hog_Sighisoara tourist guide by Florin Curavale

Sighi多oara tourist guide

164 houses, most of them historic monuments, 300 years in architectural age, over 800 years of history, 9 towers kept since the age of the old guilds, 930 m of protective walls.

Editor:

Oana Bicå

Corector:

Daniel Voicea

Art director:

Daniela Nae

Translation:

Cåtålin Pena and George Ruso

Cover Photo:

www.dreamstime.com

Publishing house specialized in thematic and tourist guides with a special graphic. All the titles benefit of expert counseling.

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 SighiÂżoara Citadel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 On the tracks of the old guilds â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the City Towers . . . . .44 The Lower City

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

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

Sighi¿oara – tourist guide

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE STARTING THE JOURNEY

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

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

TOURIST INFO

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

TOURIST INFO

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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TOURIST INFO

First of all, SighiÂżoara is a place full of history. It is a city that has blossomed in time, slowly building its landmarks over the centuries. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a city that stood through the ages and on which favourable or unfavourable circumstances left their mark. It is a city that has a lot of stories to tell!

The memory of an inhabited fortress

Sighi¿oara – tourist guide

n the banks of Târnava Mare, the citadel on the hill appears as succession of towers and walls blackened by centuries, bearing the burden of the ages. Before becoming the city that it is today, Sighi¿oara was the place where our prehistoric forefathers have settled, taking benefit of the potential of this area. Changing many rulers over the centuries, the story of Sighi¿oara begins thousands of years ago...

THE OLD HISTORY

GHEORGHE DOJA `S RIOT In 1514, Gheorghe Doja`s peasant riot spread out in the entire Ardeal region. In Sighi¿oara, the peasants led by Ioan Secuiul, executed the city mayor. Some stories say that Ioan was actually Doja`s brother.

Thousands of years before the arrival of the first Saxon settlers in Transylvania, the Sighi¿oara hill area was discovered by prehistoric people, who founded a settlement on The Turk’s Hill (Dealul Turcului). It was in the early Bronze Age, and the Thracians, the ancestors of the Dacians, already ruled the country, using their skills to set up ever stronger settlements. Centuries later, on the same hill’s plateau, Dacian tribes came, archaeological investigations here revealing one of the strongest fortifications in Transylvania. The wealth and the strategically position of the territories inhabited by Dacians drew the attention of the Roman Empire. After conquering Dacia, the Romans built military camps to strengthen and defend the borders. Traces of a former Roman camp are found near Sighi¿oara, on a plateau outside the city.

THE MEDIEVAL AGE Founded in the second half of the Xth century and consolidated the XIth century, the Hungarian state encountered difficulties in conquering Transylvania. If the western lowland areas were taken and mastered more easily, the inside, mountainous areas, dominated by high plateaus, were

harder to conquer and rule. To complete the conquest process which would bring Hungary all the riches of Transylvania, the Hungarian kings found what seemed to be the ideal solution: to bring foreign population in Transylvania. Thus Saxons and Szekely were brought and seated throughout the south-east, in order to defend the borders. The first German settlers came from Saxony, at the call of King Geza. They settled in Transylvania from 1141. They were first called Saxons, and then “sa¿i”. After the great Mongol invasion of 1241, when entire cities were ruined, the Hungarian kings were considered bringing more German colonists in Transylvania, to defend the borders against future barbarian invasions. In exchange for defending the borders, Saxon colonists were offered many advantages, including independence or selfregulation, trade privileges, the right to hold fairs and tax exemption. In Sighi¿oara, the first Germans settled at the foot of the hill and built a small farming village. On the hill, they found an old fortress in ruins, and build another one in its place. Sighi¿oara was first documented under the name of Castrum Sex, in 1280. The name translates as “the sixth city”, meaning that the city was one of the first seven cities that gave the German name for Transylvania: Siebenburgen (Seven Cities). The German name of the city, Schespurch, later Schäßburg, appeared in 1298. An explanation for this name can be the ªae¿ River that flows through the city, Sighi¿oara being also known as the City on the ªae¿. In a very short time, the city is heavily fortified with defensive walls, bastions and towers, becoming a difficult position to 17

