town, Mureş judeţ (county), central Romania. Situated in the old region of Transylvania, it is 40 miles (65 km) northeast of Sibiu city and 110 miles (175 km) northwest of Bucharest. The town circles a hill, on the summit of which stands a citadel with a ring of walls, nine extant towers (including the “Tower of the Clock”), and a number of medieval churches. Settlement of the area dates from the Bronze Age and, later, the era of Roman Dacia, but the town itself originated in the 12th century. In the 13th century it was colonized by Saxon Germans, who in the 14th century secured its designation as a free city, enabling it to become an important centre of trade by the second half of the 16th century. Much of the lower town had to be rebuilt after being ravaged by earthquake (1668) and fire (1676). Pop. (2002) 32,304; (2005 est.) 32,805.