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Information from: Romanian Travel Guide

The most famous bastion of Sighisoara, which has actually become a landmark of the town, is the Clock Tower, also known under the name of the Council Tower, because it functioned as such between the 14th-16th centuries. The Clock Tower is 64 m high, of which 39.5 m are represented by the spire roof; it has four turrets and a wood covered wall walk for watching from the top floor.
Built in the 14th century, with 2 m thick walls, the tower was meant to defend the main gate of the citadel, the ammunition dump, the record office and the treasurery of the town. The four turrets symbolized the judicial autonomy of the Town Council who could apply, if necessary, the death penalty. In 1648, a clock was set up at the top of the tower. Its electronical mechanism is unique in Romania and has been brought from Switzerland in 1906. It gets in motion wood-made figurines which symbolize the days of the week. For instance, a soldier stands for Tuesday, the day of Mars, and Venus stands for Friday. At midnight a figurine would leave its slot and show up in order to herald the next day.
Other figurines of the clock mechanism, carved in lime-tree and vividly coloured, are related to the lapse of time; they stand for various mythological or symbolical characters, i.e. the Goddess of Peace with the olive branch, the Goddess of Justice with the scales, the Goddes of war with the sword, two angels symbolizing the Day and the Night etc.
The spire of the tower ends in a small golden sphere. At the top, there is a meteorological cock, which, turned around by air currents, forecasts the weather.
During the Middle Ages, the Clock Tower would be defended by 29 regular soldiers.

Starting from 1899, the Clock Tower has housed the Museum of History, which mirrors the evolution of crafts in Transylvania. The Museum holds also a medieval pharmacy from 1670, interesting artifacts of ethnography, a section of fine arts and a collection of clocks.
In 1780, near the Clock Tower was built a covered walk called the Passage of the Old Ladies, which would shield the elderly against rain or snow falls.
The Citadel was built in the 12th century; it was strengthened and extended in the 15th century. Today it counts 164 houses and 13 public buildings.
The solid and variously coloured houses line up along narrow lanes; around them stands a 1 km long defence wall initially provided with 14 towers, of which only nine have been preserved to the day. The most impressive are the hexagonal Shoemakers Tower, the Tailors Tower and the Tinsmiths Tower.
The towers of the Citadel have two to four levels and are provided with firing windows for cannons, shells and archebuses. They used to shelter powder magazines, ammunition and food supplies; besides, during sieges, the peace-loving craftsmen and tradesmen of the Citadel would turn into fierce soldiers who would fight bravely in order to defend their home town. Children and women would fight by their side too; they used to pour down hot water or tar over their assailants and throw stones down at them.
The Saxon craftsmen or tradesmen in the town had to contribute to the construction of fortifications by work days and materials; the Romanian serfs in the area, the so-called "maiers", would be used for the hardest works; they would draw out and carry stone, they would build up the brick walls, the pavement and the houses of the medieval Citadel.

Near the Clock Tower, there is the Monastery Church built in the Gothic style. First attested in a document in 1298, the Monastery Church epitomizes all the changes undergone by the town along time. It formerly belonged to the Dominican monks who lived in a monastery placed north to the church. The monastery was demolished in 1888, and its place was taken by the present town hall.
Built in the late Gothic style typical of the hall-churches with 2 naves and 2 rows of pillars, the church holds valuable artistic assets. One of them is the bronze front dating back to 1440. It has been made by a bell caster, Jakobus by name, whose work exemplifies the artists craftsmanship in the 15th century's Transylvania. Among other pieces of art can be mentioned a stone-carved frame adorned in the Transylvanian Renaissance style (1570); a baroque pulpit (1680); a baroque organ; 39 oriental carpets of the 16th-17th centuries.
The altar was made by the Slovak sculptor Johannes West in 1681. The altarpiece belongs to Jeremias Stranovius, a master from Sibiu, originated also in Slovakia. It is interesting to note that in his Last Supper, the artist drew his inspiration from people alive in his day, i.e. the chief priest, the councillors of the town.
The church has acquired its present-day aspect in 1928-1929.

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Additional Photos by Andrzej Urbaniec (Deepforest) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 441 W: 57 N: 936] (8825)
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