The Fortifications of Sibiu
The fortification of the city of Sibiu began in the first decades of the century. XIII.
The first fortification surrounded the Romanesque church on the site of which was later built the Gothic Parish Church “St. Maria ”, forming the first fortification enclosure, around the current Huet Square. The walls of the first enclosure are built of stone. The substance of the initial fortification is incorporated in the walls of the buildings later erected on the perimeter of the fortification. The Stairs Tower with modifications made in the 19th century is visibly preserved. The fortification was extended at the end of the century. XIII through a second enclosure comprising the current Small Square. The wall starts from St. James’s Chapel (currently demolished) and continues in a circle to the Council Tower, following in a circular arc a route that ends at the Priests’ Tower (demolished in 1898). The rapid expansion of the city and the accentuation of internal armed unrest, but especially the dangers posed by the Ottoman attacks, necessitated the construction of the 3rd and 4th precincts, which included the entire upper city and the entire lower city, making access to the city through the Cisnadia Gate, located at the southwestern end of Bălcescu Street (marking in asphalt), through the Ocna Gate (Burger) on the northwest side, to which a stone bridge corresponds over Cibin, through the Elisabeta Gate in the northeastern part (in the station area) and through the Sag Gate on the north side. Artillery training in the sec. XVII requires the construction of a massive Vauban-type fortification on the north side, the most exposed to attacks. The southern corner of the fortress, receiving a second massive brick wall (XVI-XVII century), resistant to artillery strikes, provided with three artillery platform bastions and a platform tower: Haller Bastion, Gros Tower, Cisnadia Gate Bastion and Soldisch Bastion . The southwestern part, defended by the Cibin River bed, receives three advanced fortifications: Sag Bastion, Burger Bastion and the smaller Dogar Bastion. The outer fortification is followed by the flooded ditch and the earth wave. From the initial fortification are still preserved today 10 defense towers, the Stairs Passage, the Soldisch Bastion, the Haller Bastion, a portion of the wall of the first 30m fortification enclosure located in the passage that starts from the Stairs Tower, curtains from the 3rd belt of forifications on Cetăţii street, Manejului street, Centumvirilor street and the courtyard of Goga High School and the external defense wall parallel to Coposu street.
