Sighisoara

Sighisoara General Information

Location: right in the heart of Transylvania
Elevation: circa 380 m 
Population: circa 24.000 
Distance from Bucharest: 303 km 

History

Sighisoara is a well-known tourist destination that can be considered Europe's pearl, as it is one of the few inhabited citadels of the old continent. 

Built by the Saxon colonists living in Transylvania who had to watch over the frontiers of the Hungarian kingdom in the 12th and 13th centuries A.C., the fortress gathered inside its walls Saxon, Romanian and Hungarian craftsmen. That’s the reason why the citadel was named in all the three languages: SCHAESSBURG, SIGHISOARA, and SEGESVAR.

For 29 years now, the Medieval Art Festival takes place in the summer: medieval music and dance, plays, animation and theater for children, workshops and craft camps, knights, dames, warriors, troubadours and minstrels. All, in a real medieval atmosphere, in the Citadel of Sighisoara. 

Fairytale sights

The city itself is a work of art and pure history: all streets inside the citadel uphill are built on cobblestone and are towered by old houses in plenty of colors. The most important are considered to be The House of Vlad Dracula,The Venetian House, The House with Antlers, The Cliff House, The House with Shingle, and the towers that fence the citadel: The Clock Tower – the entrance gate in the citadel – which is also a symbol of Sighisoara, The Tin Coaters Tower, The Butchers Tower, The Shoemakers Tower, The Taylors Tower, The Furriers Tower, The Blacksmiths Tower, The Rope Makers Tower, The Tanners Tower, The Church of the Monastery, The Church on the Hill. 

Absolutely every corner in this old citadel perched up on a hill will mesmerize you! If you visit it in July, you will have the chance to also witness The Medieval Festival, when the atmosphere of the Middle Ages is revived with kings, queens, pricesses and prices and knights dressed in medieval costumes, playing medieval instruments, or fighting in their armors with swords! 

An interesting experience to have is visiting The House of Guilds - a museum that hosts an exhibition of tools, equipment and machines used over 100 years ago by Saxon craftsmen from Sighisoara and the surrounding area. All the exhibits inside the museum are authentic, so you can admire the craftsmanship and tenacity shown by the Saxons in making equipment and tools using the technologies of that time.

If you want to see the city panorama you have to go up The Covered Staircase, which takes you to the School on the Hill and the Church on the Hill, two interesting spots. Everything in this citadel is situated like in the ancient times, when towering structures and altitude were a big advantage!