Monastery Church, Sighișoara

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Sighisoara, the Medieval Jewel of Romania, awaits its visitors to reveal the mystery gathered between its old walls marked by hundreds of years of existence. Its geographical setting in the central part of the country confers the city a key position on the valley of the Tarnava Mare river, at the intersection of the main roads. Included in the UNESCO patrimony since 1999, Sighisoara is truly a European medieval city, whose old edifices and building are still functional and well-preserved. The old citadel, with its lofty towers and its somber but hospitable walls, with old, multicoloured houses, aged by the passage of history, is considered to be the only fully inhabited medieval citadel in Europe. Thank you very much for choosing The medieval Fortress of Sighisoara. The only medieval fortree lived in the SE of Europe Va multumim frumos pentru ca ati ales Cetatea Medievala Sighisoara, singura cetate medieval locuita din SEul Europei. Facem sa fie bine! Veghem! Stati linistiti! Am zis! Bine ati venit la Muzeul de Istorie Sighisoara! The history of the area where Sighisoara lies begins a couple of thousand years before the German colonists founded the city, the oldest archaeological findings discovered here belonging to the Petresti Culture, dating from the Neolithic Period. In 1898, on the Dealul Turcului or Wietenberg plateau, situated 3 km. North-West of the city, the first traces of a material culture were found, dating back to the Middle Bronze Period, subsequently named the Sighisoara-Wietenberg Culture. Archaeological digging has revealed a large quantity of whole and fragmented pottery, and objects made of stone, bone, copper and bronze. The refined, polished ceramic resembles, through its complex decoration, the circular ornaments of the Orient. The tools and weapons are masterfully done. The members of the Sighisoara-Wietenberg Culture lived in an important magical and religious centre. The evolution of the superb local culture will be interrupted by the invasions of the aggressive eastern tribes. In the La Tene Period (the 2nd century B.C. – the 1st century A.D.), the Wietenberg plateau is the scene of a remarkable progress, since this is where the most powerful Dacian fortification of the middle course of the Tarnava Mare river was built, along with the centre of an important tribal formation in the region. The artifacts discovered here show a great development of the material culture specific for this period. Following two difficult wars in 101-102, and 105-106, the Romans conquered Dacia and transformed it into a Roman province. The period of Roman domination over a large part of ancient Dacia represented an important moment for the evolution of the local culture and civilization. 4 km. west of today’s Sighisoara, on the Podmoale plateau, a fortification of the Roman army (known as a castrum) was built, where a cohort of the XIII Legion Gemina was stationed, with the centre at Apulum (present day Alba Iulia). Rich traces of the Roman civilization were discovered on the surface of the plateau, being partially visible today as well. After the army retreated, a powerful civil settlement developed on the old fortification, including a Roman temple of impressive proportion, as the basis of a column found there proves. The Roman army and administration retreated from Dacia Traiana in the year 271 B.C. There followed a period of almost 100 years of instability, when ten waves of migrating peoples crossed over the territory of former Dacia. Of these, the Hungarians managed to gradually conquer the entire Transylvania, which they integrated into the Hungarian Kingdom. In order to stimulate the economic activity and enforce their dominion over the conquered territories, the Hungarian feudal state colonized successive groups of German population. Made up of peasants and craftsmen, these colonists called ‘sasi-saxones’, brought over by King Geza the 2nd, built the main medieval cities in Transilvania. Of the urban settlements that appeared towards the end of the 13th century, the one situated at the confluence of ?ae? stream and the Tarnava Mare river would become the ancient citadel of Schässburg, present day’s Sighisoara. Historian Georgius Krauss establishes the beginning of medieval inhabitance here in the year 1191, but the first written documents mentioning it date back to the 1280s, the city being known as Castrum Sex and in 1298 as Schespurch. From the 14th century onward, the development of the city was quite rapid. In 1337, Sighisoara became a ruling centre, and in 1367 it gained the rank of city. The inhabitants of the medieval city were grouped into craftsmen guilds. The city statuses from 1517 attest the fact that only the four most important guilds