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The Medieval Citadel of Sighișoara

The fortress of Sighisoara like other medieval fortresses of Transylvania had the privilege of criminal jurisdiction, and as a symbol of this privilege were the 4 turrets on the roof of the Clock Tower, which can be seen today. In the "criminal" trials (murder, adultery, disturbance of public peace, witchcraft, etc.) the city magistrate was the first court.

Until 1556 the Clock Tower was the seat of the local authority, and after this year it will adapt the court, the storage of weapons and ammunition, the guardhouse and the prison fortress.

In the lower part of the Clock Tower, at the ground level the tower was crossed by two parallel gangs, vaulted in the semicylinder (like the Tailor's Tower of today), provided at both ends with massive oak doors with iron bars.

On April 30, 1676, a terrible fire broke out, destroying many buildings in the Fortress, including the Clock Tower. It will be restored in 1677 by the architects Veit Gruber from Tyrol and Philip Bonge from Salzburg and by the painter Valentin. It seems that after the great fire on the occasion of the restoration works the portions of the southern gang were built, inside it a prison was set up, the interior of which can be seen even today (Torture Chamber). Access is made in this room through a small door 140x 60 cm. Towards the window, on the left side of the niche was recently discovered, an inscription with Gothic characters having the following text: "Morgen werde ich ...", "Tomorrow I will ...". The ceiling of the room and the upper part of the walls is possible to keep still the traces of the fire of 1676 or they are blackened by the smoke of the cakes with which the room was illuminated.

In the Market Square (Burgplatz) there is in the Middle Ages the "pillar of infamy", a stone column with two iron rings. It is also here, as in other German cities, the "stallum" tribune, on which the capital processes were judged publicly, in the midst of the crowd gathered around it.

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