Slimnic Fortress or Stolzenburg (meaning the Proud Fortress) ranks as one of the most peculiar and scenic places worth visiting in Transylvania, due to its towers, strong walls, contra forts and most particularly to the Gothic imbricate arches. The fortress is on the list of national historical monuments.
Even if the first documentary attestation about Slimnic commune appears in 1282, the fortress is first mentioned is only in 1529. However, the historians place the citadel’s beginnings in the 14th century, revealing that it had a strong strategic role, as an outpost of Sibiu Fortress up to the north. Slimnic is located on the way from Sibiu to Mediaș, on the Burgbasch hill and it truly displays a classy view above the village and the surrounding hills. Up from the 12-m high Bell Tower, the view over the fortress premises is as enjoyable as over the outside places.
The oldest part of the fortress is a Gothic chapel with a flat-shaped polygon loft over which the bell tower is hiking on three floors.
There were rumours that an old royal palace was located on this hill, but the archaeological researches mention the existence of an old church dominating the north premises. Yet, due to the Turkish invasions in the 15th century, the church has never been finished. Thus, the locals gave up erecting the church and they strengthened the fortification’s walls instead.
Only the outside walls and the northern wall have been preserved from the fortress’ initial structure. Yet, the remaining structure is still impressive, mainly due to its odd design and the loft’s tall structure, despite the fact that the construction’s goal as shape and esthetics remains a mystery.
As the fortifications were actually never finished, in 1529 the fortress was conquered by the Hungarian King John I (John Zapolya), when many locals have been impaled. However, on the same year, the locals conquered again the citadel, enjoying Sibiu’s support. Historians recount that in 1658, the fortress stood to a Turkish siege.
Half century later, during the uprising of the anti-Habsburg fighters in 1704, Slimnic village was set of fire and the fortress was conquered in 1706, remaining under the control of these anti-Habsburg fighters, named “curuti”.
The legend has it that during the curuti’s siege, the fortress’ defenders, some of the village’s men and few tens of Austrian soldiers, used to hold tight on their positions, giving no sign of starvation, prompting the attackers to wonder how such thing is possible. They didn’t know that tens years ago, after King Zapolya’s siege, the Transylvanian Saxons had dug a deep long tunnel that linked the fortress to the village’s Saxon cemetery, under the road that connected Sibiu Fortress to the one in Mediaș. So, several days a week, the villagers used to “bury” their dead, but in the coffin there was in fact food. So, during the night the fortress defenders used to cross the tunnel and bring fresh food for the soldiers.
According to the story, a young Transylvanian Saxon woman fell in love with a curut soldier and would have disclosed the tunnel’s secret to him. Thus, the attackers cut down the fortress’ supplies and managed to defeat the besieged for good.
Another legend says that in old times, a great sorcerer used to live here together with his three beautiful daughters and all three daughters were shining in magic. They got married to three king’s sons and decided that each of them would build a fortress. The elder daughter built a citadel on Tălmaciul Hill in just one day, and was named the Country’s Crown/ Landskrone due to its beauty. The middle daughter chose Stolzenberg village to erect her fortress and thus she built Stolzenberg citadel in three weeks.
The youngest sister, who of course was the most beautiful and the smartest, chose the lowest hill to build her fortress: Michel from Cisnădioara (Michelsberg). However she would have said: “I cannot do anything by myself, but with God’s help I hope to built a fortress and a church up here”. The parable, typical to the Lutheran religious spirit among the Transylvanian Saxons of those times, was that, although the first two fortresses were built to make a splash, they didn’t resist and are now just ruins, while Michelsberg, set up by the sorcerer’s youngest daughter, defied time and is still standing.
But about Cisnădioara/ Michelsberg fortress, we’ll talk some other time….