THE MEMORY OF AN INHABITED FORTRESS

Sighi¿oara – tourist guide

conquer. In 1367, the settlement is officially certified as a city. The guilds were in charge of the fortress; from now on, the guilds had an important role in the economic, administrative and military life of the fortress. Between 1431 and 1435, Wallachian Prince Vlad Dracul set up residence in the city. It was in this period that his second son, Vlad ºepe¿ “the Impaler” was born. For this reason, it is believed that one of the buildings of the city is the birthplace of the legendary Wallachian prince. The XIVth and XVth centuries are a period of progress and transformation for local people. In the following centuries, the area continued to prosper; the economy flourished, and cultural development soon followed. The Saxons were skilled in agriculture, but also crafts and trade, Sighi¿oara soon becoming an important commercial centre of Transylvania. Following the lead of these developments, in the XVth century, the Saxon citizens together with Székely and Hungarian nobility signed a mutual aid pact, called Trium Nationum Unio. Several decades later, under King Matthias Corvinus (1458-1490), Saxons strengthened their 18

political and higher administrative institution, culminating with the seat of Media¿ being awarded the autonomy diploma “Universitas Saxonum”, by the King. Also during this period, they adopted the religious reform, after which the Saxons moved from Catholicism to Lutheranism, under the humanist reformer Johannes Honterus, religion that has been preserved in spite of the Habsburgs promoting Catholicism throughout the Counter-reformation. In 1601, the citadel is plundered by the troops of Albanian born General Gheorghe Basta, and some years later plague struck the area. In 1651, a devastating earthquake hit the city and the great fire of 1676 destroyed much of the towers and buildings. From this moment on, Sighi¿oara started to lose its economic and strategic importance.

THE MEMORY OF AN INHABITED FORTRESS

Sighi¿oara – tourist guide

THE MODERN PERIOD

T HE R E V O L U T I O N IN 1 8 4 8 - 1 8 4 9 On the plain between Sighi¿oara and Albe¿ti, in July 1849 a great battle was fought between the revolutionaries and the Russian troops. This was the last time the Hungarian poet, Sandor Petöfi, was seen. Some historians say that he was taken to Russia as a prisoner, while others claim that he died on the battlefield.

Info plate on Skinners’ Tower 20

The citadel knows another good period beginning with the XIXth century. During the revolution of 1848, the Saxons sided with the Romanians and – unlike the Hungarians, who wanted the unification of Transylvania with Hungary – they supported Romanian attempts to gain political rights. Hungarians failed to obtain greater control over the Principality as their troops were defeated by the Austrian and Russian armies in 1849. Since the second half of the XIXth century, industrial and social developments begun to reshape Sighi¿oara. The citadel was paved and lit; the first printing facilities are opened, followed by the first newspaper, in German language. Saxon continued to be the majority population, but their number was already in decline. The Romanians started to outnumber the Saxons beginning with the last century. The German population continued to leave, the peak of the exodus taking place at the end of the XXth century. Just as the promise of a better life once brought them from Germany to

Transylvania, the same wish led back to their ancestral homeland. There were, however, Saxons who refused to leave. The two World Wars and the communist regime were difficult times for them, however some chose to remain. Even if their number is currently very small compared to that several hundred years ago, some Saxons consider Sighi¿oara their home and cannot leave. These places inhabited by Saxons are still wearing the trademark of their historical, social and cultural life. Currently, the citadel of Sighi¿oara, with its medieval air, with its secular history, reminds travellers of the Saxon founders, of the craft guilds, and the ruthless overlords. It reminds us of the stories of great men, without whom we would not have uttered: “Once upon a time ...” 21

THE MEMORY OF AN INHABITED FORTRESS

The narrow streets filled by centuries of history twine through the old SighiÂżoara citadel. Warded by its secular guards, the old city lives on, adding new pages of history. At the bottom, on the TĂ˘rnava Mare River banks, The Lower City is awaiting to tell its story.

Walking through the City

THE SIGHIªOARA CITADEL

T HE H O U S E S O F T HE C I T Y Almost all the houses in Sighi¿oara are historical monuments. Some belonged to local famous people, some were guild headquarters. But most of them belonged to common people.

The story of the citadel on the ªae¿ River begins once the Transylvanian Saxons settled on these grounds. The German colonists – brought by the Hungarian royalty – found here a proper place to build their homes, on a hill with irregular forms, hard to climb, therefore hard to be conquered. Built in the XIIIth century and mentioned for the first time at the end of the same century, the citadel soon became a well fortified stronghold, kept by the most important guilds, being one of that time’s most hard to conquer strongholds. Not for nothing today’s Sighi¿oara inhabitants are grateful to their German forefathers. Nowadays on Sighi¿oara streets you can hear bits of Romanian and Hungarian. There are only a few hundred Transylvanian Saxons left, from the thousands that once lived here. They all left, leaving behind a city to tell their story, to make their culture known and to show their architecture. It’s strange how every element that in the

