The Public Bath

The Goldsmiths Gangway starts under the tower of the house in the Small Square, at no. 24, located in the Upper Town, descending in steps towards the Goldsmiths Square, located in the Lower Town. The name of the gangway is explained by the fact that the goldsmiths used to have their shops in this area. Having preserved its medieval aspect since 1567, the picturesque Goldsmiths Gangway can be considered one of the most romantic places in Sibiu. At the upper end of the gangway there is a defensive tower on the precincts of two fortifications of Sibiu – the Tower of the Goldsmiths Gate – preserved since the 13th century.

The Soldisch Bastion, also named the Mercenaries Bastion, is located in the North-West corner of the citadel, on Bastionului Street, built during 1622-1627. Although it has a small area, Soldisch Bastion is one of the most interesting fortifications of the compound that used to provide security to the Upper Town. It is the last of the series of five Italian style bastions, built in order to modernize the defensive system. The bastion was made of brick and filled with soil for the purpose of providing a good protection against gunfire. Its walls are 2 meters thick and have a height of maximum 10 meters. On the inside, the ground organization and two levels of defense are still preserved and on the Southern side there are embrasures for medium size weapons as well as a door that used to allow the passage of troupes to the outside. The blazon of Sibiu is inserted in the bastion wall on the South-Easter side. At the end of the 18th century, the Alderman of the Saxons, Michael von Brukenthal, set up a fashionable garden at the time, with a fountain and orangery, with an artificial ruin and a hill made of pieces of cliff. With the occasion of the military festivities, on the platform of the bastion, cannons were brought to pour in a broadside.

The Stairs Gangway is one of the places in Sibiu with the best preserved medieval air. Some historians assume that the Stairs Gangway was allegedly built around the 13th century, but most of the specialists are of the opinion that only at the beginning of the 14th century Mayor Markus Pempfflinger required the construction of the gangway. Also known as the “Wall with needles”, the Stairs Gangway was built of stone and brick, connecting the Upper Town with the Lower Town via two lines of stairs and arcades that surrounded the walls of the citadel around the Evangelical Church. The Gangway ends in the upper part, at the crossing with Odobescu Street, with the Gate Tower and with the Old City Hall, today the History Museum within the Brukenthal National Museum. The building situated on the Southern side of the Stars Gangway houses the oldest restaurant of Romania, where – it is told that – even Michael the Brave dined after the battle of Șelimbăr. In order to arrive at the Stairs Gangway one must pass beneath the arch of the Stairs Tower.

The best known monument of Sibiu, the Council Tower used to be an entry gate to the city through the second fortification belt. Its name comes from the fact that it was located nearby the City Hall of Sibiu. The Council Tower, built during 1224-1241, is located in the Small Square, at no. 1. The Council Tower is a building with seven stories successively phased out, having their facades marked by narrow openings shaped as ramparts. The edifice is supported by high buttresses which phase out step-by-step, on the sides towards the Large Square and the Small Square. The buttresses on the Southern side of the tower are inserted with two embossed lions, which were presumed to be part of the tower’s original structure, but which appear to be sculpted during the Renaissance (final third of the 16th century). At the ground floor there are two ample arched passages that connect the Small and the Large Squares. The access to the inside of the tower is done through a small sized door, located in the Small Square. From here the narrow spiral stairs lead to the upper floors. On the 4th floor there is the horologe mechanism with dials on all four sides of the tower. Over the years, the tower was given different uses: gate tower, grain storehouse, fire tower (fire observation point), jail, natural science museum (around the mid of the 19th century). At the moment, the tower is used for various exhibitions and as belvedere point, on the superior level of the tower the visitor being able to see the entire Sibiu city and the crests of Făgăraș Mountains.

Built on the location of a gate tower of the second fortification precincts, the Bridge of Lies that joins the two sectors of the Small Square, thus enabling the connection between the Lower Town and the Upper Town, is, undoubtedly, the place in Sibiu with the richest legend.  Featuring a true symbol of the city, the Bridge of Lies was rebuilt in 1859, at the factory of Fredericus Hutte, being the first one in Romania and the second one in Europe to be made of cast iron, with fretwork decorations and having two big circles at the ends decorated with the blazon of Sibiu. Until the construction of this bridge, the access between the two sectors of the square used to be done beneath a conglomerate of buildings, demolished in 1851. The wall supporting the stairs includes a square shaped stone framework, vestige of a medieval building. The Bridge of Lies is considered a romantic place where lovers used to meet, even though at least four legends surround this location... The most known legend has it that the bridge has ears and an unimaginably great power, therefore, while hearing each lie, it starts groaning at every joint and crashes, bringing the liar with his/her feet on the ground. According to another legend, in the Small Square of Sibiu there used to be several fairs, and, after arriving home, some shoppers would realize they were cheated. They would return to the square and would get to grips with the lying merchants and, in the crowd’s explosion of laughter, would throw them off the bridge. Thus, while lodging again in Sibiu the merchants were afraid to cheat the locals a second time. A legend has it that couples of lovers used to walk on the bridge. The young couples would make vows of eternal love and the girls claimed to be virgins. However, after the wedding night, some of the girls would be caught lying. They were dragged to the bridge and thrown off over hand rail. In Sibiu there used to live many cadets who studied at the Military Academy. They would make a date with the local young ladies on the bridge, they were making many promises and afterwards the girls were left waiting uselessly for the men who would forget about them and their love vows.

Built in the 12th century, the fortified church in Cisnădioara is one of Romania’s oldest Romanesque basilicas, preserved almost unchanged, and hosting the oldest church organ in the country. The legend has it that the village lads used to prove their strength before getting married by rolling uphill the big boulder stones from the monastery yard, gathered there for times of trouble. Presently the basilica at the feet of Cindrel Mountains comes alive at film projections, concerts or romantic picnics in the moonlight. Photo and Text SOURCE: http://www.sibiu-turism.ro/Culture-and-Heritage-Religious-Heritage-Fortified-Churches-The-fortified-church-from-Cisnadioara.aspx