In the 16th century Sibiu and Mediaş were two important burgs in the south of Transylvania and the road connecting them was constantly under threat from enemy attacks.
Thus, in mid-16th century, in several stages, they erected the Slimnic fortress on the road from Sibiu to Mediaş. This was a simple military architecture complex with some defence towers. Inside, the fortress also hosted a small gothic chapel, the only one which can still be admired today; the planned hall church was never finished due to the countless attacks on the fortress. For instance, the sieges from 1529 and 1706 proved to be devastating for the fortress. The church was built in the second half of the 14th century and its patron was St. Bartholomew. Around the year 1500 the wooden ceiling of the church is replaced with a gothic vault.
The fortress is placed on a hill above Slimnic and its high, reddish ruins (because of the brick) are noticeable from afar. 
http://www.sibiu-turism.ro/

The peasant fortress from Slimnic

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The Reformed church in Ocna Sibiului is a fortified church, with three naves, in the Roman style. It began being built in 1240, but the construction was interrupted by the Tatar invasion in Transylvania, which is why it was finished as late as 1280. The city wall was built later, in the early 1300, to defend the church from the second wave of Tatar invaders. The oldest and most precious element of the church is the bas-relief above the south entrance, dating back to the early 1200s. A few frescoes were uncovered in 1910. The most important is the fresco above the central nave made by a painter from Sibiu called Vincentius in 1522, portraying the last days in the life of Jesus. It was initially a Roman Catholic church, and became a Reformation church in 1596, when the Hungarian community converted. For hundreds of years, the church was used by Evangelical Saxons.
The south wing of the church houses a small museum, as Father Lorand told us:
"The oldest exhibit here is the archbishop's chair built in 1515. We also have chalices, platters and fonts used from the 17th to the 18th centuries, but also clay pots made by salt mine workers between the 18th and 20th centuries. You can visit the church at any time. We have guided tours in several languages. We also have fliers telling you about the church in Hungarian, English and German. The church is visited annually by people from all corners of Europe, Germany, Slovenia, Hungary, England and France. In my opinion, if you visit Sibiu, Ocna Sibiului is a must, not just for the treatment, but also for the history, which comes alive between these walls. Which is why we welcome you here with open heart."
https://www.rri.ro/

