Sighisoara, a blast from the past

27/07/2009

Sighisoara is a major tourist destination in the heart of Transylvania.

Text and photos by Paul Ciocoiu for Southeast European Times in Bucharest -- 27/07/09

The western-style architecture and medieval church steeples make Sighisoara a unique getaway.

About four and a half hours out of Bucharest, the old town centre of Sighisoara, or the Sighisoara Citadel, is an oasis of architecture and history.

The centre, nestled in Transylvania, was added to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation's (UNESCO) World Heritage list in 1999.

Built in the 12th century, Sighisoara Citadel is almost completely intact.

"Founded by German craftsmen and merchants known as the Saxons of Transylvania, Sighisoara is a fine example of a small, fortified medieval town which played an important strategic and commercial role on the fringes of central Europe for several centuries," says the UNESCO website.

The fortress is made up of nine towers, the most notable of which is the 64m high Clock Tower -- currently a museum that exhibits coins, weapons and a medieval pharmacy. There is also a balcony that offers a beautiful view.

The old town centre of Sighisoara has been on UNESCO's World Heritage list for about a decade.

Climbing the stairs of the fortress from the bustling streets below is like entering a time warp -- the only remnants of the 21st century are the tourists dressed in modern clothes with cameras dangling from their arms. Even the local restaurants play along, as waitresses dress in old-time garb.

The restaurants are tourist-oriented, so they tend to be a bit pricey. Many of the eateries traditionally serve kebabs and polenta, as well as local dishes, such as sarmale, or stuffed cabbage, and mici, a local meat dish made with ground pork usually cooked on a barbecue and served with bread and mustard.

To keep the old traditions alive, Sighisoara hosts the Medieval Arts Festival every summer, which features medieval music and arts -- participants dress up like knights and damsels, performers act out medieval scenes, and musicians play the tunes of the Middle Ages. The fair is full of puppeteers, jugglers, dancers and pageants, such as a fencing competition.

Also in Sighisoara, visitors can find Casa Vlad Dracula, the house where Vlad the Impaler, the ruler known as the inspiration for Bram Stoker's 1897 novel "Dracula", was born.