THE GATES OF BRASOV

Originally, the old fortification of Brasov had 3 entrance gates. They were, at the same time, massive bastions, built to keep invaders outside the city walls. To these, two more were added. Only two of the five survive to tell the story of medieval Brasov: Ecaterina's Gate and Schei Gate. Both of them are on the south-west part of the fortress. The others, mainly located on the northern side of the walls were demolished in the 19th century, just like the wall itself, mainly because they came in the way of traffic. Ecaterina's Gate was built in 1559 for defensive purposes. It is the only original city gate to have survived from medieval times. In fact the fairy-tale looking tower is only a part of the original gate; documents talk about the existence of a wooden structure which was demolished in 1827. The original structure can be seen at the Weaver's Bastion where the large model of Brasov in 1600 is displayed. The other remaining gate of the town is the Schei Gate, located next to Ecaterina's gate. The structure that we can see today was built in 1827, in Baroque style. It replaced the old Schei Gate which was heavily damaged by fire. The gate looks like a triumphal arch with three openings. Above the small arches on both sides of the gate there are inscriptions in Latin.