Ocna Sibiului fortified church

Legendara reşedinţă a familiei Bolyai din satul Buia, dar şi castelul de la Boarta, construit în stil baroc în 1770, au rămas acum doar ruine printre care se mai plimbă uneori localnicii bătrâni, copleşiţi de amintiri.
Pe un deal mic, pe care urci dintr-un drum neasfaltat, ruinele reşedinţei falnice de odinioară a familiei Bolyai zac încremenite într-un timp demult apus, plin de poveşti de care acum se interesează, din păcate, din ce în ce mai puţini.    Prima atestare a castelului datează din 1324, iar în perioada de înflorire avea 12 camere, o curte splendidă cu mese din pietre rotunde, cu brazi de jur-împrejur, o alee străjuită de castani şi o pivniţă ”de gheaţă” în care petrecea nobilimea. Peisajul era întregit de o biserică, cu fresce pictate de pereţi.    După bătălia de la Şelimbăr, din 1599, Sigismund Bathory îi donează castelul lui Mihai Viteazul, iar legendele povestesc că, după bătălii, domnitorul ar fi lăsat-o aici, timp de două săptămâni, pe doamna Stanca. Tot legendele spun că, după aceeaşi luptă, voievodul ar fi venit aici cu bijuterii puse într-o piele de bivol, pe care le-ar fi îngropat în jurul castelului.    Turnul cu coase şi teiul de spânzurătoare   De ruinele de acum, pe vremuri splendidă reşedinţă nobiliară, se leagă încă numeroase legende. ”Exista un turn de execuţie dotat cu coase şi o cameră de plângere lângă turn. Iobagii care nu se supuneau moşierului erau executaţi, iar cel care urma să fie executat trebuia să-şi spună păcatele în camera de plângere, apoi era aruncat între coase. La intrare, în partea stângă, era un tei, un copac de spânzurătoare, unde erau spânzuraţi iobagii care nu se supuneau”, povesteşte Karoly Szobo (77 de ani), fost învăţător în sat vreme de 40 de ani.    Tot legenda mai spune că în zidul castelului erau zidite călugăriţe care ieşeau doar noaptea şi cântau, dar şi că edificiul era legat printr-un tunel de satul Mighindoala, aflat în apropiere.    Dispensar şi magazie   În 1920, povesteşte Karoly Szabo, satul a ajuns în proprietatea statului român, iar până în 1978 aici a funcţionat un dispensar, pentru care au fost modificate şi amenajate două dintre camere. ”După ce a dispărut dispensarul nu s-a mai ocupat nimeni şi a fost abandonat, în timpul colectivului îl foloseau ca şi magazie”, povesteşte fostul învăţător.    Astăzi, castelul considerat monument istoric este doar o ruină, cu bucăţi de ziduri printre care calci cu grijă, pentru că pot oricând să se prăbuşească. Din când în când, îi mai trec pragul turişti, iar fostul învăţător povesteşte zâmbind că printre ei mai sunt şi acum persoane care vin şi caută bijuteriile ascunse ale lui Mihai Viteazul.    Castelul Tobias din Boarta, scos la licitaţie   La câţiva kilometri de Buia, în satul Boarta, un alt monument de patrimoniu, castelul Tobias, construit în anul 1770, în stil baroc, a rămas doar o ruină. În ultima şedinţă de Consiliul Judeţean, cea din 28 martie, aleşii au aprobat un proiect de hotărâre prin care se propune concesionarea prin licitaţie publică a castelului, pe o perioadă de 25 de ani.    Preţul de pornire la licitaţie este de 1200 de lei/an, cu o perioadă de graţie de 3 ani, timp în care concesionarul se obligă să restaureze imobilul şi să îl introducă în circuitul civil.    ”În ansamblu castelul se află într-o stare avansată de degradare. Lipsa întreţinerii, a amenajărilor exterioare, a canalizării, a colectării şi evacuării apelor pluviale sunt principalele probleme în conservarea imobilului. Starea avansată dee degradare constituie un real pericol în caz de cutremur sau vânt puternic. Urmare acestui fapt, pentru siguranţa şi prelungirea în timp a duratei de existenţă a imobilului se impune consolidarea pentru punerea în siguranţă a imobilului din punct de vedere seismic, restaurarea şi reabilitarea structurală”, se arată în proiectul de hotărâre.
https://adevarul.ro/

Tobias Boarta Castle

Brukenthal Palace and the collections put together by Baron Samuel von Brukenthal represent the nucleus of the present Brukenthal National Museum.
Since the baron and his wife had a daughter as the only child (who died at the early age of four) his testamentary dispositions stipulated that, on the death of the last heir in the male line of succession, the entire inheritance was to be placed in the custody of the Evangelical Church of Sibiu while the palace presenting his collections to be open for the public, event that happened in the year 1817.
During the 19th century, the main concern of the Museum was to preserve the extant patrimony, to enlarge the main collections through the means of acquisitions and to establish new collections, especially in the range of the German-Saxon Culture.
In the year 1948, the Museum was nationalized, becoming the property of the communist Romanian state.
In 1948, the Transylvanian Society for the Natural Sciences in Sibiu ceased its activity, the museum under its patronage being included in the national patrimony. In 1957, the Museum of Natural Sciences became a part of the Brukenthal Museum.
The “August von Spiess” Museum of Hunting has its opening in 1966.
1972 is the opening year to the Museum of Pharmacy.
In 1988 was inaugurated the History Section of the Brukenthal National Museum, at present the Museum of History, in the Altemberger House.
The Contemporary Art Gallery of the Brukenthal National Museum is the most recently acquired location (2006), since 2014 functioning as a Museum of Contemporary Art.
http://www.brukenthalmuseum.ro/

Brukenthal Palace

The Gothic Evangelical Church of Șeica Mică was built in 1411. The lodge has three ships, a bell tower and an elongated choir. The ships have a straight ceiling, and the choir is ribbed, and five beautifully decorated windows.
The central ship connects to the lateral corridors by gothic arches resting on four pillars. The church had two altars built in 1552 and 1762 respectively. The old one was stolen in 1999, the current one is marble.
Inside the church there is also the tombstone of the priest Michael Oltard, who served here 23 years and died in 1623. The tower was built in 1463. The fortification of the church was made in the 16th century, the first time it was surrounded by a a defense tower with three towers, after which the transverse walls and the second defense wall were lifted, which was preserved in its entirety. From the inner wall only the arch of the defense gallery on the south-west side of the church were preserved. The beautiful bronze crystals made in 1556 are in the church Sf. Margareta din Medias.
https://www.welcometoromania.eu/

