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'Sighişoara', pronounced "sigi-show-ARA" (; ; Latin: ''Castrum Sex'') is a city and municipality on the Târnava River in Mureş County, Romania. Located in the historic region Transylvania, Sighişoara has a population of 32,287 (2002).

Contents

History

Demographics

Sights

Famous residents

Twin Towns

Notes

Gallery

External links

History

A Dacian settlement near Sighişoara known as ''Sandova'' dates as far back as the 3rd century BC. It was the site of an Imperial Roman castrum and legion base from the 2nd century. During the 12th century, German craftsmen and merchants known as the Transylvanian Saxons were invited to Transylvania by the King of Hungary to settle and defend the frontier of his realm. The chronicler Krauss lists a Saxon settlement in the actual Sighişoara by 1191. By 1280 it was known by the Latin name of ''Castrum Sex'', and by 1298 by the Saxon name of ''Schespurch resp. Schaesbrich''. By 1337 Sighişoara had become a royal center for the kings, who awarded the settlement urban status in 1367 as the ''Civitas de Segusvar''.
The city played an important strategic and commercial role at the edges of Central Europe for several centuries. Sighişoara became one of the most important cities of Transylvania, with artisans from throughout the Holy Roman Empire visiting the settlement. The German artisans and craftsmen dominated the urban economy, as well as building the fortifications protecting it. It is estimated that during the 16th and the 17th centuries Sighişoara had as many as 15 guilds and 20 handicraft branches. The Baroque sculptor Elias Nicolai lived in the city. The Wallachian prince Vlad Ţepeş, probably born near Sighişoara in 1431, let minted coins for his Wallachian domain in the city (otherwise coinage was the monopoly of the Hungarian kings in the Kingdom of Hungary) and issued the first document listing the city's Romanian name, ''Sighişoara''.
The city was the setting for George I Rákóczi's election as Prince of Transylvania and King of Hungary in 1631. Sighişoara suffered military occupation, fires, and plagues during the 17th and 18th centuries.
The nearby plain of Albeşti was the site of the Battle of Segesvár, where the revolutionary Hungarian army led by Józef Bem was defeated by the Russian army led by Luders on 31 July 1849. A monument was constructed in 1852 to the Russian general Skariatin, who died in the battle. The Hungarian poet Sándor Petőfi is generally believed to have been killed in the battle, and a monument was constructed in his honor at Albeşti in 1897. After World War I Sighişoara passed with Transylvania from Austria-Hungary to the Kingdom of Romania.

Central Sighişoara has preserved in an exemplary way the features of a small medieval fortified city, it has been listed by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Each year, a Medieval Festival takes place in the old citadel in July.
Owing to its connection to the myth of Dracula through Vlad Ţepeş, the construction of a Dracula theme park in Sighişoara was considered but ultimately rejected, as it would have detracted from the medieval style of the city.

Demographics

Ethnic groups ^[1]:

★ Romanians (76.06%)

★ Hungarians (18.36%)

★ Roma (3.51%)

★ Germans (1.92%)

Sights

Sighişoara is a popular tourist destination, due to its well-preserved walled old town. The landmark of the city is the Clock Tower, a 64m high tower built in 1556. It is today a museum of history.
Other interesting sights are:

★ The House attributed to Vlad Ţepeş, close to the Clock Tower, today a restaurant.

★ Sighisoara Citadel - a 12th Century Saxon edifice, is the historic center of the city. Still occupied, the citadel is listed as a World Heritage Site.

★ Clock Tower - Built in 1360 and standing at 60 meters tall atop the citadel hill. Inside is a museum that finishes in a great view from the top.

★ Weapon Museum - next to Vlad's birthplace. Very small, but it contains an interesting selection of medieval weapons (swords, arrows, etc.).

★ Covered Staircase - an very old stone staircase with a wooden roof along the whole span. This leads up to the Church on the Hill and the cemetery.

★ Church on the Hill - contains many frescoes and a crypt. Built on the location of the roman fort. Close to the cemetery on the side of the hill, which contains many German tombstones.

★ Bust of Vlad Tepes - Located around the corner from his birthplace, within sight of the Clock Tower.

Famous residents

★ Vlad Ţepeş, Wallachian prince

★ Johann Michael Ackner, Saxon archaeologist

★ Ralph Gunesch, German football player as of 2006

★ Hermann Oberth, one of the founding fathers of rocketry and astronautics

★ Friedrich Grünanger, architect

★ Radu Voina, handball player, national team manager

★ Adrian Ivanitchi, folk guitarist

Twin Towns

★ Dinkelsbühl (Germany)

★ Kiskunfélegyháza (Hungary)

★ Baden (Switzerland)

★ Blois (France)

★ Cìtta di Castello (Italy)

Notes

1. 2002 data census

Gallery

External links

★ Town hall of Sighişoara City

★ Municipal website

★ Sighişoara online

★ Sighişoara tourism information

★ Sighişoara blues festival

★ ProEtnica - Days of the Ethnic Communities in Romania

★ Festivalul Sighişoara Medievală

★ Sighisoara article on www.spirit.ro

★ RoTravel.com: Sighişoara

★ Sighişoara Photo Gallery (pictures of the city during the yearly Medieval Art Festival)

★ Article about the cultural highlights of Sighişoara, with pictures

★ Schäßburg

★ Bergschule Schäßburg

★ Sighisoara