First published: 16/01/24.

Clyde 2.0

Sighisoara

Sighisoara (Inscribed)

Sighisoara by Clyde

I visited this WHS as a day trip from Sibiu. When planning my road trip in Romania I was undecided whether to use Sighisoara or Sibiu as my base for the surrounding WHS and tWHS. I opted for the latter mostly because the hotel included private parking, but overall I must say it was a very fortunate choice. I really enjoyed Sibiu not only for its many attractions but also because it really is a lively and liveable city. In contrast, I found Sighisoara to be too much of a museum city geared solely at tourism.

There is a convenient paid outdoor parking just below the uphill pedestrian street or stairs leading up to the Sighisoara clock tower area. I really enjoyed the area further up which is reached through the covered wooden Scholars' stairway and leads to some of the eight towers (such as the Tailors' Tower, the Bootmakers' Tower, and the Tinsmiths' Tower) which form part of the Medieval fortifications of Sighisoara and to the pretty Church on the Hill from where there are panoramic views of the surrounding hills and the fortified city below. I skipped the Dracula house interior, which was by far the most busy place in town with tourist train tours transporting groups around Sighisoara before or after an "obligatory" stop there, just a few steps away from the much more impressive Stag House. Instead of the crumbling Clock Tower, my personal highlight in Sighisoara were the different houses scattered around town, such as the Green Venetian House. There are several information boards with the UNESCO symbol in front of the main attractions and a UNESCO sign just before arriving in town by car, but no actual UNESCO inscription plaque.

I enjoyed my visit overall but I failed to find anything truly unique on a national and on a global level to warrant its OUV and its place on the WH list.

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