# Biertan Fortified Church

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Transylvania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/transilvania) › [Sibiu County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/sibiu) › [Biertan](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/locality/biertan)

> The Saxon church on the hill in the middle of the village, guarded by three rings of walls and towers; inside, Romania's largest polyptych altarpiece and a door with a lock from 1515.

[UNESCO World Heritage](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/unesco-heritage) · [Top 20 in Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/top-20)

**At a glance:** Monasteries and churches in Biertan, Sibiu County. Opening hours: Monday–Friday 10:00 – 19:00, Saturday 10:00 – 17:00, Sunday 10:00 – 19:00. The visit takes ½ – 1 hours. Information verified on 22 September 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** Monday–Friday 10:00 – 19:00, Saturday 10:00 – 17:00, Sunday 10:00 – 19:00 — Summer hours (June–August), with a daily lunch break between 13:00 and 14:00. In April–May and September–October: daily 10:00–17:00, with the same break. In winter (November–March): Tuesday–Sunday 11:00–15:00, closed on Mondays. Some sources say the church is closed in winter — phone the parish before you go.
- **Visit duration:** ½ – 1 hours — church and enclosure
- **With kids:** Yes — long, steep staircase
- **Parking:** Yes, paid — in the main square
- **Best season:** April – October — in winter, phone ahead
- **Address:** Strada 1 Decembrie 1918, climb from the main square, Biertan, Sibiu County
- **Coordinates:** 46.13576, 24.52118
- **Phone:** +40 269 842 660
- **Website:** https://comunabiertan.ro/turism/
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biertan_fortified_church
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16743875
- **Categories:** [Monasteries and churches](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/manastiri-si-biserici), [Fortresses and fortifications](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cetati-si-fortificatii)

## About Biertan Fortified Church

For almost three centuries, from 1572 to 1867, Biertan was the seat of the Lutheran bishops of the Transylvanian Saxons, and its church shows that standing. A basilica, first recorded in 1402, once stood on the hill in the centre of the village; in the first quarter of the 16th century it was replaced by today's Late Gothic hall church, one of the last built in that style in Transylvania.

Around it, the community raised three rings of walls in stages, with towers and bastions, starting in the 14th century; the fortifications are first mentioned in a document of 1486. The 1978–1991 restoration, led by the architect Hermann Fabini, received a Europa Nostra award, and in 1993 the village and its fortified church were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the core of the "Villages with Fortified Churches in Transylvania" site.

### What you can see

From the village square you climb a covered timber staircase, built in 1795, up to the churchyard. Inside, your eye goes to the polyptych altarpiece of 1483–1513, with 28 painted panels showing scenes from the lives of Christ and the Virgin Mary, and to the net vaults resting on octagonal pillars. Take a close look at the stone pulpit from around 1500, the carved wooden choir stalls and the sacristy door of 1515, whose lock with 19 bolts still works today.

Within the walls you can visit the defensive towers, among them the Catholic Tower, with old frescoes on its walls, the mausoleum tower with the bishops' tombstones, and the bastion where, according to tradition, couples who wanted to divorce were locked in together, with a single bed, one plate and one set of cutlery, until they made up.

### Good to know

Visits stop every day for a lunch break between 13:00 and 14:00. On foot, the church is reached by a long, steep staircase from the main square.

## Don't miss

- The polyptych altarpiece of 1483–1513, with 28 painted panels, the largest of its kind in Romania.
- The sacristy door of 1515, with its 19-bolt lock that still works.
- The covered timber staircase of 1795, which takes you from the village square up to the church.
- The bastion where, according to tradition, quarrelling couples were locked in with a single bed and a single plate.
- The frescoes in the chapel of the Catholic Tower, on the south side of the enclosure.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** on the DN14 between Mediaș and Sighișoara, turn right (coming from Mediaș) at Șaroș pe Târnave onto the DJ141B, then ~9 km more to Biertan. Mediaș is ~25 km away (~30 minutes), Sighișoara ~30 km (~35 minutes), Sibiu ~70 km (~1 hour 15 minutes) and Brașov ~150 km (~2 hours 30 minutes).

**Public transport:** there is no direct public transport. The nearest railway station is in Dumbrăveni, from where you continue by taxi. From May to October, the UNESCO Bus minibuses (yellow line, from Sibiu and Sighișoara) stop in Biertan four days a week.

