Fortified Church

Transylvania


The whitewashed and tile-roofed fortified church in Viscri is a splendidly restored feat of medieval engineering. Its outbuildings display decorated furniture and agricultural tools, alongside village ceramics, and there’s a tower to climb for views across Viscri’s farmland. The centrepiece of the complex is a 1724 church displaying original wood carvings, paintings and a baroque chandelier. Watch out for those floorboards.

Established by Székely builders in the early 12th century, Viscri's fortification was seized by Saxon colonists in 1185. Walls were strengthened and towers added from the 14th to 16th centuries.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Transylvania attractions

1. Valer Literat Museum

15.49 MILES

In the inner courtyard of Făgăraș Citadel, this excellent museum traces the region’s history from 4000-year-old pottery fragments via medieval suits of…

2. Făgăraş Citadel

15.54 MILES

Encircled by a moat fringed with willow trees, Făgăraş Citadel is an impressively intact fortification from medieval Transylvania. The oldest part of this…

3. Tinsmiths' Tower

18.15 MILES

The top-heavy Tinsmiths' Tower is one of the most easily recognisable, both for its height (25m) and its octagonal upper level. A siege in 1704 left scars…

4. Blacksmiths' Tower

18.15 MILES

Dating to 1631, this pointy-roofed watchtower was once managed by Sighişoara's medieval guild of blacksmiths.

6. Clock Tower

18.16 MILES

The multicoloured-tiled roof of Sighişoara’s Clock Tower glitters like the scales of a dragon. The tower was built in the 14th century and expanded 200…

7. Church of the Dominican Monastery

18.17 MILES

This late-Gothic church has a spooky air, and guards a trove of baroque finery inside. First mentioned in 1298, the church was rebuilt between 1482 and…

8. Casa Vlad Dracul

18.19 MILES

Vlad Ţepeş (aka Dracula) was reputedly born in this house in 1431 and lived here until the age of four. It's now a decent restaurant, but for a small…