JodockWorldTravel

May 31, 2024

Lunch was in Sighisoara, one of the most well-preserved medieval cities with people still living in it. There were once 27 towers like the one you see in the first picture, built to protect the town. Seven of the original towers remain.

We were told the house with the antlers on the corner is the most traditional style. In the “old days” three-four generations lived together in the same house and used the attic to store food.

Sighisoara is also the birthplace of Vlad Dracula, thought by some to be the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula. We enjoyed a delicious lunch in a restaurant that was once the home where Vlad was born and lived during the first two years of his life.

Vlad Dracula (Dracula means “Son of Dracul), was a renowned military leader, considered one of the most important in Wallachiam (now Romania) history, and a Romanian hero. He served as the highest-ranking military leader of the Hungarian empire three times between 1448 and his death in 1476 and earned the nickname Vlad the Impaler because of his penchant for impaling his enemies on stakes in the ground and leaving them to die. Because Bram Stoker set his novel in Transylvania and named his title character Dracula, many assume Vlad the Impaler was Stoker’s inspiration. However, Stoker’s third great-granddaughter has insisted he was not. According to her, the author had a blood disease that required blood-letting, which caused him to have difficulty sleeping and left him very pale. He was fascinated by Romanian folklore, especially as it pertained to vampires, and wrote the book with himself in mind as the main character. When researching a name for his character he misunderstood the translation of Dracul. He thought it meant “devil,” perfect for his character. It really means “dragon.” Nothing has been found in his notes to contradict his granddaughter’s account. And for those who may be wondering, no, blood is not on the menu at Casa Vlad.

Lunch was followed by a visit to the Clock Tower, Sighisoara’s main attraction. The Tower has been guarding the main entrance to Sighisoara since the 14th century, and originally housed the city’s administrative offices. Today it is home to the History Museum of Sighisoara, and its balcony, accessible by a narrow and very windy staircase, boasts the best views in the city.

The clock and its figures are still fully functional. To the left of the clockface are four figures. The women in the center top represent justice and righteousness. In the bottom left is a woman carrying an olive branch and a trumpet, representing peace. The little drummer boy on the right actually strikes the drum every quarter hour.

An additional seven figures are very busy multi-tasking, representing each of the seven days of the week, the seven ancient gods, the seven planets and the seven basic metals. Each figure represents a day of the week, with the symbol on its head signifying the ancient god it is also representing. Items of clothing, material used, and positions of different parts of the body take care of representing the planets and metals. From below the tower the only figure visible is the one representing the current day of the week.

Now it was time to move on to Viscri and another fortified church community.