Făgăraş & Sibiu (Gladys Mk2)

Făgăraş, It lies north of the Făgăraş Mountains, a range of the Transylvanian Alps (Southern Carpathian Mountains), on the Olt River. First mentioned in documents in 1291, Făgăraş became a military centre during the Middle Ages. The Făgăraş Castle, built during the 15th century and now restored, is one of the outstanding example of medieval Transylvanian architecture.

Moving on we stopped in an AirB&B in Sibiu short walk into the city.

Sibiu, It lies along the Cibin River at an elevation of 1,350–1,400 feet (410–425 metres) above sea level. Sibiu is situated on the north side of the Turnu Roșu (“Red Tower”) Pass, which links Transylvania to southern Romania across the Transylvanian Alps (Southern Carpathians).

The old medieval town is in two parts, the upper town built on a terrace and the lower town on the banks of the Cibin, the two being connected through an old district by narrow, cobbled alleys called the Fingerling Stairway.

A citadel, built by the Saxon settlers in the 13th century, was destroyed by the Tatars in 1241 and rebuilt in the 14th century. Massive brick walls erected around the upper town gave it the nickname “Red Town,” for the colour of the walls, which repelled several Turkish attacks in the 15th and 16th centuries. During that time, Sibiu was an important craft and cultural centre of the German communities in Transylvania, boasting 19 guilds in 1376. In 1541 Transylvania became an autonomous Turkish vassal state; but, as the Turks later withdrew from Hungary, Austria regained Transylvania after brief Romanian opposition in 1699. Sibiu then became the military centre of Transylvania and, on two occasions (1703–91 and 1849–65), the capital. With the rest of Transylvania, it was ceded to Romania in 1918.