Evangelical Cathedral tower

 tower, scenic lookout, Gothic (architecture), bell tower, interesting place, draw only border, 15th century construction, 14th century construction, tourist attraction

The main tower of the Sibiu Evangelical Lutheran Cathedral, a true landmark of the city with 73.34 meters in height, is supposed to have been raised on older foundations, a masive Romanesque tower that was part of the previous church that was gradually transformed in to the present day Gothic cathedral, starting with mid 14th century.
At the end of the 15th century, the tower was raised by two more floors, in 1494 and last in 1499, reaching its current height and appearance.
It 1553 is documented the first clock in the tower, manufactured in Aiud, in present day Alba county. In December 1881 is installed the new clock in the main tower.
In 1720, the guards of the tower received an order from the Magistrate to repeat the beating of the clock on the drum, on the hour. In 1751 the bell mechanism of the clock was increased.
The tower has four turrets on the corner of the roof, a sign that the city had the right to condemn (in Latin ius gladii, literally "sword law"). Today the turrets (situated at a height of ca 55 meters) offer visitors a beautiful panorama of the whole city and surrounding area.
The tower was struck by lightning several times in its history, notably in 1608 when a storm destroyed the roof, the falling tiles killing 11 people and in 1619, the eastern turret being destroyed (the roof of the turrets being remade of gilded copper).
The tower is the second highest medieval building in present day Romania. Basically, the building is the tallest Gothic style cathedral in the country.
Due to a renovation at the beginning of the 19th century, between 1805 and 1831, the tower had a baroque roof-dome (an unfortunate aesthetic aspect), very similar to that of the Roman Catholic Church in the Large Square.