Șeica Mică Evangelical fortified church

In the early 14th Century an early Gothic basilica was built in the middle of the village. The aisles were removed and the arcades were bricked up in 1500, when the church was fortified. Above the chancel a defence tower was erected. The chancel’s polygonal closure was heightened with two defence levels and the buttresses were connected by arches, in order to build a machicoulis gallery behind them. The ensemble was strengthened by a surrounding wall in 1502, completed by a gate building and an adjoining bacon Chamber on the north-west side . The tower was heightened in 1827 and received its striking pyramidal roof. At the same time its defence systems together with the defence level of the chancel were removed . The typical western gable of the church was erected in the same time with the renewal of the roof in 1854. Inside the church the mainly 18th-century furniture is still preserved.
Place and surroundings
For centuries, music has added nobility to the wonderful fragrance of the gardens in Agârbiciu. The choristers, the organists, the school teachers, the priests and the pupils used to be responsible for the musical life of the Transylvanian Saxon villages. Beginning with the 16th Century, the brass bands appeared in the Southern and Central regions of Transylvania and their instrumentalists brought their contribution to the social harmony of rural life by the musical harmony they produced. Can there be anything more charming than Christmas carols sounding in perfect unison with the snow-covered landscape and the smell of homemade cakes? The brass band used to play in the tower of Agârbiciu not only on Christmas and New Year’s Eve, but also at weddings, balls and on various other occasions. Historical dissonances, wars and Communism have caused the unfortunate end of this tradition. But even without music, the village and its fortified church and old houses harmoniously vibrate with the lively natural environment that surrounds them like the frame of a pastoral picture.
https://kirchenburgen.org/

Agârbiciu fortified church

Biserica evanghelică fortificată din Țapu, comuna Micăsasa, județul Sibiu, a fost construită în secolul XV. Ansamblul bisericii evanghelice fortificate este format din biserică, incinta fortificată, cu turn de poartă și acces secundar fortificat și este monument istoric, cod LMI SB-II-a-A-12575 și are următoarele obiective:
cod LMI SB-II-m-A-12575.01 - Biserica evanghelică fortificată, sec. XIV - XV, transf. 1625, 1838;
cod LMI SB-II-m-A-12575.02 - Incintă fortificată, cu turn de poartă și acces secundar fortificat, csec. XIV - XVI.
Localitatea
Așezarea și locuitorii săi au fost supuși unui proces lung de schimbare a unui statut de comună aservită din secolul al XIV-lea, până la cel de comună liberă ca urmare a desfințării iobagiei din secolul al XIX-lea, respectiv anul 1848. Din documentele existente rezultă că localitatea a făcut parte în secolul al XIII-lea din proprietățile abației de Igriș, motiv pentru care i se spunea pe atunci Villa Abbatis sau altfel spus "Satul Abatelui". În a șaptea decadă a secolului al XV-lea, un document menționează că Țapu împreună cu alte trei localități: Șoroștin, Mănărade și Cenade, făceau parte dintr-o uniune religioasă al cărei decanat se situa la Cenade. Ulterior, aceste localități au format și o uniune administrativă. Au existat numeroase încercări din partea nobilimii maghiare de despărțire a acestor uniuni administrativ - religioase, încercări soldate cu eșecuri repetate datorită faptului că acestea se bucurau de protecție regală. Mai târziu, cele patru, au intrat în posesiunea principelui Gheorghe Rákóczi al II-lea, adică la mijlocul secolului al XVII-lea. La sfârșitul secolului al XVIII-lea, Maria Terezia le arondează conților Teleki.
Biserica
Biserica-hală se află pe dealul care domină comuna și este înconjurată de o incintă ovală. Construită din piatră bătută de carieră, biserica datează de la începutul secolului al XV-lea, așa cum reiese din formele stilistice caracteristice goticului târziu. Corul lung și îngust este împărțit de două arce frânte într-un pătrat boltit în cruce și o absidă pentagonală. În mod similar bisericilor din Axente Sever și Agârbiciu, s-a încercat construirea unui turn deasupra corului, dovadă în acest sens stând grosimea pereților existenți astăzi. Lipsurile financiare au împiedicat, însă, realizarea acestui proiect. Pe peretele din nordul corului se poate vedea o nișă de tabernacul cu un frumos baldachin, ferestrele corului păstrând încă mulurile traforate în arc frânt. În anul 1625, ferestrele naveiau fost tranformate în formă rectangulară, au fost ridicate portalurile laterale ce au arhivolte în arc frânt și s-au construit contraforții care sprijină pereții bisericii. Într-o cu totul altă etapă s-a alipit sacristia pe latura nordică a corului, pentru ca în anul 1838 să fie adăugat portalul nordic cu portic.
Fortificația
Fortificația este construită din piatră de râu și de carieră, înaltă de 6 metri și este prevăzută cu două rânduri de metereze. De asemenea se pot vedea urmele unui drum de strajă în consolă. Intrarea se face prin vest, pe sub un turn cu trei niveluri, sprijinit de contraforturi. Turnul este prevăzut cu un drum de strajă construit sub acoperișul în patru ape. O hersă protejează intrarea pietonală.
Alipite pe interiorul incintei se regăseau până în anul 1941 diverse cămări de provizii, unde se păstrau băuturi, cereale, fructele și nelipsita slănină. Similar, în secolul al XIX-lea, au fost construite astfel de cămări și pe peretele nordic al bisericii, ele având un rol suplimetar în protecția contra incendiilor. De asemenea, în incintă a existat până în anul 1852 și o capelă destinată credincioșilor catolici. Capela a fost demolată și cu materialele rezultate s-a construit o școală.

