Fascinated by the vivid and at the same time old colors of Sighișoara, the last inhabited medieval fortress in Europe. The thought that every time we visit it we find ourselves in history, makes us appreciate once again, the melancholy, the small streets, full of colors, the old air, the restaurants and beautifully crowded terraces, all the corners, stones, the flags that symbolizes the pride. Listed on UNESCO World Heritage, a landmark for both us and foreign travelers, Sighișoara certainly takes you to another world and time, in an unique experience inside Romania. And among its mysterious alleys and narrow streets, we discover, every time, another place that rewrites its legend and that finally comes to fascinate us too.
There are several dear places in medieval Sighișoara where we stop, for which we constantly appreciate the effort, the story, the spirit and the magic old life. This time we arrived at The Throne, hidden like all the others on one of the cobbled and colorful streets, a house built next to the other neighbors, in a kind of old image of support and solidarity. In Sighișoara, the houses are lined up, as well as their colors, their stories, the host families and the years of survival in a world that is rushing forward. But Sighișoara always seems to be stopped in time.
We are greeted at The Throne by a local man, kind and smiling, who reveals the whole story and some of the secrets around us: other beautiful places for accommodation, restaurants and good food. The medieval house was rebuilt, renovated in detail, both inside and outside, writing new stories in the guest rooms. The Throne is actually a boutique hotel set in a historical 16th-century building. It kept its historical structure, 700-year-old stone walls, wooden elements and a solid wooden staircase.
We enter inside the mysterious medieval world from the beginning: a room built of old brick, with all kinds of collected objects, that we find so interesting and rare today. The wooden stairs lead upstairs, where the guest rooms have been prepared, each describing a different story: pieces of old furniture restored by local carpenters, collectibles, beds, windows and elegant lighting.
At The Throne you stop for rest and for an interesting trip inside the world of objects and medieval times: beautifully refurbished beds, old chests, chairs, wood, books. Everything is a detail and an invitation. One of the most popular pieces of furniture is the baroque-style shield, from the early 1800s, inherited from Nagykaroly Castle (Carei) in Satu Mare. Also, the church clock that greets you at the entrance, 100 years old.
“The old furniture, made of solid wood, deserves to be restored, not necessarily as an investment, but as a sign of appreciation for the crafts of yesterday. Our furniture has a beautiful story. It was refurbished by a skilled carpenter with 50 years of restoration experience. All the elements, the rich ornaments carved by hand, eventually become not only functional, but as beautiful as a century ago. ”
The restoration process at The Throne focused on preserving all the original elements, including plaster, preserving the 9th-century vault in the main apartment and the decorative paintings. What could be more beautiful?
The Throne is located just one minute from the Clock Tower in Sighișoara, the main gateway to the fortress and the Central Square, with traditional shops and restaurants. But, for a different experience, we recommend you to go to Casa Breslelor museum, which hosts an exhibition of tools, equipment and machinery used centuries ago by craftsmen from Sighișoara and its surroundings.
The early existence of bresle – guilds (about 19) shows the economic development of Sighișoara in the Middle Ages. Here, in Sibiu, Sebeș and Orăștie there were, for example, guilds of butchers, bakers, leathermen, shoemakers, blacksmiths, furriers, weavers, potters, tailors. Guilds also existed at that time in the cities of Augsburg, Cologne or Strasbourg. The representatives of the guilds have acquired over time an increasing importance in the management of the city. For example, the butchers’ guild is mentioned in 1517, that of the tinsmiths only in the 16th century, and that of the tailors was the first of the four great guilds forced to move inside the fortress in 1517.
You can discover in the museum many details from the workshops, tools and equipment used centuries ago by them, the Saxon craftsmen from Transylvania being considered among the most valuable in Southeast Europe.
Also worth seeing are the Blacksmith’s Tower and the Shoemaker’s Tower. In the past, Sighișoara had a tower for each guild. At the same time, the covered staircase, built in 1654, with 175 steps today. We recommend that you go through the whole fortress, to see its narrow streets and colors. You will not have much to walk and the pleasure of discovery will be even greater. It is full of charm, history and mystery.
The Throne only offers breakfast. But the fortress is full of terraces, restaurants and places where local dishes can be served. We recommend Gasthaus Altepost. We serve lunch and dinner here every time, with pleasure and we choose it for the traditional dishes, the classic but elegant style of the services offered and for the atmosphere inscribed in the same medieval register.
The Throne gave us a wonderful image of Sighișoara and a certainty, once again, that this part of the country should not be lost. Romania is unique in Europe through Sighișoara, but also in the world, through its spirit, story, history and colors. We find fascinating the feeling of living in a house inscribed in a real heritage, to look at the streets that are hundreds of years old, from our own open window, to imagine what existed before us in every corner of a house or a street. In Sighișoara we actually live the history, we exist with it and we participate in its further writing, a feeling that we find very special.
Thank you, The Throne, for the story offered, the effort and passion put into restoration, for another place representing the premium, traditional Romanian tourism.The Throne, Cositorarilor Street 4, Sighișoara, Mureș County
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