The defense walls of Sibiu (Part I)

The exterior defense wall
between the Haller Bastion and the fragments of the Cisnădie Gate Bastion.
The third fortification belt may be admired in all its splendor along the Coposu Boulevard. A green area with trees separates the sidewalk from the wall. The green area was first arranged in 1791 between the Haller Bastion and the Thick Tower, later prolonged till Cisnădiei Bastion and is known as the promenade.


At the extremity towards Unirii Square as well as near the Thick Tower, the wall is pierced by a semicircular arch which allows the access of the pedestrians. At the crossroad of Filarmonicii Street with Coposu Boulevard, a break was made into the wall in order to allow the access of vehicles. This is where the former Corpse Gate used to be situated, opened in the wall in 1554 during the plague epidemics. Across the street from the gate, where the new wing of the hospital is located nowadays, there existed a cemetery which functioned until the end of the 19th century.

The wall on Manejului Street, near the eastern side of Ursulinelor Monastery (1357-1366)
At the extremity towards the Ursulinelor Church, the wall forms two arcades which sustain a passage gallery towards the courtyard once named the courtyard of the monks. Nowadays this gallery makes the connection with Constituţiei Street. The Babers' Tower existed here once, nearby the Salt Gate. The fragment of wall along Manejului Street is represented by a series of semicircular arches which were meant to sustain the guard gallery.

The wall on Cetăţii Street, between Unirii Square and Carpenters' Tower (1357- 1366)


The fragment of the fortification walls situated between the Carpenters' Tower and the Potters' Tower escaped the "systematization" in the 19th century. Nowadays the wall preserved its aspect from the 15th century, when it was rebuilt in bricks and equipped towards the interior with ample arcades which support the guard path. This includes a wooden parapet and a roof sustained by wooden poles.
Across the Carpenters' Tower, towards the inner part, a sort of balcony appears, the tower being placed on the exterior of the wall, flanking it. The initial firing holes of the wall are adapted to arquebuses, the bulwarks meant for bows having been modified.