Central Romania: Rooftop of Sighişoara’s famous Clock Tower to be replaced

The rooftop of the Clock Tower at the entrance to the Sighişoara Medieval Citadel will be completely replaced after it was discovered during consolidation works that the special tiles and metal covering were very deteriorated.

Last year, extensive work began to replace all the beams that endangered the Clock Tower. A large-scale renovation of the tower had not been done for around 130 years. During the works, it was discovered that most of the beams supporting the roof were rotten, leading to their replacement. This year, the tiles and metal sheets will be replaced, and the original roof model will be restored.

The works at the tower have already been impacted by delays. "We will undertake major repairs and replace all the tiles on the roof to restore the original model. Since all the tiles are handmade, it took a bit longer, but I am confident that everything will be as planned soon. We will also reach the ball on the roof; some things are progressing slower than I would like because we have to replace all the metal sheets on the tower. Initially, the expert report indicated that the condition was better, but once we started the work, we realized that we needed to replace everything," mayor Ioan Iulian Sîrbu said, cited by Agerpres.

The Sighişoara Citadel was first documented in a record issued by Pope Boniface in 1298, but some chroniclers suggest it has been inhabited since 1191.

The Clock Tower, the symbol of the Medieval Citadel and the town of Sighişoara, is the city’s main tourist attraction. Historical records indicate it was repaired in 1678, 1788, and most recently in 1894.

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