exploreCARPATHIA
Attractions along the Carpathians
Transylvania / Romania

Town Walls

Town Walls
Sebes citadel
Roamata, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Original function:
town fortification
Current function:
town fortification
Historical Hungarian county:
Szeben
Country:
Romania
GPS coordinates:
45.9555423481, 23.5724304614
Google map:

History

The town was surrounded by walls and fortifications on the basis of a licence granted by King Sigismund of Hungary in 1387. The town walls were roughly rectangular in plan. There were gate towers to the north and west. A rectangular tower stood near the north gate tower, while the west gate tower was supported by a semicircular barbican. At the corners were the Bootmaker's tower to the north-west, a polygonal tower to the north-east and the Tailor's or Student's tower to the south-east.

In 1438 Murad II laid siege to the town. After a short battle, the Saxon citizens surrendered the town, mediated by the Voivode of the Wallachia Vlad Dracul, who accompanied the Turks. However, some of the Hungarian defenders retreated to the Tailor's Tower, which the Turks set on fire. The defenders who ran out were killed by the Turks. Following a decree of King Matthias of Hungary in 1485, the walls were repaired and raised. After 1849, the gates were demolished, along with the barbican and other fortifications on the south and east sides, but the walls themselves still almost completely surround the town core.

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