# Slimnic Fortress

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

> A Saxon peasant fortress of brick on Burgbasch Hill above the village: a bell tower with a Gothic chapel and the imposing ruin of a hall church that was never finished.

**At a glance:** Fortresses and fortifications in Slimnic, Sibiu County. The visit takes 45 min. Information verified on 23 October 2026.

## Key facts

- **Visit duration:** 45 min — the ruins and the view
- **With kids:** Yes — old, ruined walls
- **Address:** On Burgbasch Hill, above the village of Slimnic, Slimnic, Sibiu County
- **Coordinates:** 45.9196, 24.1589
- **Wikipedia:** https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cetatea_din_Slimnic
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18538880
- **Categories:** [Fortresses and fortifications](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cetati-si-fortificatii), [Monuments and historic sites](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/monumente-si-situri-istorice)

## About Slimnic Fortress

On Burgbasch Hill, which overlooks the village of Slimnic (Stolzenburg in German), ~18 km north of Sibiu, stand the ruins of a Saxon peasant fortress. For centuries it guarded the road between Sibiu and Mediaș on the northern edge of the Königsboden, and the villagers took refuge here in times of danger.

The oldest part is the Gothic chapel of the 14th century, over which the three-storey bell tower was raised. In the 15th century the fortress was enlarged and ringed by high brick walls laid out as two enclosures, and around 1450 the Saxons began a Gothic hall church in the middle of it, on a trapezoidal plan. Turkish invasions halted the work, the vaults were never built, and the villagers put their strength into strengthening the walls instead. The fortress was taken in 1529 by the troops of John Zápolya and retaken the same year, withstood a Turkish siege in 1658 and fell in 1706 to the Kuruc rebels, who set it on fire when they left and destroyed the southern enclosure. Tradition says it was built by one of a sorcerer's three daughters, who raised it alone in three weeks.

### What you can see

From the village you climb the hill to the fortress gate. In the northern courtyard rises the **bell tower** with its tiled roof, restored in 1958–1959 together with part of the walls. The most striking sight is the **ruin of the hall church**: the south wall and the pointed arcades on two levels still stand, and on the west wall you can see the machicolations showing that the church roof, too, was meant to be fortified. The brick walls, braced by slender buttresses, enclose a wide grassy courtyard, and from the walls and the tower you can see the village and the surrounding hills.

### Good to know

The ruins are centuries old and partly collapsed; watch your step and keep children close.

## Don't miss

- The three-storey bell tower, raised over the Gothic chapel of the 14th century.
- The pointed arcades on two levels of the unfinished Gothic hall church.
- The machicolations in the west wall, a sign that the church roof was meant to be fortified.
- The wide courtyard between the walls and the view over the village and the surrounding hills.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** Slimnic lies on the DN14, the road between Sibiu and Mediaș, ~18 km north of Sibiu (~20–25 minutes). The fortress stands on a hill at the southern edge of the village, above it, and you climb up on foot.

### Rules

The ruins are visited at your own risk: high walls and collapsed sections, with no railings. Wear comfortable shoes and do not climb the walls.

### Facilities

open-air ruins · no access with pushchairs (climb up a hill)

## Details

- **Construction period:** 14th–15th centuries
- **State of preservation:** ruin
- **Historical period:** Middle Ages
- **Civilisation:** Saxon

## Frequently asked questions about Slimnic Fortress

**How long does a visit to Slimnic Fortress take?**

A visit to Slimnic Fortress takes about 45 min (the ruins and the view).

**Can you visit Slimnic Fortress with kids?**

Yes, Slimnic Fortress is suitable for children (old, ruined walls).

**How do I get to Slimnic Fortress?**

Slimnic Fortress is located at On Burgbasch Hill, above the village of Slimnic, Slimnic, Sibiu County. By car: Slimnic lies on the DN14, the road between Sibiu and Mediaș, ~18 km north of Sibiu (~20–25 minutes). The fortress stands on a hill at the southern edge of the village, above it, and you climb up on foot.

## Nearby attractions

- [Ocna Sibiului](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/ocna-sibiului) — Resorts and thermal baths · Ocna Sibiului, SB · 35 lei · Top 100 · 12 km
  A spa resort 15 km from Sibiu with salt lakes formed where old salt mines caved in: in summer you swim in water that keeps you afloat, between white banks of salt.
- [Fortified Reformed Church of Ocna Sibiului](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-reformata-ocna-sibiului) — Churches · Ocna Sibiului, SB · 30 min · 12 km
  A 13th-century Romanesque basilica surrounded by a defensive wall, with frescoes of 1522 and Gothic net vaults; the building is included in a restoration project.
- [Thobias Castle](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/castelul-thobias-boarta) — Castles and palaces · Boarta, SB · 20 min · 13 km
  A Baroque manor of 1770 in the village of Boarta, with an arcaded porch and a scrolled pediment; a listed monument in ruins, privately owned and still unrestored.
- [Pharmacy History Museum](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/muzeul-de-istorie-a-farmaciei-sibiu) — Museums and memorial houses · Sibiu, SB · 16 lei · ½ – 1 hours · 18 km
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- [Evangelical Cathedral of Sibiu](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/catedrala-evanghelica-sibiu) — Churches · Sibiu, SB · 10 lei · ½ – 1 hours · 18 km
  The Gothic church of the Sibiu Saxons, with a 73-metre tower you can climb, the 1914 Sauer organ, the 1445 Crucifixion fresco and the gravestones of the ferula.
- [Small Square (Piața Mică) and Bridge of Lies](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/piata-mica-si-podul-minciunilor-sibiu) — Monuments and historic sites · Sibiu, SB · Free · 30 min · 18 km
  The second square of old Sibiu, with guild houses arcaded at street level, the Arts House and the Bridge of Lies, the 1859 cast-iron footbridge over Ocnei street.

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Last updated: 23 October 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania