The Historic Centre of Sighișoara (Sighișoara Citadel) is the old center of the town of Sighișoara in Romania. It was built in the 12th century by Saxon settlers. This inhabited medieval citadel was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999 because it shows the 850-year history and culture of the Transylvanian Saxons.

Sighișoara is the birthplace of Vlad III the Impaler (in Romanian, Vlad Țepeș). Each year, the city holds a medieval festival where arts, crafts, rock music, and stage plays are celebrated. The city marks the northern edge of the Land of Sachsen. Like Sibiu (Hermannstadt) and Brașov (Kronstadt), Sighișoara has preserved Medieval German architecture and cultural traditions, even during the Communist period.

Description

The fortress has a wall that is 9.3 meters high today. The wall was originally about 4 meters high. Later, the height of the wall was increased in some places to 14 meters. The wall was built between the 14th and 17th centuries as protection against Turkish attacks. The wall had 14 towers, 9 of which are preserved to this day. The towers served as the headquarters of various craft guilds.

• The Clock Tower is 64 meters tall and serves as a gate-tower.
• The Rope Makers' Tower is located on the plateau of Școala din Deal (School on the Hill). It was restored in the 19th century and now serves as the caretaker's home for the Evangelical Cemetery on the hill.
• The Butchers' Tower is hexagonal.
• The Furriers' Tower was destroyed in a fire in 1676 but was rebuilt. It has four levels.
• The Weavers' Tower was demolished in 1858. The stones were used to pave the fortress.
• The Tailors' Tower is on the opposite side of the Clock Tower and serves as a gate-tower. It has two floors. A fire in 1676 caused an explosion in the gunpowder storage, which destroyed the tower. The tower was later rebuilt.
• The Jeweler's / Goldsmiths' Tower was set on fire by lightning in 1809 and was demolished in 1863 when a German high school gym was built on its site. The gym was later converted into a cemetery chapel between 1935 and 1936.
• The Tinsmiths' Tower is 25 meters tall and has four floors.
• The Tanners' Tower is one of the oldest.
• The Blacksmiths' Tower was built in 1631 on the foundations of the old Barber's Tower. It was destroyed in a fire in 1676 but was later rebuilt.
• The Locksmiths' and Coopers' Towers are located between the Shoemakers' Tower and the Blacksmiths' Tower.
• The Fishermen's Tower once stood near the Târnava River, far outside the fortress where a mill was located. It is rarely mentioned and can only be seen in a museum model inside the Clock Tower.
• The Shoemakers' Tower marks the northern end of the fortress wall. It was first mentioned in 1521, fortified in 1603, partially destroyed in 1606, rebuilt in 1650, burned in 1676, and rebuilt again in 1681.

• The Tinsmiths' Tower