Sighișoara Citadel

<p>Sighișoara Citadel is the only continuously-inhabited medieval citadel in Europe. Built by the Saxons between the 12th and 14th centuries, it has 9 surviving towers (of 14 originals), 930 m of walls, cobbled streets, colorful houses from the 16th-18th centuries. The whole citadel has been UNESCO since 1999. And here, in 1431, Vlad Dracul was born — the future Vlad the Impaler.</p><p>The Clock Tower is the city's symbol — 64 m tall, with a mechanical clock and rotating figurines built by a Swiss craftsman in 1648. Climb it (175 steps) for a 360° view over red rooftops. See also the Church on the Hill (linked to town by the Covered Stairway of 1642 — 175 wooden steps), the Vlad Dracul House (his birthplace, now a restaurant), Citadel Square.</p><p>Tip: stay at least one night inside the citadel — only after the tourists leave (after 7 PM) does Sighișoara become itself. Small guesthouses and boutique hotels in restored medieval houses. July has the Medieval Festival — costumes, workshops, sword fights. October is chromatically beautiful.</p><p>Nearby: Biertan (a Saxon village with a UNESCO fortified church, 30 km), Mediaș, Sibiu (90 km). All of southeastern Transylvania is fortified-village country — a week to explore.</p>