Central Romania: Sighișoara to reconstruct medieval wall with EU Resilience funds

Sighișoara City Hall has secured funding of approximately EUR 2 million through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) for the reconstruction of certain sections of the city’s medieval wall that have collapsed and for the consolidation of existing walls.

The planned reconstruction will give visitors access to parts of the citadel that were previously closed off.

"Work is currently underway on these walls. We are essentially discussing sections 12, 16, and 22, where we will have pedestrian pathways. These are areas where we will rebuild the walls from the foundation up, as they no longer exist due to sections that have collapsed in recent decades. We will proceed with the necessary repairs and reinforcement works where they are required, including pedestrian pathways, because these were areas that were not visited by many people before. Few residents of Sighișoara knew about them. We want to open new pathways within the Citadel so that we can all stroll through the public areas, both residents of Sighișoara and tourists," said Iulian Sîrbu, the mayor of Sighișoara, cited by G4Media.

The mayor also mentioned that work is underway on the consolidation and restoration of the roof of the Clock Tower, specifically on its structure, where more serious issues were discovered.

"We practically replaced all the rotting beams that posed a real danger of the Clock Tower roof collapsing. No interventions had been made in this regard for over 130 years, and we discovered beams that were not initially visible until we began the work. We found beams that were literally falling apart in the hands of the workers when we started the work. This is a promising project because, first and foremost, we're talking about the symbol of the city, and last but not least, the safety of tourists, children, students, and everyone within the Citadel. Of course, we also have a school near this site. We are on schedule, and there are no issues in this regard,” said Iulian Sîrbu.

Another renovation project will see the tiles and sheet metal on the tower replaced.

Founded in 1191 but documented under the name "Castrum Sex" in 1280, and later referred to as "Schespurch" in German (1298), the city of Sighișoara is the architectural work of German settlers (Saxons) brought to Transylvania to guard the old frontiers of the Hungarian kingdom in the 12th and 13th centuries AD.

(Photo source: Elena-Andreea Acăprăriței | Dreamstime.com