Reached by means of the Scholars’s Stairs the Gothic-style Biserica din Deal – Church on the Hill, dedicated to St Nicholas, took nearly two hundred years to build on the site of a former Roman basilica. It is arguably the most architecturally significant building in Sighisoara. Its construction started in 1345 and continued, on and off, until 1525. Continue reading “Church on the Hill”
The Ropemakers’ Tower – Out Of A Fairy-tale
Dating from the 13th century and standing above the pre-Saxon Citadel walls, the square-based Ropemakers’ Tower is one of the oldest buildings in Sighisoara. Its role was to defend – together with the Goldsmiths’ Tower – the northwest corner of the hill. Continue reading “The Ropemakers’ Tower – Out Of A Fairy-tale”
Saxon Cemetery – Dare You To Go After Dark
The cemetery, while tidy, is overgrown with a rambling and evocative collection of headstones which appear to be randomly scattered with many broken and falling over. Indeed the positioning of some of the tombstones clearly suggests that some of the dead have made attempts to escape. The whole place eludes an atmosphere befitting of vampires and other creatures of the night and could easily have been created as a set for a Dracula (or Rocky Horror – whoops – I wasn’t supposed to mention that again) movie. Dare, if you will, to go in after dark! It is open till 8pm (from 8am). Continue reading “Saxon Cemetery – Dare You To Go After Dark”
Scholars’ Stairs – Let’s go to School
Something I have not seen elsewhere – certainly nothing as old as this. A medieval version of the mid-levels escalator in Hong Kong perhaps! Continue reading “Scholars’ Stairs – Let’s go to School”
The Clock Tower And Its Museums
The Clock Tower, or Council Tower, is the most imposing and impressive of Sighisoara’s towers and the one though which the majority of visitors enter and leave the Citadel area. Continue reading “The Clock Tower And Its Museums”
Passage Of The Old Ladies
While the weather was absolutely beautiful (though sub zero at night) when I visited, conditions can be harsh in Sighisoara, especially in winter.
In 1780 a covered walk called the Passage of the Old Ladies was constructed at the Clock Tower entrance to the Citadel to shield the elderly against rain or snow falls. Continue reading “Passage Of The Old Ladies”
Sighisoara Citadel – Medieval Beauty
The Citadel, or the old fortified town of Sighisoara, atop the hill and overlooking a bend in the Timava river, dates back to the 12th century when Transylvanian Saxons were ordered here by the King of Hungary to settle and defend the Carpathian frontier against the steppe peoples. Continue reading “Sighisoara Citadel – Medieval Beauty”
Casa Wagner – Excellent Value 3 Star Hotel
The Casa Wagner is located in the main square within the citadel, diagonally opposite the Clock Tower entrance to the square. This gives it a perfect location for those seeking to explore the citadel area and soak up the atmosphere. Continue reading “Casa Wagner – Excellent Value 3 Star Hotel”
The Night Train to Transylvania
We arrived in Sighisoara at 4 something am on a cold (nay freezing) late autumn day in 2011. The reason for our arrival at this ungodly hour was that we took the night train which connects Budapest with Bucharest – leaving the former at a very civilized 19.10 and arriving into the latter at an equally civilised 11.38 the following morning, dropping people of in Brasov a couple of hours earlier. Continue reading “The Night Train to Transylvania”
Sighisoara – Let’s Do The Time Warp
Having watched the Rocky Horror Picture Show the other night and the 2006 Rocky Horror Tribute Show last night I was reminded of my own visit to (transsexual) Transylvania a few years back and the fact that I had not yet shared with my dear Reader here a series of reviews I wrote on delightful Sighisoara. Continue reading “Sighisoara – Let’s Do The Time Warp”
The Rambling Wombat 