Sighisoara – the polychrome titles of the Clock Tower catch the visitor’s eye from the distance. With its venerable towers and high church spires, with its splendidly and abruptly combined roofs and its thick defense walls, the city of Sighisoara apparently belongs to another century, although its age exceeds the history of many European capitals.
Nowadays, Sighisoara is one of the few inhabited fortified cities in Europe (it was also declared a UNESCO monument) and it attracts visitors from all over the world, which is de not only to its ancient architecture and medieval city timeless air, but also to the legend claiming that Dracula – the fierce ruler Vlad the Impaler – was born here.
The city, somewhat indifferent to the passing of the time, livens up suddenly at every end of July, when the Medival Sighisoara Fetival begins. The past and the present come reunited in a graceful minuet and boost up all artististically inclined souls.
It is absolutely fascinating to reach the heart of the ancient city. Its map is quite typical for the late Middle Ages German settlements and the visitor enters the place with the sense of infiltrating in a long gone epoch.
The visit strats by going up to the Hermann Oberth Square, where, it must be said, the hungry tourist may find a fine pizza restaurant. Vaults and overlays stretch above the narrow streets in order to protect the passengers from bad weather. The road leads to the 64 meter high (210 feet) Clock Tower, which looms over the entire town.
The seven centuries old tower was built to protect the city’s main gate and to host the City Council. Nowadays, the Clock Tower hosts a history museum which displays an impressive collection of Roman and Dacian ceramics, as well as all sots of weapons and tools belonging to the different guilds that operated I the city. The clock in the tower is fascinating. Its first mechanism was made from wood, but the city’s clockmakers replace it with a metal device, in 1648.
The main square of Sighisoara emanates a cosmopolitan air: tourists, craftsmen kiosks, souvenir stands, and antique shops. Visitors can find here 21st century accommodation in buildings that might be quite a few hundred years old. The houses owned once by Transylvanian Saxons craftsmen were turned into guest houses, which try to preserve as much of their ancient feeling as possible.
The Vlad Dracul House has been transformed into an exquisite restaurant that is always swarming with customers. It is said that this is the oldest civil building in town. It is probably erected in the 14th or 15th century, as an official residence for authorities and luminaries. The restaurant located today in the ancient building can accommodate up to 120 customers in the main dining room, plus another 60 seats available on the terrace. The diversified menus cost about 8-10 euros per person
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