Slimnic Fortress, Transilvania

Slimnic Fortress - details and images

Slimnic fortress of one of the most important sights of the county, which is listed as historical monuments, located on the outskirts of Sibiu former chair, before they parted hills Medias seat, was built entirely of brick exterior walls are supported by stepped buttresses.

Once, in her company, is a large forest, entered the folk tradition as a place of refuge for outlaws. Initially, it appears that fortresses current place, there was a smaller fortification. It belonged to the northern city gothic chapel, converted later into a tower defense.

The fortress was besieged several times, was first conquered in 1529 by John Zapolya, and in 1602 Moses Secuiesc. Although he resisted the Turkish siege of 1658, and the plague pandemic, the city was devastated and burned in 1706, during fighting between curuti and Lobont. Having lost gradually, any military role, the city had to be abandoned and fallow in the eighteenth century.

In addition to the city farm, municipal school that mentioned in documents from 1394, composed of evangelical church vessel, choir and apse, is another point of interest for tourists.

In the mid-fourteenth century, the city was built on enhanced west-east axis of a basilica in Gothic style, unfinished, which split in two court fortification. Fifteenth century belongs new building works, Barbacan gate (south), ramparts, mouths for oil.

Although some speak of an ancient royal palace, it could be only the memory of an old church that dominates the northern precinct. As a result of destruction of which have not lasted only a few walls of the choir around 1450 we began building a Gothic hall churches across the city.

The peculiarities of land that the church did have a plan and not a rectangular trapezoid, as would have been expected. Original vessel, dating from the fifteenth century, was vaulted into the net around 1500. It still keeps a number of Gothic details such as windows and the three portals in the north, west and south.

But Church was never completed, and the vaults would be needed to cover the walls were not high, perhaps because of the danger of invading Turks in the fifteenth century. Instead of continuing to lift the church, strengthened the walls of surrounding villagers.

With the exception of the north wall of the church's original structure are preserved only the exterior walls. Unusually high level plan and the choir, a tunnel passing under the gate tower, does not give us more clues about how the whole building may have looked.

In 1870, he collapsed one side of the wall to defend the southern entrance, as happened two years later with a circular portion of the walls that protected the well. In the late 50s (Twentieth century) have been restored bell tower defense walls and the north-west.

In 1959 they started to carry out extensive repair and conservation of the site, after which, in turn were demolished (in 1855) a part of the church inside the city wall, the resulting material is built a protective wall at the cemetery again , turret in the south-east (in 1870) located between the inner and outer courtyard of the fortress wall enclosing respectively the south-east (1872).

The inventory of the church in 1706 looted, it is noted that there are two tombstones in the years 1592 and 1633, made art, and some Baroque pieces such as the altar (1773) and pulpit (1750).

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