Mediaș

Mediaș was one of the seven Saxon seats of Transylvania and kept much of its defensive circuit, with towers named for the guilds that maintained them, gates and a stretch of wall around the old town. At its centre stands Saint Margaret's church inside its own fortified precinct, the Castle of the Weavers, and the church tower, known as the Trumpeters' Tower, leans clearly out of vertical, more than two metres off true, which is the town's calling card. Inside the church are Anatolian carpets brought back by merchants and hung in the nave, a Transylvanian Saxon custom, along with a fifteenth-century altarpiece. The square outside, Piața Regele Ferdinand, is lined with merchant houses in various states of repair, and the town has the pleasantly unpolished feel of a place that has not been restored for visitors. It makes a good stop between Sighișoara and Sibiu.

What you actually see

• The leaning tower - Saint Margaret's belfry visibly out of vertical.
• The Castle of the Weavers - the fortified precinct around the church.
• Anatolian carpets - merchant-brought rugs hung inside the church.
• The old town square - Saxon merchant houses around the market place.

When to go

April to October, when the church and tower are reliably open; winter hours are short and the tower climb closes in ice. Weekday mornings are quiet. The town holds a small summer festival season in the square.

Honest expectations

Much of the town outside the square is run down and industrial, the legacy of gas and glass industries. The church opening depends on a keyholder and can be erratic. The tower climb is steep and cramped. Half a day is enough.

Nearby

Biertan is a short drive southeast; Sighișoara lies east along the valley.