Sebeș

Sebeș, known to its Saxon inhabitants as Mühlbach, stands beside the river of the same name in southern Transylvania. German settlers founded the town in the twelfth century, and its merchants and craftsmen helped make it a regional centre. In 1387 it received permission to surround itself with stone walls, protected by towers maintained by the town's guilds. An Ottoman army besieged Sebeș in 1438, and the town surrendered. Recovery was slow, but the church and surviving defences continued to mark the settlement's place among Transylvania's Saxon towns.