had the rights to live in the citadel, the Gold Crafters, the Tailors, the Locksmiths, and the Strap Makers. In 1872, these were dissolved and replaced by craftsmen corporations. The 15th- 17th centuries marked the period of flourishing for the city, as it transformed into an important arts centre, joining the activities of numerous painters, sculptors, artists or historians, either from foreign lands or locals such as Elias Nicolai, a sculptor of the Transilvanian baroque, or Georgius Krauss, a 17th century historian. Also famous is the pharmacist Andreas Bertramus, whose spirtus vitriolis helped treat an ailment of Prince Mihai Apafy. The barbers also had medical duties, dealing with the treatment of wounds and tooth extractions. With regards to pharmacies, the first one date back to 1700. In Sighisoara, there was also the practice of alternative medicine, as a homeopathic kit found here proves. Politically speaking, in the 15th century, Sighisoara became the second most important city after Sibiu. Thus we remark the presence of Vlad Dracul, the ruler of Tara Romaneasca, and member of the Order of the Dragon, who lived here between 1431-36, in the Pauilini house. Vlad Dracul is the one who issued the document which first mentions the Romanian name of the city - Sãghi?oara. Legend has it that here, in Sighisoara, his son was born, Vlad Tepes, the future ruler of Tara Romaneasca. The citadel city has also seen some troubled times, being under attack numerous times, the traces of the last attack of 1704 still visible today on the Tin-Welders’ Tower. In 1676, three quarters of the city burned, while in 1709 the plague killed 1300 of the 3000 inhabitants of the city. In 1738, the city was shaken by a powerful earthquake, and in 1771 it was struck by the biggest flood in its history. In 1848, Sighisoara was caught in the centre of the revolutionary movements. Up until 1900, there was a period of peace and prosperity in Sighisoara. In 1862 there was the moving of the banks of the ?ae? stream, which ran through the centre of the Lower City and caused great floods. In 1873, the Brasov-Sighisoara-Arad railway was inaugurated and in 1876 the city became the shire capital. In 1898 a little train starts traversing the Lower City. In the 20th century, Sighisoara becomes part of Great Romania after the great union of 1918, and in the interwar period it continues its economic development. Today Sighisoara combines the modern air of a European city with the ancient enchantment of the medieval citadel. The main point of attraction in Sighisoara is the Medieval Citadel, ‘the most beautiful and best-preserved town citadel in Transilvania’, called along the years ‘The Pearl of Tarnava’, ‘The Jewel of Transilvania’, or ‘The Transilvanian Nurnberg’. Part of the Universal UNESCO Patrimony since 1999, the Medieval Citadel of Sighisoara is an attraction point for tourists all over the world who come to discover its charm, described by historians and recreated in modern times in the most unexpected ways. The Citadel Hill has two plateaus which influenced the urban development of the upper city, as well as the defences of the citadel. The defensive system, built and defended by the guilds, was made up of a long 930 metre wall, with 13 defence towers and 5 artillery bastions which made the Sighisoara citadel one of the most difficult citadels to conquer from Transilvania. From it, 9 towers, 2 bastions and part of the inner wall have been preserved until today. The Clock Tower was built to protect the main gate of the city and represents a true symbol of Sighisoara. Erected since the 14th century, the tower includes a defensive layout which controlled the access to the citadel, with entrenchments, sentry paths and shooting galleries. Unlike the other towers, erected and defended by various guilds, it also functioned as the city council until 1556, and as law court and guard house until the end of the 19th century. From 1899, it was chosen as the headquarters for the history museum, at the initiative of doctor Josef Bacon from Sighisoara, who thus became the first custodian of the museum. The construction has a rectangular prism as a basis, and includes five levels, which, together with the balcony and the pyramidal roof, reach the height of 64 metres. The 34 metre roof was destroyed by the great fire of 1676 and rebuilt a year later in the baroque style. On the corners there are 4 small towers which reflected in the past the juridical autonomy of the city. The edifice was bestowed with a clock at the beginning of the 17th century, which was redone in 1648 by Johann Kirschel and fitted, according to the fashion of the Central European cities, with statues of lime tree featuring pagan gods representative for each day of the week. On the exterior the clock has two huge quadrants