The White Tower is a semicircular tower built in the 15th century on Straja Hill in Brașov for defensive purposes. Documents from that period date it from 1460 or 1494. Its name comes from the colour of its white painted walls.

Part of the city’s fortifications, it has 5 wooden floors and reaches a maximum height of 20m. Its stone and brick walls, 4m thick, were adapted for shooting with fire guns, but they also present holes for throwing pitch over the enemies. Access to the tower and provisioning were made through a mobile ladder which connected the White Tower to the nearby Graft Bastion.

Initially, the tower was inhabited and defended by the guild of the tinsmiths and coppersmiths, from 1678 on remaining in the care of the tinsmiths only. The great fire in April 1689 destroyed a large part of Brașov’s citadel, affecting the White Tower too, which was restored in 1723. The actual appearance of the tower dates from 1975.

Today a museum, the tower also offers a great view of the city centre.

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