Exploring Romania: From May 24 through July 5, we visited the historic towns of Transylvania: Cluj-Napoca, Sighişoara, Sibiu, Brasov, and Sinaia. After a week in Bucharest, Romania’s capital city, we returned to Transylvania for a longer visit in Sibiu.
Sighişoara: (pronounced “sig-ee-SHWAH–rah”) is a smaller town, a major tourist attraction for its small but beautifully preserved old town, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
Historically, Sighişoara’s old town goes back to the twelfth century when the “Saxons” were invited to settle here to build a stronger economy and to build strong defenses. While today’s city reaches well beyond its medieval settlement, the old town fortress sits above, on a hill called the Citadel, with its original walls nearly intact. It’s one of a very few medieval walled towns that is so lovingly maintained and still inhabited.
Great Location: Our Air BnB was in the center of the old town, right on the main square which we could watch from our second story window. Walking these streets felt like going back in time. Every corner we turned offered another stunning view of the pastel-colored facades, the medieval walls, churches, or towers.
Transylvania, Dracula, and Vlad the Impaler: For many Americans, the word Transylvania is associated only with the fictional character of Dracula. That’s a shame, because this beautiful area of the Carpathian Mountains offers so much more. And those who live here have a love / hate relationship with the world’s best-known vampire. They may hate all the attention to Dracula (and Vlad), the tales, the movies, and the refrigerator magnets, but they love all the tourists who add to their economy.
Dracula: In 1897 an Irishman named Bram Stoker published his novel, Dracula. It became popular, inspired a lucrative film industry, and linked the fictional vampire to Transylvania, a little-known region of central Europe. Stoker took some inspiration for his novel from:
Vlad Tepes = Vlad the Impaler was an actual historical figure (1428/31 – 1476/77), the son of Vlad Dracul II, and is believed to have been born here in Sighişoara. Vlad III was a very warlike prince of Wallachia, an area of modern Romania just south of Transylvania. Vlad’s favorite method of execution earned him his name, Vlad the Impaler. His story is complex and fascinating, as he seems to have fought with the Ottomans, the Saxons, and the Hungarians.
- For a fascinating history of Vlad Tepes, we recommend watching a docudrama series: Rise of Empires: Ottoman, season 2: Vlad VS. Mehmet. (Season one tells the story of how the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet defeated the Byzantine Empire by conquering Constantinople. Season two chronicles the struggles between Mehmet, the Conqueror, and Vlad, the Impaler.)
In Sighişoara, you can visit the house where Vlad was born (supposedly), and you can purchase all sorts of souvenirs reflecting Vlad and/or Dracula, or stock up on refrigerator magnets featuring Dracula, Vlad the Impaler, or even Nicolae Ceaușescu — the former Romanian communist dictator — if you prefer a more recent monster.
Mystical Transylvania: This was a quirky little activity-based museum that offered two paths: (1) Stories from Sighişoara, and (2) Vlad Tepes, Hero or Villain?? It was low budget fun, with a version of Vlad’s story that recognized his cruelty but still admired his passion and willingness to fight for his country. At the end of his story, you have the chance to vote: Was Vlad a Hero or a Villain? From the results that we saw, we were surprised that many saw him as a hero. Or perhaps this kind of polling is misleadingly unreliable.
We ate well while in Sighişoara, and especially appreciated meals at the Medieval Café and at the restaurant named Joseph Haydn, even though the place had nothing to do with the Austrian composer.
But our favorite spot was a terrific little wine shop, La Teo Pendiunea. It’s a lovely pension just a three-minute walk off the main square in the Citadel, where the proprietor, Teo, offers a variety of Romanian wines, brandy, and palinka. He guided us in sampling until we found something we really liked. Then we would drink and enjoy the fascinating atmosphere of his beautiful wine cellar.
We spent just three days in Sighişoara, but it was enough to explore and appreciate this remarkably well-preserved medieval fortress town. Next stop: Sibiu.