nearly two metres and a half in diameter, on each façade of the tower with various figurines. In the niche facing the citadel there is a group of figurines which represent Fairness and Justice, and one register lower there are the drummer, the goddess of Peace, and the Day and Night statues. Towards the lower city, along with the figurines which feature the days of the week, there is a possible image of the executioner, who probably warned those coming to the fare to respect the laws of the citadel. The current mechanism of the clock is relatively new, dating back to 1906, and in 1964 the clock was modernised with an electrical motor. The Tin-Welders’ Tower represents an image mirroring the harsh history of the citadel, as the marks of cannonballs are still visible today on its walls. Along with the Clock Tower, it dominates the lower part of the city, having an exceptional defence position. The tower is completed by the Shooters’ Gallery, with windows specifically designed for shooting out of, unique in the citadel’s architecture. This gallery links with the Curriers’ Tower, one of the oldest towers as its simple and efficient architecture proves. Its main purpose was that of defending the interior court of the Clock Tower. The Rope-Makers’ Tower, probably dating back to the 13th century, is nowadays transformed into the quarters of the guard of the evangelic cemetery, making it the only inhabited tower from the 9 still standing today. The part of the wall which links the Rope-Makers’ Tower with the Butchers’ Tower has remained intact on its full height, so that the phases of the evolution of the masonry can be clearly seen. Linked through the Törle Gate with the Butchers’ Tower, there is the Furriers’ Tower, dating back to the 15th century, where the division of the flocks was done in the evenings. The Tailors’ Tower was built in the 14th century and belonged to one of the richest guilds, imposing itself through simplicity and massiveness. It is situated opposite to the Clock Tower and guards the second access gate to the citadel. The Shoemakers’ Tower, situated in the North-East of the citadel, was first mentioned in 1521. It features the baroque architecture and today houses the local radio station. The Blacksmiths’ Tower was erected in 1631 on the grounds of the old Barbers’ Tower and had the role of defending the Monastery’s Church in state of siege. Alongside the defensive system, visitors can enjoy other tourist attractions filled with the history of the citadel, such as the religious architecture which in the Middle Ages was just as important as the military one. From the 9 working churches throughout the 14th-18th centuries, there are only 3 still preserved today the Monastery Church, the Hill Church and the so-called Leper Church, where rare sculptures and religious and funerary paintings may be admired. The Hill Church, the hall-church in gothic style, the third in size from Transilvania, is situated on the superior plateau of the Citadel Hill. It dates back to 1345, when it was mentioned in an act through which Ludovic the 1st confirms the privileges of the inhabitants of Sighisoara. The church was erected and expanded in several stages on the grounds of an older Roman basilica, probably dating back to the 13th century. Archaeological digging has revealed, under the choir area, the traces of a Roman crypt. On the exterior, we can notice the remarkable old stone statues, and in the interior fragments of paintings from the 14th-16th centuries as well as valuable gothic furniture are kept. The Monastery Church, a monument of gothic architecture, can be found in the immediate vicinity if the Clock Tower and was built beginning with the 13th century. It is mentioned in a document issued by pope Boniface the 8th, which mentions the right to indulgence given to the believers of The Monastery Church, the church of the Dominican monks in Schespurch. From 1550 the church was taken over by the city council, becoming the main evangelic church of the Sighisoara community. The interior of the church is impregnated by the baroque style. Here we can also admire a precious collection of Anatolian carpets dating back to the 17th century. Close to the bank of the Tarnava Mare river there is the Leper Church, dating form the 16th century, which is rather small in size. The Roman-Catholic ‘St. Josef’ Church, built in 1894 after the demolition of the Franciscan Nuns’ Monastery, is situated in the North-Eastern part of the citadel, along the enclosure wall. The Neo-gothic and Neo-Romanic architectural elements are predominant on this construction characterised by an eclectic style. Despite the 19th century constructions which have partially modified the medieval architecture, the Sighisoara Citadel has remained the most beautiful and best-preserved