Fortified Evangelical Church

At mid-15th century, the former Romanesque basilica from Cristian was almost entirely redecorated and turned into a gothic hall church with three naves and a belfry.
The authorities wanted to build a very solid church to resist to the passing of time and to the merciless attacks and also to respond to the modern architecture of those times. Thus, the very famous stone-mason Andreas Lapicida, known in that region of Transylvania for his craftsmanship was commissioned to perform the works.
Because the settlement was in an open field and it had difficulties in defending itself from the invaders, the church was surrounded by two defence curtain walls and the exterior wall was equipped with five towers. During the attacks the families would withdraw inside the church and defend it, taking their animals and food with them. The lard and bacon were well kept in a specially designed tower, the so-called Lard Tower or Pantry Tower which can still be seen today.
The financial claims of craftsman Lapicida which set the local authorities on fire were well grounded - the Cristian church is impressive through its greatness and the stone mason’s art has lasted well through centuries.
http://www.sibiu-turism.ro/

The fortified church from Cristian

The Evangelic church in Axente Sever is an important witness of the hard times the region had to bare. Therefore not only the ring wall was strengthened for defensive purposes, but the church building itself was also fortified. The massive tower between hall and chancel, dating back to the 14th century has a parapet walk on the highest level and on the first and second floors simple, elongated loopholes that end as a niche towards the interior. Both the chancel and the nave were heightened with defence levels with loopholes. The arches built between the reinforced buttresses on the western facade support the defence level. A portcullis, whose guiding slides are still visible today, protected the western portal. Along the outer wall there are partially preserved and reconstructed storage rooms which are used as guest rooms today.
Place and surroundings
The fortified church of Axente Sever was not only the religious center of the settlement over the centuries, but also a secure place to deposit valuable goods. In the numerous storage buildings in the precincts of the castle wall, rooms were assigned to each family from the village for storing grain, meat and other food. Corn was not stored on farms, but brought directly to the fortification after harvest to protect it from possible attackers. A special procedure was the storage of the bacon in the so-called bacon towers, which were opened to families only on Sundays after church service. To ensure that no one was serving from a different piece of bacon, each family scratched an individual sign on the freshly cut edges. The storage rooms have been transformed into guestrooms in recent years so that today visitors can sleep inside the mighty walls. In addition, a museum was set up to report on the history of the village and the fortified church.
https://kirchenburgen.org/