### Where to park

Leave the car in the village's main square or in the car park next to it, at the foot of the covered staircase leading up to the church. The town hall does not publish parking charges.

### Fees & discounts

Entry is by ticket, bought at the entrance. The Lutheran parish does not publish its prices online.

### Facilities

restaurant and guesthouses on the village square · access on foot by a long timber staircase

## Details

- **Construction period:** 14th–17th centuries
- **Founder:** the Saxons
- **State of preservation:** very good
- **Denomination:** Evangelical
- **Architectural style:** Gothic

## Frequently asked questions about Biertan Fortified Church

**What are the opening hours of Biertan Fortified Church?**

Opening hours at Biertan Fortified Church: Monday–Friday 10:00 – 19:00, Saturday 10:00 – 17:00, Sunday 10:00 – 19:00. Summer hours (June–August), with a daily lunch break between 13:00 and 14:00. In April–May and September–October: daily 10:00–17:00, with the same break. In winter (November–March): Tuesday–Sunday 11:00–15:00, closed on Mondays. Some sources say the church is closed in winter — phone the parish before you go.

**How long does a visit to Biertan Fortified Church take?**

A visit to Biertan Fortified Church takes about ½ – 1 hours (church and enclosure).

**Can you visit Biertan Fortified Church with kids?**

Yes, Biertan Fortified Church is suitable for children (long, steep staircase).

**Where can I park at Biertan Fortified Church?**

There is paid parking at Biertan Fortified Church (in the main square). Leave the car in the village's main square or in the car park next to it, at the foot of the covered staircase leading up to the church. The town hall does not publish parking charges.

**How do I get to Biertan Fortified Church?**

Biertan Fortified Church is located at Strada 1 Decembrie 1918, climb from the main square, Biertan, Sibiu County. By car: on the DN14 between Mediaș and Sighișoara, turn right (coming from Mediaș) at Șaroș pe Târnave onto the DJ141B, then ~9 km more to Biertan. Mediaș is ~25 km away (~30 minutes), Sighișoara ~30 km (~35 minutes), Sibiu ~70 km (~1 hour 15 minutes) and Brașov ~150 km (~2 hours 30 minutes). Public transport: there is no direct public transport. The nearest railway station is in Dumbrăveni, from where you continue by taxi. From May to October, the UNESCO Bus minibuses (yellow line, from Sibiu and Sighișoara) stop in Biertan four days a week.

**When is the best time to visit Biertan Fortified Church?**

The best season for Biertan Fortified Church: April – October (in winter, phone ahead).

## Nearby attractions

- [Copșa Mare Fortified Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-fortificata-din-copsa-mare) — Monasteries and churches · Copșa Mare, SB · 30 min · 3 km
  A Saxon church fortified around 1510, with a tall choir under a star vault, a bell tower with a timber gallery and a winegrowers' village around it, in the Wine Country.
- [Richiș Fortified Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-fortificata-din-richis) — Monasteries and churches · Richiș, SB · 45 min · 7 km
  A Gothic basilica from the second half of the 14th century, with a gate tower and enclosure walls, known for the Green Man and the other faces carved in stone inside.
- [Mălâncrav Fortified Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-fortificata-din-malancrav) — Monasteries and churches · Mălâncrav, SB · 13 km
  A 14th-century Gothic church built by the noble Apafi family, with the largest ensemble of Gothic frescoes in Transylvania and a polyptych altarpiece that has stood in place for more than five centuries.
- [Moșna Fortified Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-fortificata-din-mosna) — Monasteries and churches · Moșna, SB · ½ – 1 hours · 14 km
  One of the largest Gothic hall churches in the Târnava valley, with a massive bell tower and a walled enclosure with towers; part of the wall collapsed in June 2026.
- [Alma Vii Fortified Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-fortificata-din-alma-vii) — Monasteries and churches · Alma Vii, SB · 15 km
  A small Saxon stronghold on the hill of a village at the end of the road, with four restored towers housing small museums of village life; winner of a Europa Nostra award in 2024.
- [Bethlen Castle in Criș](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/castelul-bethlen-cris) — Castles and palaces · Criș, MS · ½ – 1 hours · 17 km
  The most complete Renaissance residence left in Transylvania, seat of the Bethlen family: a tower with soldier reliefs, an arcaded loggia and bastioned walls, now under restoration.

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Last updated: 22 September 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania