that built the tower would be responsible for manning it and defending it in case of attack.
The Tailor's gate.
Looking from the bottom of the hill towards the impressive Clock Tower.
The other side of the clock tower.
The Scholar's Steps take you up the hill to the church and school at the top of the hill.
At the top of hill, you find the Church on the Hill (Biserica din Deal/Romanian - Bergkirche/German), originally a Catholic church, the Saxon inhabitants later changed it to a Lutheran place of worship when they began to follow the teachings of Martin Luther.
Within the town walls, looking towards the church at the top.
The Saxon graveyard at the top of the hill.
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Sighișoara is COLOURFUL.
These photos below were taken two year ago, the first time I visited. A bit of a cheat to show really old photos, but I think the panoramic view from the top of the Clock tower is too good to be missed.
Aaaaand... why most tourists come to Sighișoara - Dracula was born here. It's the yellow house center right.
Why, Mr Țepeș , how well you look today!
After this we drove on to Brașov, from which we visited Bran and Peleș castles. I'll share some of those photos later.
Thanks you having a look, and hope you enjoyed it!
Beautiful photos! We visited Brasov and Sibiu this year but we didn't have enough time to make a detour for Sighisoara. But our next visit to Romania will definitely include this beautiful town!
Yes! You'll love it :) @sebi99p advised me that they hold medieval festivals in the summer. I've only ever been in Autumn, but would love to see the summer festivals.
Actually, the time we visited Sibiu there was a medieval festival on the main square. It was so much fun! And yes it was during the summer. Maybe it's the same as the one you mentioned was held in Sighisoara :)
Hey, glad to see my suggestion helped this medieval time capsule was highlighted :D
Not sure if it's the same festival, but most old cities in Romania hold some sort of festival celebrating the medieval history and customs. Hell, even here, in the capital, Bucharest, which has no medieval heritage, there still is something happening regarding that :)
They usually hold them during the summer because there's alot more people free and more tourists available to come see the show. I mean, they gotta make money as well :p Though there are some mountainous towns that also celebrate Vlad Tepes, the actual person who inspired the creation of Dracula, that mostly thrive during winter.
And to end this, pretty sure there's a rock concert in Sighisoara as well, if you like that. I recommend it :)
Now there's yet another good reason to visit Sighisoara! :D thanks for the recommendation, we'll definitely have that in mind.
I'm not even into rock and it was awesome :D
At least, depends what kind of rock. The death metal and stuff like that are definitely not for me.
In any case, you'll like the town when visiting :) It's small so no real nightlife or anything, but as a medieval quaint little town, it's great!
Hey, glad to see you highlighted this town as well. I dunno, I enjoyed myself in the citadel there every time. :D