medieval architecture ensemble from the Centre and South-Eastern Europe. Near the Clock Tower, we can admire the small populated streets which charm even the most pretentious visitor. Most of the 164 inhabited houses in the citadel are at least 300 years old and are considered true historical monuments. The Stag House, named after the stag head placed on the corner of the building and built in the 17th century, is the one which has best preserved its shape up until today. Here we can also find the House on the cliff, built after the great fire of 1676. The Venetian House, named after the stone frames of the windows which imitate the Venetian gothic, date back to the 16th century, while the Shingle House is a specific craftsmen house. The Vlad Dracul house appears to be the oldest civilian construction in the citadel, judging by the semi-cylindrical arch made of river stone on the bottom floor of the building. The City hall Building, situated near the Monastery Church, was built between 1887-1888 and includes, on the top floor, a room in the baroque style. Accompanied by the city’s drummer or the sounds of some minstrel, tourists may climb the 175 covered steps of the pupils’ stairs, built in 1654 to ease pupils’ access to the school building during harsh winters. Daca sunteti casatoriti sau doriti sa va casatoriti, mai bine folositi speudonime: frunzulita mea, copacelul meu, pasaricuta mea.Am zis! The Hill School situated in the immediate vicinity of the covered wooden stairs bears the inscription ‘Schola Seminarium Republicae’ and dates back to 1619. The narrow, paved streets of the citadel turn the eye towards a genuine museum-city, offering the modern traveller the rare opportunity to go back in time, to the medieval atmosphere of a couple of hundred years ago. Old and extraordinarily beautiful buildings are found in the so-called ‘Lower City’, where old, craftsmen houses, memorial houses and holy places have been preserved: the Zilinschi house from the 18th century, a baker’s house, the Rosenthal house, the artisans’ house, or the ‘Steaua’ Hotel building from the 19th century; the house where Hermann Oberth grew up, the inventor of the rocket engine and one of ‘the founding father of astronautics’. The Orthodox Church of Cornesti, built out of stone in 1797, was erected on the gounds of a wooden religious building, and contains a superb interior mural painting. On one of the Tarnava river banks there is the monumental Orthodox Cathedral, with the Holy Trinity patronage, built between 1934-1937, in the Neo-Romanian style. Close to it we can see the Reformed Church, built in 1888, in the Neo-Romanic and Neo-gothic styles. The local hospitality can be found in numerous hotels, boarding houses, and restaurants which welcome their guests with services of the highest standards of quality. These are placed in various areas of the city, in the citadel, the lower or new city, thus giving tourists the possibility of choosing accommodation according to their preferences. The comfort often combines with the refinement, simplicity and good taste of the past centuries, promising a journey in time and a view to match. The Citadel Market, along with numerous narrow and romantic streets, is the place where tourists can admire the beauty of the citadel off the stylish terraces; this is also the site where the main events of the Sighisoara Festival take place. These ample cultural manifestations have made this city into an international multicultural centre. Primaria Orasului Sighisoara deschide official cea de-a 3-a editie. Sighisoara Film Festival! La Sighisoara, 3 zile, puteti sa veniti la Mestesugari. Am zis! Noaptea Muzeelor din Romania. Facem sa fie bine! Am zis! The events have increased the city’s fame year in, year out, proving the Sighisoara constitutes a genuine modern European city. Lume, lume,m sa stie tot natul! Din partea Primariei Sighisoara, Muzeul de Istorie, Asociatia turistica: Bine ati venit! Va multumim frumos pentru ca ati ales Cetatea Medievala Sighisoara, singura cetate medieval locuita din SEul Europei. Am zis! The city, having 7 European brethren cities, has also received three great distinctions from the Council of Europe the Honour Degree in 1998, the Honour Flag in the next year, and the Honour Plaque in 2003. In 2009, during the Swiss tourist prizes of Lugano, Sighisoara was awarded the title of ‘The Medieval Jewel of Romania’. The old medieval city of Sighisoara, with its small paved streets, conceals, and, at the same time, reveals at each step sights that enchant the eye and incite the imagination. The unmistakable beauty and personality of the city have come to life throughout centuries of history, and today Sighisoara invites you to discover its medieval mystery and its contemporary charm, on rhythms of drums and minstrels.