{"id":7235,"date":"2020-04-29T17:19:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-29T17:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mircorp.com\/?p=7235"},"modified":"2021-04-09T15:28:17","modified_gmt":"2021-04-09T15:28:17","slug":"reasons-we-love-sighisoara-romania-transylvania","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mircorp.com\/reasons-we-love-sighisoara-romania-transylvania\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Reasons We Love Sighisoara, Romania: Transylvania in Photos"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\"Wander
Wander the winding cobblestone streets of Sighisoara, Romania. Photo credit: MC Transylvania \/ Corbet Romania<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n


Romania\u2018s<\/a> Transylvania region is the land of vampires, right? Well, no, not really.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The word means nothing more sinister than \u201cbetween forested areas,\u201d and refers to the historical region enclosed within the backwards \u201cC\u201d stamped across Romania<\/a> by the wooded Carpathians. Sighisoara was founded in the Middle Ages in the middle of this region, which sits in the middle of the country. But there\u2019s nothing middling about this charming town. A visit to Sighisoara is a necessity – not just because its central location makes for easy travel but because it\u2019s one of the most alluring and well-preserved medieval towns in Europe.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

Here are our five favorite things about this beautiful city \u2013 and why you should visit it now, before the masses discover it: <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

1. Saxon Heritage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Transylvania was a part of Hungary<\/a> in the 12th<\/sup> century, when the Saxons began to immigrate here.<\/strong> The Hungarian overlord promised these ethnic German craftspeople freedom from serfdom if they would populate the border regions and protect them from raids. The Saxons were a thrifty and skillful group who set up tidy little fortified towns divided into neighborhoods based on their medieval guilds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As they settled in the hill town of Sighisoara, they built sturdy fortress walls punctuated by defensive towers maintained by each of the guilds. There was a tower for the Shoemakers, one for the Tailors, one for the Goldsmiths, and so on, up to 14. Nine of them still remain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The Shoemakers\u2019 Tower was constructed in 1521 in Sighisoara. Photo credit: Michel Behar<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

End of an Era<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Beginning in 1978, the Transylvanian Saxons began emigrating to Germany, their families fractured by the competing claims of the Hungarian, Romanian, and Soviet armies before and after WWII; the difficult life under Ceausescu; and bleak economic prospects after the fall of communism. Today only a minority of them lives in the towns they created and breathed life into for 800 years. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
A local woodworker. Photo credit: Liz Tollefson<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

2. Clock Tower<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

The most famous, and most visible, of Sighisoara\u2019s nine remaining defensive towers is the Clock Tower.<\/strong> Dating from the 14th century, the Clock Tower formerly controlled the main gate of the 2,500-foot defensive wall. Its seven-foot-thick walls protected stores of ammunition, food and the city\u2019s treasures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The Clock Tower shows its age on a perfect sunny day in Sighisoara. Photo credit: David W. Allen<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The clock was placed in the tower in 1648, and its Swiss mechanism was added in 1906. Seven different slow-moving figurines carved from linden wood replace each other at midnight all week, and at the top of the spire is a meteorological clock that forecasts the weather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The figures in Sighisoara’s Clock Tower change at midnight. Photo credit: MC Transylvania<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

3. UNESCO-listed Citadel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

The Historic Center of Sighisoara was added to UNESCO\u2019s World Heritage List<\/strong> in 1999, citing it as “an outstanding example of a small fortified city in the border region between the Latin-oriented culture of central Europe and the Byzantine-Orthodox culture of south-eastern Europe.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sighisoara\u2019s Old Town is a medieval hill citadel that has preserved much of its 15th century wall, enclosing nearly 200 stone houses and public buildings. It\u2019s considered the most beautiful and complete medieval architectural ensemble in Romania. Its hilly cobbled streets, pastel medieval buildings, steep stairways, stone defensive towers and little squares make it a delightfully photogenic and fascinating place to stroll and people-watch.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n\t
\n
\n\n \n\t\t\t
\n\n \n \"Wander <\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t
\n \n \"The \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n
\n \n \"The \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n
\n \n \"Pastel \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n
\n \n \"Sighisoara \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n \n
\n
\n