Sighi多oara tourist guide
Editor:
Oana Bicå
Corector:
Daniel Voicea
Art director:
Daniela Nae
Translation:
Cåtålin Pena and George Ruso
Cover Photo:
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ISBN: 978-606-513-145-3
Summary Tourist Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 The Memory of an inhabited fortress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 The Old History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 The Medieval Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 The Modern Period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Walking through the City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 The Sighi¿oara Citadel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 On the tracks of the old guilds – the City Towers . . . . .44 The Lower City
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Whereabouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Churches, Fortresses, Castles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 Medieval Cities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
Where to stay, where to eat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
Any traveler, when exploring a place, needs a little reference book, to be of his use at any moment. Here are some tourist info.
Tourist info
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Sighi¿oara – tourist guide
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE STARTING THE JOURNEY
S
ighi¿oara covers a surface of 100 sq km, including many green areas that are placed mainly at an altitude over 500 m. This fact makes Sighi¿oara to be in harmony with the special natural landscape offered by the Târnavelor Plateau. Only the historical city centre is crowded; because here are located most of the citadel’s attractions, its small plazas look each weekend like real bee swarms. If history is hidden mostly inside the citadel’s fortification, once passing outside its walls the nature welcomes the visitor. The highest points – 560 m – are reached on the Railway station Hill (Dealul Gårii) and on the Church’s Hill (Dealul Bisericii), at the northern side of the town. The Târnava Mare River crosses the town from Est to West, its banks being the lowest area (350 m). As any hilly area, Sighi¿oara takes colour and beauty out of every season. Covered by snow, the citadel offers a magical image, while in summer the whole area is
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a real oasis of freshness. Spring or autumn, the landscape is wonderful, and the travellers can relax or visit the buildings that mark the passing of these places through various ages.
HOW TO MOVE AROUND By car You can reach the city on the following main routes: • from Bra¿ov, on DN 13, which overlays E60 and enters the city from the Eastern side; • from Târgu Mure¿, on DN 13, entering Sighi¿oara from the North; • from Sibiu, on DN 14, arriving in the Western side of the city; • from Agnita, on DJ 106. Public transportation You can use the busses, from 5:00 to 23:00. There are 6 bus lines, with short distances between ends and frequent stops. There is also a bus station where from regular drives leave for the main cities of Transylvania and for the villages around Sighi¿oara. Rent a car S.C. Mokri S.R.L. Ana Ipåtescu Street 136 Tel.: 0744-60 58 16 Euromar Interprises Rozelor Street 9 Tel.: 0745-30 30 46 Gia Hostel Libertå¡ii Street 41 Tel.: 0265-77 24 86
TAXI Regal – 0265-77 88 99 Nova – 0265-77 90 00 Royal – 0265-77 77 76 Transaldea – 0265-77 77 85 Ok – 0265-77 00 20
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Sighi¿oara – tourist guide
Autopres Dacia Mihai Viteazul Street 119 A Tel.: 0265-77 27 44 Eurolines Agency Octavian Goga Square 9 Tel.: 0265-77 39 77 By railway Sighi¿oara is directly connected to many important cities of the country: Bucharest, Sibiu, Oradea, Satu Mare, Baia Mare, Arad. The railroad that crosses Sighi¿oara comes from Bra¿ov and goes towards Media¿. More info on www.infofer.ro.
ACCOMMODATION The hotels and guest houses in Sighi¿oara may be grouped in two categories: the ones inside the citadel walls and the ones outside the walls. Therefore, the tourists willing to spend a night watched by the walls of the old fortress may choose the accommodation places hidden on the narrow streets of the city or situated in the bohemian plazas. Those who prefer the places in the green, may check in hotels and guest houses near the forest or on the hills. Of course, there are also restaurants, many and diversified. In the top of the tourists’ preferences there are the Romanian cuisine restaurants, the Transylvanian ones, but also the ones that absorbed some of the secrets of the Saxon and Hungarian kitchens. (See the chapter Where do we stay, where do we eat.) 10
EMERGENCIES The unique emergency number is 112. You may dial 112 if in need of quick intervention of the Police, the Ambulance, the Fire Department or the SMURD team. Also, please use the service in case you witness a crime, car crash or fire. Sighi¿oara City Hospital Zaharia Boiu Street 40 Tel.: 0265-77 16 56 Pharmacies Aesculap – 0265-77 99 13 Aloe – 0265-77 18 26 Humanitas – 0265-77 20 67 Rubin – 0265-77 19 02
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Sighi¿oara – tourist guide
HOW DO WE GET INFORMED Being an important tourist region of Romania, in Sighi¿oara and in its surroundings there are some tourist info points: Sighi¿oara Octavian Goga Street 8 Tel.: 0265-77 04 15 Biertan Al.I. Cuza Street 8 Tel.: 0269-55 35 12 Media¿ Corneliu Coposu Street 3 Tel.: 0269-80 38 85 Valea Viilor Principalå Street 120 Tel.: 0269-51 51 99
WHAT AND WHEN IN SIGHIªOARA February – Sighi¿oara Blues Festival May – Sighi¿oara City Days – Museums’ Night June – Sighi¿oara Film Fest July – Crafts Fair – Medieval Sighi¿oara September – Fanfare Fest November – “Datini” Folklore Festival
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Sighi¿oara – tourist guide
Saturday depicts Saturn, god of agriculture and of abundance, represented without a leg, bearing on his head the symbol for led. Sunday is a woman wearing sunbeams over her head, the sun being also the symbol of gold. All of these figurines, symbols of gods, of virtues, of life on earth and of chemical elements represent the way of life and the way of seeing things in the Middle Age¿.
Museum Square owes its name to the three museum based here; in fact all under the patronage of the History Museum: The Clock Tower Museum, The Torture Room and The Weapons Hall.
The Museum Square (Pia¡a Muzeului) Passing through the gangways of the Clock Tower, fitted with gates and grids, a small and coquettish plaza opens in front of you. It’s the Museum Square, situated at the bottom of the tower, offering details on what the Sighi¿oara citadel is really about: the old houses painted in pastel shades, the narrow streets, the scattered towers, the churches’ spires, all of these invite the traveller towards knowledge. 32
The plaza is flanked on two sides by historic buildings. From one side the Monastery Church quietly watches over and the Clock Tower stands over in the backside. It will accompany the travellers throughout their stay in the citadel, from its considerable height being able to “see and hear” everything.
Vlad Dracul House (Casa Vlad Dracul) One of the oldest houses in the city, the most important building in the museum Plaza, is said to have been built on the spot of another building from the XVth century, which had burnt during the great fire. From the architectural point of view the building doesn’t stand out between the others in the city, being two stories high with a semicylindrical arch at the ground floor. Its importance is tied to an event occurred a 33
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WALKING THROUGH THE CITY