site.btaFortified Church in Romania Holds Guinness Record for World's Most Complicated Church Lock

The Biertan fortified church, a Lutheran church in the Transylvania region of Romania, holds the Guinness World Record for most complicated church lock. The lock, built around 1515 by master Johannes Reichmuth from Sighişoara, has a central system that blocks the thick oak door in 19 points, all activated simultaneously by turning a key.

The door was designed by Reichmuth too. Together with the lock, it had to ensure the safety of the valuables kept in the sacristy, a room for the storage of the church's most valuable items.

Contemporary experts describe the lock as a "marvel of engineering". It excited a furore and was awarded a prize when, in 1889, it was taken off the hinges along with the door and taken to the World Exhibition in Paris. The lock is still working today, but it is not the only attractive element for visitors.

The Biertan fortified church houses the largest painted altar in Transylvania, created in 1483, and in its courtyard is the so-called "marriage prison" - a small house in which the local priest locked up those partners who had differences in order to solve their problems. They spent two weeks behind bars, but could leave early if they reconciled. They had to share a very small bed, a pillow, a blanket, a common plate and spoon, and a place at the table. The method was so effective that church records show that in 300 years there was only one divorce in the village.

In 1933, Biertan and its fortified church were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The visit of BTA's correspondent to Biertan was carried out as part of a media trip within the Attractive Romania project.