THE PASSAGE OF THE SHOEMAKERS

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The medieval builders and those who thought and built the town of Sibiu faced the problem of a too long time between the moment when the soldier citizens got out of their houses and the moment when they reached the towers and walls which they defended during a siege.

Their solution was to make new very narrow passages in the citadel through which the citizens managed to shorten the time. It is said that a soldier in one side of the citadel managed to reach the other side in only a few minutes.

Thus the communication and transport during a siege was fast, and the soldiers moved fast being able to occupy different wall sectors in a very short time.

Today the citadel of Sibiu still preserves some passages, one is between the Huet Square and the Small Square and is called the Passage of the Shoemakers. The name has its origin probably from the perspective which opens before you when you go into it - the Shoemakers’ House which was the most imposing building in that moment. It is possible that this passage was taken care of by the members of the guild of the shoemakers which was one of the most important guilds in Sibiu. The passage is contained by the house in which there is the studio of documentary film of the National Museum Complex ASTRA, Astrafilm.

In front of the passage there was until the 16th century a round chapel which does not exist today anymore but is traced on the pavement. This round chapel is the first place of worship of stone in Sibiu. After archeological research and study of the documents of the era it seems that this chapel belonged to the earls in Sibiu in the first period of the locality.