Mediaș

Mediaș was the head of its own Saxon seat, first called the Two Seats and later the Mediaș Seat, and it 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, 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.

History

By tradition the town was founded in 1146, and the Saxons invited by the kings of Hungary settled along the Târnava Mare in the 13th century; the first document naming it, as Mediesy, is dated 3 June 1267. It was called a city for the first time in 1359, its people fortified it in 1490-1534, by 1562 it had 34 guilds, and the tower of St. Margaret's Church, built in 1460, leans because of the weak ground (Wikipedia, Mediaș).

The main sights

• The leaning tower - Saint Margaret's belfry visibly out of vertical.
• The church precinct - the fortified walls around Saint Margaret's.
• 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.

Practical notes

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.

Key facts