past played a part in protecting the citadel now got a bohemian aura. The traveller is charmed seing the towers, the protective walls, the narrow streets paved in granite, the buildings that barely sustain the burden of times gone by. All of these elements – a mixture of colours, ages, and architectonic styles – made Sighi¿oara the most beautiful Romanian medieval citadel. Beauty can not be measured but statistics about what the Sighi¿oara citadel means start making sense when the numbers seem never ending: 164 living houses, most of them historic monuments, 300 years in architectural age, over 800 years of history, 9 towers kept since the age of the old guilds, 930 m of protective walls. In 1999 its special historic, architectonic and aesthetic value was recognized, Sighi¿oara being included in the UNESCO World Heritage, for the whole world to hear the old city’s story.

Brådet Hill offers a beautiful perspective on the city.

WALKING THROUGH THE CITY

Sighi¿oara – tourist guide

THE CLOCK TOWER (TURNUL CU CEAS) Going up Strada Turnului or up the stone stairs starting in from Octavian Goga Street, the traveller’s eye will be caught by the slim waist of the Clock Tower, once the symbol of the state’s power, today the town’s symbol. The most important tower of the city, built most likely in the XIVth century, is guarding the main entrance. Placed on the east side of the hill, the tower was meant to protect the most important access gate of the city. It’s the only one of the stronghold’s towers that didn’t belong to a guild, throughout time being home to the most important institutions: the city hall, public administration, court house, for then to become a jail and weapon storage space. For a long time, the Clock Tower housed the City Council. The four towers on the roof top are symbols of the Councils power. Local authorities could issue death warrants and their judgment was never subject to questioning.

In the past...

It seems that the lower part of the tower was built in the XIVth century on the spot of an older tower but simpler, and with much thicker walls. At their base the walls are 2 m thick, while the first two stories have 1,3 m thick walls. Its strategic and economic importance was also recognized by the townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s assembly, who took over the tower. They only left in 1554, when the city hall moved in a former monastery, leaving the tower to be home only for the court house, the weapon storage room, the jail and the guard house. The tower didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t lose its importance even after this. On holidays, at the 5th floor concerts were held by the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s band, and in 1618 the tower was renovated. Unfortunately a curse came upon it in 1676 when a 27

Sighi¿oara – tourist guide

great fire partialy destroyed the citadel, affecting also parts of the Clock’s Tower. Luckily, a year later the tower was rebuilt in baroque style; the following rulers also left their traces on its architecture. In the XVIth century, the Turkish domination tried to leave its mark on this symbol of Sighi¿oara as well – in the upper part of the tower, above the golden sphere, a crescent moon appeared. Soon, the Austrian administration erased the ottoman symbol, placing instead the two-headed eagle, a piece of the Austrian-Hungarian emblem. In 1894 the tower was again restored, at this time being added the red, yellow, green and blue colour shingles that now adorn the roof. New emblems and symbols were engraved on the facades. Since 1899, The Clock Tower is home to the Sighi¿oara Museum of History that holds very valuable pieces of furniture, history, ethnography and history of pharmaceutics. The top story hallway has an impressive view of the entire city. ... and nowadays

Great and imposing, The Clock Tower stands over the city from an altitude of 64 m. Almost half of it (i.e. 34 m) represents the roof that ends in special decorative elements: a golden globe, a weathercock and four small towers covered in the same shingles. The weathercock, a distinctive component of the Transylvanian architecture, had meteorological purpose, indicating the direction and intensity of the wind, but it was also an architectural detail. The small towers, each with a medium height of 12,5 m, have globes on the top and a waving flag. 28

The construction is based on a rectangular prism with a diameter of 40 m. The first two levels have a rigid, austere aspect, without decorations, only a few fire holes. Beginning with the third floor, the tower widens through eight consoles that stand out emphasizing its massive aspect. The fifth floor, less wide then the rest of the building, has an open hallway. The main element of the tower is the one that gave its name: the figurine clock. On the side that faces the citadel and on the one facing downtown, there are symbolic characters watching over the traveller. Carved in linden wood and painted in intense colours, the figurines are impressive because of the stature, standing 1 m tall, but also because of their special symbolism. On the lower left side of the facade facing the citadel is represented the goddess of the peace, dressed in white and blue, holding two objects symbolizing the state of harmony: the clarion and the olive branch. Next to her stands the drummer, shown as a soldier with heavy and colourful clothes. He holds a drum in his left hand and a

Inside the History Museum you can have a closer look at the mechanism of the figurine Clock.

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WALKING THROUGH THE CITY