Transylvania has a lot of cities with medieval history, most of them have a historical city center and a new city center as well. So yesterday I took a walk along the old streets of a Mediaș, a city with more than 700 years of history.
The old medieval city center is surrounded by a defense wall, that has been restored not long ago. This part of the wall is situated above the farmers market and the cool alley I'm going to talk about later in this post.
As you can see, the lower part of the wall is made of stones, that is the original section, the rest is made of bricks and it's regular. That was added later during the restoration works. The wall was built between the 15th and 17th century and it is considered historical monument.
This side of the wall looks like a regular wall, but in fact there are houses attached to the other side of wall, just can't figure it out where the entrances are.
There are a lot of holes in the wall, used for shooting the enemy. Here these wholes were so high I could not take any good photos of them, but in the next part, you will see some.
I'm not sure if this one is considered a bastion, I suppose not, but regardless, people should respect history and treat it as precious heritage, instead of spraying paint on it. These acts of vandalism do no good to anyone, but those who are doing it, don't understand.
That wooden balcony looks very inviting. Most likely it's inhabited, so visiting it is off limits but would be nice to see the view from up there.
These doors are so low, one would have to bend in order to go in.
Another balcony, or more like a place for the guard back in those days.
Even though the wall has been renovated, the walls of the houses are in a deplorable state. Windows need to be preserved in their original style but unfortunately most of them are either broken or cracked. I tried to avoid the parts where the garbage started build up, to now show you the bad image of the city. Also, be glad you can't feel the smell I had to endure during this photo shoot. I came to realize what is history to some, mans absolutely nothing to others.
Beneath the wall, there's an alley where you can sit down and enjoy the shades provided by these old trees, admire the walls, you can watch your kids playing or you can have a training session yourself.
"Birds Of The City", this is how these birds are called. Sculpture inaugurated in 1998.
Meet Hansel and Gretel.
"Hansel and Gretel" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 as part of Grimm's Fairy Tales (KHM 15). It is also known as Little Step Brother and Little Step Sister. source
Now that you saw this part of the wall, imagine the role of the wall was once to protect the city and its citizens. This wall ran around the city and the gates were closed in case there was an attack.
Come with me, next time I'll show you the other part of the wall.
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It's fascinating to see how the wall has been restored, but also how the houses attached to it are in a deplorable state. It's a reminder of the importance of preserving history, but also of the challenges that come with it.
I especially enjoyed the photos of the alley beneath the wall, with the old trees providing shade and the sculptures of the "Birds of the City". It looks like a peaceful and relaxing place to spend some time.
The truth is, there's never enough money for art and culture, so ... this happens.
The alley is a nice place to relax,especially nowadays, when a heatwave is sweeping through Europe. I sat down for a few minutes and enjoyed the fresh air.
That is incredibly sad that history to some is absolute garbage. Historical sites like those need preservation and love to remain standing. I'm a big history buff and nearly went into archeology, which is why I still love to collect old coins and even artifacts. At least you got a nice day in the sun and took in some great history and new art with the birds and Hansel and Gretel!
We both agree on that. Unfortunately not everyone cares. I hope these people will see things differently one day, regret what they did and teach their kids some manners.
Sadly people don't like to change unless there's something in it for them. It would take a major city project to clean that up but I'm sure it's not a priority for them.
What an architectural discovery, very interesting. I am not much familiar with this architecture but I have seen a lot of medieval architectural castles, and forts here. I also visited one castle last year but I am too lazy to write about it...
Thanks Erikah for sharing...
We have a bunch in Transylvania and Europe in general as Europe has a long history. You should write about that fort though :) Put aside laziness and start writing :)
I should :D
Well, I guess I need to learn a lot about Europe :D
Wow! That is so amazing. History is really beautiful. The wall made of rock is really incredible💖
I agree. I'm a huge brick fan, so I see beauty in these walls.
Historical places are always beautiful, but sadly not all people can appreciate it. Now, I understand why the government is implementing a strict management in public parks here; it's because some people might ruin it.
Thanks for sharing the piece of history of your place. I learned something today. Have a good day ahead! 🤗
You're right, not everyone can appreciate cultural heritage, unfortunately. This is why we need proper rules and strict management as you say. Protecting everything should be normal to everyone but it isn't.
Thanks for stopping by, I'm glad you liked my post and have a nice day, weekend as well as it's weekend in my book already 😄🤗
hen I visited Medias I've been chasing that medieval wall by myself too. But failed terribly seeing all of it so I'm happy to 'virtually' complete my tour through your post, haha :D
Lol, I know all of it, even though it is discontinued portions. Soon I'm going to post about the other section and planning to do a full guide about what to visit in Medias, with links to my older posts. Just need some time as it's a huge work :)
Sounds interesting! Looking forward to it :D
Beautiful photos and the richness of their history are breathtaking. But the million-dollar question remains: Did you meet Count Dracula?
Nope, he's residing in another medieval city. I met him last year when I visited Sighișoara 😃
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Hello dear friend @erikah good day
I am fans of the medieval era, I love its period buildings and all its history.
What a beautiful town, the wall looks incredible, how many stories on these walls if they could talk
Beautiful photographs, I appreciate that you let us know
have a nice day
Hi there. I'm also a huge fan of medieval era and love everything about it in retrospect, although would have not lived back then.
Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your day.
😍
This place is very big. Also, the walls are so strong that it will be very hard for someone to break it if someone wants to but they door does not look strong to me. Do you think I'm wrong?
It's a beautiful place and i like old buildings and their stories, but it's disrespectful to write something on it, its rude :/ Btw, i really like the owl sculptures :D
It is disrespectful, rude and against the law, I mean crime as well.
Those owls look good.
Hiya, @LivingUKTaiwan here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Honorable Mentions in Daily Travel Digest #1938.
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🤩 It is just like traveling in time. Transylvania always rings bell. From the movies and from all the depictions in literature. Can't wait to see that place in person. Happy for you !PGM
I hope you can visit Transylvania one day :)
What a magical place , it's so fantastic
I'm glad you like it.
$WINE
Thanks.