Ever since the Saxon settlers arrived in the early 12th century, invading Tartars, Turks and others gave them a tough time, repeatedly destroying the old settlements of Bartholomew and Corona. When they had quite enough of it all, the Saxons set themselves to build fortifications around their town, first consisting of earthen walls and wooden barriers, later reinforced with stones. Most work was done between 1400 and 1650, when outer and inner walls were erected, together with massive defense towers and gates. The defense wall was once 12 meters high and two meters thick and stretched for 3 km. Today parts of the walls, three Bastions, the two watch towers and the Citadel are left standing. The Bastions were built through the effort of the main craftsmen corporations, blacksmiths, weavers, goldsmiths, armoires and drummers and they hosted some of the trade centers of the medieval city.
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