Towers to visit Romania

The defensive system built by the craftsmen's guilds consisted of a wall almost 1 km long, fourteen defensive towers and five artillery bastions. Today, nine towers, two bastions and part of the surrounding wall remain.

Clock Tower(turnul cu Ceas). The town's landmark, it stands 64 meters high. Built in the ^14th century, many of its features have been altered or added to, such as its Baroque roof dating from 1677. The clock, the tower's most original feature, dates from 1648 and appears on both of its main facades. On the new town side, you'll recognize the executioner and the drummer, surmounted by seven wooden statuettes representing the days of the week. On the city side, you'll see the tambourine player on the right, in charge of the quarter hours; on the lower left, Peace, holding an olive branch and a trumpet; the female statues, holding a sword and scales, symbolize Reason and Justice; finally, two figurines represent day and night. Please note that the clock mechanisms are not in operation while the tower roof is being refurbished (reopening scheduled for 2025).

Tour des Bouchers(turnul Măcelarilor): from the Tour des Cordiers, the city wall descends northeast to the Tour des Bouchers. It dates from the ^16th century. The section of ramparts between the two towers remains intact.

Tour des Cordiers(turnul Franghierilor): probably dating from the ^13th century, this tower was also part of the original fortification of the hilltop. Note that it is still inhabited!

Shoemaker's Tower(turnul Cizmarilor): destroyed in 1676 and rebuilt in 1681, this hexagonal tower is the most impressive in the town.

Tower of the Tinners(turnul Cositorarilor): 25 meters high, square at the base, then octagonal. The roof is hexagonal.

Blacksmiths' Tower(turnul Fierarilor): built in 1631, this tower is set against the surrounding wall. Its role was to protect the church and monastery in the event of a siege.

Shoemakers' Tower(turnul Cojocarilor): a few meters from the Butchers' Tower, this small, simple structure dates from the ^15th century.

Tailors' Tower(turnul Croitorilor): this tower is impressive for its simplicity and solidity. It was probably built in the ^14th century. Like the Clock Tower, it protects an entrance formed by two vaulted corridors.

Tour des Tanneurs(turnul Tăbăcarilor): square in structure, with a simple roof, this is one of the town's oldest towers.

This 23-storey, 80-metre-high tower was erected under Ceauşescu's regime in agreement with the American Intercontinental group. Its construction was launched when the dictator decided that a capital city needed a structure of this standing. The city's first tower, inaugurated in 1971, was featured on the cover of every tourist guide to Bucharest, as proof of its modernity. During the revolution, the tower welcomed many foreign journalists, who watched from its balconies as soldiers fired on the crowds.

It is one of the symbols of Sibiu, linking piața Mică and piața Mare. The Council Tower (Turnul Sfatului) was built in the 13th century as the gateway to the city and has been rebuilt many times since: partially collapsed in 1585, it was rebuilt and extended by one floor in 1826. It now has seven. The tower hosts various small exhibitions, but if you absolutely have to go there, it's mainly for the view it offers: all up there, the panorama of the city and its surroundings is breathtaking!

Everyone knows this building in the middle of a crossroads in Bucharest. It's a fire watch and warning tower, built in 1891 to replace an earlier one erected in 1715. At the time, it housed a large water tank, fire pumps and horses to transport them. It was used by firefighters until 1935, when it became a museum that recently closed its doors.

It's one of the oldest buildings in the city. The Butchers' Bastion (Bastionul Măcelarilor), which faces the market, was one of the seven defensive towers of the city wall that protected the city. It's the only one that has survived the centuries. It is circular in shape and was erected in the 16th century by the guild of butchers, at the time the most powerful in the city. It is 13 m high and its stone walls are 1.50 m thick at the base and 1 m thick at the top. The first level was used to store ammunition, the second has slots.

It's the symbol of the city. With a height of 50 m, the Stephen's Tower (turnul Ștefan), in Gothic style, is the former bell tower of a church destroyed in the 19th century after serious damage. Its construction dates back to the 15th century, ordered by Prince Iancu of Hunedoara to mark the victory of Ialomița over the Ottomans. It was completed during the reign of his son Matthias Corvin in 1468. Its impressive stairs will take you to the top, where you will enjoy a beautiful view of the city and the surrounding hills.