Casa Schuller, Mediaș, Guide du visiteur et quoi faire à proximité

Casa Schuller, or the Schuller House, is a Renaissance townhouse on Piața Regele Ferdinand I, the main square of Mediaș in Transylvania, Romania. It is first documented in 1588 and is named after Johannes Schuller, a mayor of the town. It is counted among the notable Renaissance buildings of Transylvania.

The story behind it

The house appears in written records in 1588 and is linked to Johannes Schuller, who served as mayor of Mediaș in the era when the town was a prosperous Transylvanian Saxon centre. A mayor's house on the central square says a lot about status: this was a place built to be seen, in the new Renaissance style that reached Transylvania from Central Europe.

The square around it is also tied to local legend. The best known is that of Turre Pitz, the watchman of the Trumpeters' Tower. The story goes that from his wooden gallery high above the town he watched for Turkish and Tatar raiders approaching the fortified town, or for fires breaking out in the streets. He then passed on the good or bad news to the townspeople below. The tower is a short walk from the house, so the two stories sit well together.

What to look for

• Study the facade and stonework as a whole, and notice how its Renaissance character differs from the plainer buildings around it.
• Take in the setting on Piața Regele Ferdinand I, where the house is one part of a historic square that rewards a slow circuit.
• Look up toward the Trumpeters' Tower of the fortified church, which rises above the old town and gives the Turre Pitz legend its stage.
• Compare the house with the neighbouring facades to see how a wealthy townsman's home stood out in the Saxon town.

Tips for your visit

• Allow ten to fifteen minutes for the house itself, and more if you want to wander the whole square.
• Morning or late afternoon light is kinder to the facade and the square is usually calmer then.
• Viewing the house from the street costs nothing. If you hope to go inside, check current opening hours and access first.
• Combine it with the fortified church and the Trumpeters' Tower, both within easy walking distance in the old town.

See it on a quest

You can reach Casa Schuller on foot as one stop of Medias - Mysteries from the Fortress of Light - is it a masonic temple?, a self-guided quest through the old town. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and sets a puzzle in what is in front of you, so you look closely at the house rather than just passing it. There is no guide and no group to join, you start whenever you like, and one ticket covers the whole group.