Axente Sever fortified church

The Valea Viilor fortified church is a Lutheran fortified church in Valea Viilor (Wurmloch), Sibiu County, in the Transylvania region of Romania. It was built by the ethnic German Transylvanian Saxon community at a time when the area belonged to the Kingdom of Hungary. Initially Roman Catholic, it became Lutheran following the Reformation. Together with the surrounding village, the church forms part of the villages with fortified churches in Transylvania UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Background and church
There is evidence to suggest that an earlier Romanesque church existed in the village, as remnants could formerly be seen beneath the floor of the sacristy. This building is believed to have been 10 m long, less than half the length of the present church. The latter, in Gothic style and dedicated to Saint Peter, was begun in the 14th century. The small nave has a vaulted ceiling with a complex network of ribs, which rest on seven pairs of poles attached to the walls. The choir has a ceiling of the same type. Built in 1528, the pulpit was produced in a period of transition from Gothic to Renaissance.
The church underwent modifications at the beginning of the 16th century: a defensive level featuring parapets was added atop the nave, while towers were built next to the north and south entrances. Next to each of these was a small round tower with a spiral staircase that reached the fortified level. A third tower, near the buttress at the southwest end of the nave, provided access to the belfry, itself fitted with numerous and varied defense mechanisms. The choir was rebuilt as a three-story brick defensive tower with walls 1.5 m thick. A fourth level, which juts out slightly atop a row of corbels and is supported by arches built between the buttresses, has a timber frame parapet. The altar painting was executed in 1779 by an artist from Sighișoara.
Fortifications and recognition
A single oval fortification, constructed around 1500 and equipped with a battlement resting on brick arches, surrounds the church. Access is through an arched passage beneath the gate tower on the western side. This could be closed with a portcullis that had a grille of wood strengthened by iron. Three bastions survive, each facing one of the cardinal points. The walls reach 6–7 m in height; they have both parapets and embrasures supported by corbels.
In 1999, Valea Viilor, together with five other places, was added to the already-listed Biertan to form the villages with fortified churches in Transylvania UNESCO World Heritage Site. Additionally, the church is listed as a historic monument by Romania's Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs, with the wall and bastions being listed as a separate entry.

Valea Viilor fortified church

From the first basilica built in the 13th century the western portal is preserved – a most valuable testimony of the Romanesque architectural sculpture in Transylvania – as well as the pillars and arcades that once used to separate the central nave and the aisles. Looking carefully above the western portal, one may observe an immured sculpture representing two figures. Some argue that it is a depiction of the Baptism of Jesus, while others say it represents Adam and Eve. The observer is thus invited to solve this mystery by himself.
Around the year 1500 the bell tower was heightened and provided with a wooden battlement walk on consoles and the church’s side aisles were demolished. The two defence walls of the assembly, which were built during the 15th century, are connected by the gate tower and still exhibit remains of the former battlement walk and embrasures, vestiges of a rough past.
Place and surroundings
Amidst the picturesque valley of Hârtibaciu river lays the village of Hosman. The fortified church in the center of the settlement is one of the most photographed sunjects in Transylvania. In clear weather the church has as background the spectacular view of the often snow-caped mountains Făgăraşi, which formed once the boundary of the Austrian and respectively Hungarian sphere of influence. As part of the southern Carpathian, the mountains reach heights over 2.500m.
Today Hosman is one of the starting points of the Brukenthal cultural trails, by which one can explore the surroundings in trips up to nine days. On site the Association “Hosman Durabil” (Sustainable Hosman) supports the development of the settlement. Focus of work is the preservation of the cultural and built heritage and improvement of the living conditions. As part of their work, the old mill was refurbished to host cultural events. Here one can take a guided tour and buy bread, which is backed following traditional recipes and methods.
The European Youth Meeting Center Fortified Church in Hosman (CEPIT Hosman) organizes interethnic and ecumenical youth events and it is committed to the preservation of the medieval assembly of the fortified church.
Activities
The fortified church of Hosman underwent a thorough renovation in the end of the 90’s. Since then about 20 years have passed and the important maintenance and care of the building went through different phases.
In the beginning of the 2000’s family Cotaru (Hosman Durabil) took great care of the fortification. They not only made sure it was accessible but also actively repaired things when necessary, for example they restored the tower clock.
As of 2010 different measures were taken by the Association “Jugendburg Holzmengen”, the District Consistory of Sibiu and other initiatives. The Association “Jugendburg Holzmengen” has been caring for the parish house for many years.
https://kirchenburgen.org/