Sighisoara

Places of Interest - Romania

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introduction

Sighisoara is a popular tourist town with a beautiful old center located along the river Tarnava. Originally founded by Daciers, here in the 2nd century AD. Roman armies located and settled since the 12th century by Saxon Germans who created a castle.

For centuries no Hungarians or Romanians were admitted in "their" city Schassburg. Since then, the population has changed drastically; one fifth is now Hungarian and the majority ethnic Romanian - after the last calculations, the number of Germans is now less than 2%.

Besides the beautiful Medieval city center that has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list for years, it was here that Vlad Tepes, or Dracula was born, in the year 1431. His birth house is in the center, a big tourist attraction and is now a place to eat.

highlights

The historic city center:

Most sights can be found in the small Medieval citadel, which is the center of the city. Four of the original fourteen towers that were part of the 14th century city wall have survived. These are named after the various guilds who were responsible for guarding those same towers.

Five artillery bastions have also been preserved. One of the city features is the old clock tower that dates back to the year 1280 - the city administration was once established here. Furthermore, the old town is blessed with churches, museums and an old monastery.

One of the main reasons for tourists to visit this city (there are many more ancient German citadel cities in Transylvania) is that old frost of Wallachia Vlad Tepes was born. His birth house has been completely renovated and looks exactly like it was in his time. There is now a very popular restaurant.

Other attractions:

The Breite Ancient Oak Tree Reserve.

history

In the 3rd century BC, near the city we now know as Sighisoara, a Dacian settlement was built called Sandova. Five centuries later, the city was an important Roman castrum where Roman armies laid themselves. In the 12th century, German settlers settled here at the invitation of the Hungarian king and called the city Schassburg. They would work the soil and guard the borders of the province Transylvania.

In the year 1280 officially the first time the name of the city appears in the books and only four centuries later Hungarians and Romanians in the area were allowed to settle in as well. The "Saxons" nevertheless retained their majority and it was not lost until the beginning of the 20th century, at the end of the two-century Habsburg period. As in other German cities, the Saxon population decreased to a third, after the annexation of Transylvania to Romania in 1919. After WWII, this number would drop even further to a fifth. Now there are almost no Saxons living in Sighisoara.

One of the most important inhabitants of the city is Vlad Tepes (Dracula) who was born here at the beginning of the 15th century. His birth house is now a very important and popular eatery that attracts thousands of tourists every year. The city is on the UNESCO World Heritage list but that did not completely reject the threat of large-scale demolition. As early as 1975, the then mayor wanted to replace the historic inner city with modern flats and motorways. It was notable Prince Charles of England who shrugged his shoulders under a project that had protected the center as its main goal in Communist times.

The son of the then mayor and also the current mayor is accused of similar plans and would applaud it if the city is removed from the "protective" status list.

Sighisoara-Birthplace-House-Vlad-Tepes-Count-Dracula-Romania

tips & advice (2004)

The old historic city center (the citadel) is about one kilometer away from the city's train station. The bus station is conveniently built next to it.

There are frequent trains to and from Brasov from the station in Sighisoara: the journey takes about 2 hours and costs 34 Lei (2010).