I mentioned in my previous posts that if you are traveling to Romania, you should make it a point to venture outside of Bucharest, and only dedicate 2 or 3 days to the capital itself. For my first suggestion, I thought, what better place to try out than Sighișoara, smack dab in the middle of the country in the region of Transylvania.
Now, many people have heard of Transylvania from pop culture and might envision it as some spooky place wrapped up in a blanket of fog, where the sun never shines, and where bats and vampires terrorize the backwards townspeople. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth, and I kind of hate Bram Stoker for popularizing this false image of “Dracula” without ever having visited the region and supposedly with little knowledge of who Vlad the Impaler even was. In reality, Transylvania includes some of the most beautiful landscapes of mountains and valleys in Romania and is home to culturally rich and historically important (and quite colorful and lively!) towns and and cities.
Sighișoara - Colorful homes
Let’s focus on Sighișoara though, which is divided into the town and the citadel. The citadel was built in the 12th century by German (Transylvanian Saxon) craftsmen and merchants who were invited by the King of Hungary to defend his territory there. Throughout the centuries, the area changed hands several times and saw some tumultous times (read the history here) but today, the citadel (or cetate) is the best-preserved medieval citadel in Romania and, as such, is host to the Sighișoara Medieval Festival every summer in the last week of July.
Sighișoara - Medieval Festival weapons and hippies
During this time, the town celebrates its past by welcoming tourists from all over Romania and abroad to relive its past by dressing up in medieval costumes or by simply coming to sample the local foods, enjoy the concerts and performances, and marvel in the various different handcrafts and the art work of the region. It’s a perfect time to visit the citadel, which is pretty tiny and usually doesn’t have much to offer in terms of activities or entertainment outside of its festival times. Lots of metal-heads and hippies show up for the festival and camp out around the citadel during this time…I’m not entirely sure why, but I guess they like the concerts and parties, the spirit of togetherness, and, of course, the medieval costumes.
Sighișoara - Medieval Festival concert
Towards the end of August, Sighișoara also host the ProEtnica festival, a four-day fair which celebrates the many different ethnic minorities historically found in Romania, which include Albanians, Armenians, Bulgarians, Croatians, Czechs, Germans, Greeks, Hungarians, Italians, Jews, Macedonians, Poles, Rroma, Russians, Lipovenians, Ruthenians, Serbs, Slovacs, Tatars, Turks, and Ukranians! At the cultural festival you will find people dressed in different traditional costumes from each of these heritages, and of course, most importantly, lots of food from each culture! They also offer art and photography exhibitions, poetry readings, traditional dances, craft workshops, book exhibitions, musical workshops, information sessions, symposiums, and round-table discussions, as well as documentary film screenings. Various special programs and activities for children are also organized, so don’t worry about your kids being bored…this is definitely something everyone can enjoy.
Sighișoara - The Clock Tower
I think it would be worth it to come at least for a full day, as there seem to be a lot of interesting things going on each day (even a linguistic lecture about the Transylvanian Saxon dialect – drool!), culminating in an intercultural ball on the last day (Sunday)! Check the website here for more program info.
Sighișoara - Medieval Festival street performers
If you are visiting on a normal, non-festival day, it’s nice to just stroll around the cobble stone streets, take in the sights of the clock tower and the brightly colored old houses, and enjoy the view of the surrounding area as seen from the lookout points within the old citadel. Sighișoara is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is one of the few inhabited citadels in Europe.
Sighișoara - Medieval Festival street artist
You might also get a kick out of the fact that Vlad the Impaler (the real life prince who was the inspiration for the character of Dracula because of his harsh treatment of enemies) was actually born here, which is a source of great pride for the town, as he is seen as a national hero and defender against Ottoman expansion in Romania. This isn’t to say you won’t find tacky “Dracula” paraphernalia everywhere (I admit I even have some; they’re so deliciously cheesy!), but I would suggest skimming his real history here if you have a chance. It’s really interesting and gives you an idea where the name “Dracula” came from in the first place.
Sighișoara - Beautiful green cemetery
Bottom line, if you’re looking for a scary Transylvania experience, you won’t find it here…or in most places in Transylvania for that matter. Instead you will probably be greeted by colorful landscapes and buildings and warm friendly people. Beware!
Find all practical information on the official tourism website below.
Sighișoara – Official Tourism Information
ProEtnica Festival – Official Site
More Photos of Sighișoara – Flickr
