The Stephen’s Tower

The Stephen’s Tower, located in the immediate vicinity of the Liberty Square (Piața Libertății), served as the bell tower for the former church dedicated to the "Holy King Stephen", which dates from 1347, but which was officially inaugurated only in 1387. The construction of the massive stone tower was ordered by John Hunyadi (Ioan de Hunedoara), after the victory in Ialomița against the Ottomans. In 1468, more than two decades after the beginning of the works, the tower was completed. Over time, the tower would undergo several stages of restoration and rehabilitation, the last of which restored the building to its current appearance in 2013. The moon clock, which completes the medieval character of the monument that is 50 m high, was installed in 1628, and it also underwent a vast process of rehabilitation. The bell, although cast in a foundry in Arad about five centuries ago, found its place in the tower only in 1925. A total of 165 narrow stairs, some of which made of stone and some of wood, allow access to the steeple at the top of the tower, which reveals an unparalleled view of Baia Mare.