PRIMĂRIA VECHE DIN SIBIU casa, oamenii, muzeul

Primăria Veche din Sibiu - casa, oamenii, muzeul 107
of this structure, that was used to handle molten alloy and needed maneuvering space. The
time level of this prior structure is medieval. The metal analysis performed at The Atomic
Physics Institute in Bucharest, revealed that the alloy traces found in the vicinity of the clay
structure belonged to a medieval outfit that produced church bells or cannons . The round
shape and the closeness to the town church led to the hypothesis of the manufacturing of a
church bell. The dimensions of the circular clay structure allowed the endorsement of the
hypothesis of the existence of a mould used to cast one of the first church bells recorded in the
documents from the second half of the 14 th century: “the clock-tower bell”, measuring 1.48
metres in lower diameter and 1.26 metres in height. The comparison to the mould fragment in
the exhibition of The Budapest City Museum is not clarifying enough. In the case of the
discovery from medieval Hungary there are visible traces of the cope, where the molten alloy
was cast, as well. The circumstances of the fragment of the clay mould found in Sibiu are less
conclusive. All that was preserved is the presumed base of the clay core. It is odd though that
there were but few fragments of the presumed mould recovered and none bore any inscription.
Another feature that differentiates the bell casting pit found in Sibiu from the classical models
is: where the specialized treaties indicate that the molten alloy was poured from a crucible
placed on the surface, we found at The Old Townhall, in the immediate vicinity of the depth
outfit, only a clay flue bearing traces of the same alloy used in casting the bells. The flue was
atilt towards the pit with the clay mould. The circular clay structure has been uncovered three
times, the latest in the year 2006 to be equipped with a draining system. We hope that future
generations, more interested in promoting local history, may be able to recover what was left
in the ground.
Several hypotheses have been issued on the time period of construction and its stages,
all of which starting with the existence of some other structures around, or with architectural
details. The corroboration of a plethora of precise archaeological data with the archive data,
without ignoring the architectural data led to a credible reconstituted image. The historical
analysis endorses as founder of the Townhall building the mayor of the city and Royal judge,
Thomas Altemberger, who dominated the city politics and The Saxon University between
1470 and 1491. Only a person of such uncontested authority could initiate a construction plan
of such proportions in an area of social and strategic importance. On the other hand we need
to bring in relief the contribution of Affra , Thomas Altemberger’s wife, to the erection of the
building even after his death. The setting of the Affra coat of arms at important sited in the
building (the loggia, the bow window, the tower entrance), the records of her name after 1491
the city magistrate’s account books, her alleged marriage to a high city official, such as