The Secret Shoemakers Passage, Pasajul Pantofarilor, Sibiu

I’ll show you where to look to discover the concealed Shoemakers Passage, Pasajul Pantofarilor, like a secret legend connecting early medieval Huet Square with the quaint Small Square in Sibiu.

You have to know where to look when you’re in Huet Square. Dazzled by its history and the vicinity of Evangelic Church, you might miss the tiny, tight entry to the Shoemakers’ Passage, Pasajul Pantofarilor Sibiu.

Like many hidden spots this crossing is mysterious and alluring. Although your gut-feeling might warn you, listen to your footsteps and go in. You might hear the echoes left by past visitors or marooned travelers. Who knows, you might learn a secret…

Know that a room upstairs, belonging to a young man called Petrovici, was one of the hiding places of Wallacian revolutionaries during the Revolution of 1848.

A sliver of light between two medieval buildings marks the entrance in Shoemakers Passage. Should we leave the bright day behind?

Truth be told, it was during the second stroll through Huet Square that I dared step into Shoemakers’ Passage.

In we go, to the left of this old, wooden door with three panels:

During the 12th century, when the Saxon settlers arrived in Sibiu (then named, simply, Cibin, like the river nearby), these would have been wooden buildings and the wooden fortified walls that surrounded them.

Both buildings you see above have ground floors reinforced with stones dating from the 14th and 15th centuries. In 1569 the upper floor was added. One house was extended during the 18th century and thus the Shoemakers’ Passage appeared, a narrow vaulted way:

I think it would have been dark and humid when it was first built. The stone structure would have felt quite cramped, and only the light at the end of the tunnel would have coaxed someone to venture through it:

Today, Shoemakers’ Passage is darker during the day than it is during night time. Let’s go in, only a 19 meters stroll:

We emerge (or perhaps it is the Shoemakers Passage that released us…) into the light of the quaint Small Square, Piata Mica, Sibiu, one of my favorite places! And look at that sky:

You probably guessed, it was the Shoemakers’ Guild that was in charge with this area as here, in the Small Square and under the three arches resting on stone pillars (above) the shoemakers sold most of their produce.

A few more sunny doors from Sibiu since I’m participating in the weekly Thursday Doors challenge over on Dan Antion’s blog – have a look, it’s only a click away!

Let’s take a peek through this keyhole with its intricate escutcheon:

Two more houses with big gates, as it is the custom here, and one with a face…

I like the long house below. Such gates always opens into an inner yard where the main entrance in the house lies. In case you wonder, this photo was taken at 10am on a sunny winter morning – the sun is still low, the light still kind:

I have 100-word stories set in Sibiu in my latest book, Dreamland: a resin legend, a tale with a dragon’s tail, a story about a giant’s breeches, a legend of swords crossed, testing the myth of lying on the Lie Bridge of Sibiu, and more:

We will return to Sibiu in the near future. There’s still so much MORE to discover and I am excited to share it with you. Sign up to my blog posts and lets journey together: