Romania - Eastern Europe - page 528

Getting Fortified in the Citadel
Palinca —homemade plum, apple, and pear brandy—is a fine Transylvanian tra-
dition. In the heart of Sighi@oara, you'll soon find your way to homey little Teo's
Cellar (Str. !colii 14; & 0265/77-1677; www.delateo.com), where you can sam-
ple the powerful distillations and learn about the process from the man him-
self. Teo has hundreds of potent vintages for you to take home, and he's
enlisted the help of various artisans to create bottles in an astounding range of
shapes and sizes; combined with their spirited contents, they make good gifts.
Teo also has a very comfortable en-suite guest room in his home (see “Where
to Stay,” p. 526).

Tips

various capitals around the world; at this point, you're 7,431km (4,607 miles) from
New York.
Back down on the ground, your combination ticket includes entrance to the tiny
one-room Torture Chamber Museum (nearby, tucked into the city wall), which once
served as the citadel's prison. Also nearby is the Museum of Medieval Arms, a curi-
ously curated exhibition that includes African daggers and arrows among the more tra-
ditional assortment of European killing machines.
Pia$a Muzeului 1. & 0265/77-1108. History Museum and Clock Tower entry: L4.10 ($1.50/80p); combined ticket for
all museums: L7 ($2.50/£1.35). Mon 10am-4:30pm; Tues-Fri 9am-6:30pm; Sat-Sun 9am-4:30pm.
Church on the Hill & Cemetery A covered stairway with nearly 180 steps
leads up the hill to the Gothic-style Biserica din Deal, allegedly built in 1345 for the
Saxon community; local guides will dispute this, however, claiming that this is simply
the year when the church was converted to its Gothic form. There are a few unex-
pected surprises here, including a unique fresco in one of the archways in which the
Holy Trinity is depicted as a three-faced entity, with the Holy Ghost depicted as
female. Also unique is the Last Judgment fresco without any depiction of purgatory.
Take the time to venture into the crypt beneath the church, where 30 tombs are
cloaked in a cool atmosphere of vampiric calm.
Worth exploring for its weathered charm is the Saxon cemetery opposite the church
doorway; strangely, the positioning of some of the gravestones clearly suggests that
some of the dead have made attempts to escape. To the right of the cemetery entrance
is the Goldsmiths' Tower.
Biserica din Deal. L2 (70¢/40p) admission. Times vary; usually 8am-8pm in summer.
The Saxon church of Biertan
Fortified churches were the norm in medieval Europe, with the architectural form
reaching its apotheosis in Transylvania under Saxon architects. The Saxon village of
Biertan (Birthälm) is home to one of the finest and largest of these. Situated within
sylvan surroundings—low hills carpeted with orchards and vineyards—this
UNESCO-listed church was built in the late-Gothic style during the first part of the
16th century; the village itself dates from 1283. The church occupies a hill in the cen-
ter of town, its solid periphery walls and four watchtowers a reminder of how these
religious buildings served a dual function as places of worship and defense against
marauding enemies. At the foot of the hill, walls and archways and towers mark out
further protective fortifications. A covered stairway allows access to the church, most