"Sighisoara" a Sighisoara Travel Page by irinuca

Strategically overlooking a valley full of picturesque villages boasting fantastic fortress churches, Sighisoara, with its small but beautifully preserved medieval core seems to be set for a prosperous future in tourism.
But where are the tourists? While an attractive town like this would certainly be swamped daily by coachloads of visitors if it were in Hungary or Austria, Sighisoara can often be eerily quiet and deserted, with the notable exception of the yearly Medieval Folk Festival.
Orientation: Sighisoara is small enough to be visited in one day. It's an easy walk from the train station to the old town, along Str. Garii and over the footbridge.

What to See
The Sighisoara you see today was founded as Castrum Sex by German immigrants around 1270. The first houses were built on the plateau 30m above the valley, and a church was erected (the ruins of which are visible next to the covered staircase). The fortifications were first constructed from 1530, continuously being improved with more and more towers (each named after the guild that was responsible for its upkeep of the tower). Nine of fourteen towers survive to this day; one was destroyed by lightning and four were torn down to make way for the Catholic church, the town hall or simply to provide paving stones. The best thing to do in Sighisoara is to visit the Clock Tower and Dracula House (both in the upper town) and then simply wander randomly around the streets of both the upper and lower town.

The Festival
The unique Medieval Folk Festival, held every July, attracts thousands of young Romanians to a merry weekend of music, parties, dancing and generally being far away from their parents. Despite the name, you get the impression that most visitors don't give a fiddler's elbow about medieval music, and prefer hanging around looking like hippies, drinking beer and going to the pop concerts in the lower town. In the citadel, performances ranging from classical flute concerts to Indian music and theatre are held in churches, the fortress towers and in the open air. Market stalls will be selling traditional Romanian artefacts as well as tons of plastic junk, and this is a good place to get your fortune told by a gypsy. The festival organisation can be cranky, so don't be surprised when acts get delayed or cancelled without warning. Hotels have to be booked long in advance, but ample accommodation is available in simple local homes for around US$10 per night (or bring a tent to camp in someone's back yard for a fee); at the station you'll find people offering rooms as well as an the festival accommodation agency.