World's most complicated church lock: The Biertan fortified church sets world record

March 7, 2022

World's most compicated church lock: The Biertan fortified church sets world record

BIERTAN, Sibiu, Romania--The Biertan fortified church, a Lutheran fortified church in Biertan (Birthälm), Sibiu County, in the Transylvania region of Romania, built by the ethnic German Transylvanian Saxon community, part of the villages with fortified churches in Transylvania UNESCO World Heritage Site, has a central system that blocks the door in 19 points, built, around 1515 by master Johannes Reichmuth from Sighişoara, which ensured the safety of the valuables kept in the sacristy; it sets the world record for being the World's Most Complicated Church Lock, according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY.

Photo above: Adam Jones (Adam63): Lock on a wooden door in the church at Biertan, Romania. The lock contains 19 locks in one, "and is such a marvel of engineering it won first prize at the Paris World Expo in 1900." (Lonely Planet).

"The sacristy door of the Biertan Fortified Church is internationally renowned for its complex system of 19 locks made by local craftsmen in 1515, the Mangalia News reports.

"The master Johannes Reichmuth from Sighişoara built, around 1515, the door of the sacristy of the fortified church from Biertan (the sacristy room housed the treasure of the church and the local community, during the siege). The door lock system activated 19 locks at a time by turning a key.

"The 19 locks are divided as follows: 3 on the left, 3 on the right, 3 on top and 7 on the actual lock, all operated simultaneously with a single key. This lock still works today, being a representative example of medieval Saxon manufacture, thanks to its exceptional woodwork ornaments and the original closing system."

The World's most complicated church lock was displayed at the 1889 Paris World's Fair.

"This jewel of medieval technology can be considered the early version of a Rube Goldberg machine, which in this case also has a functional role," said Ramona Nita, News editor at the World Record Academy.

Photo above: The fortified church of Biertan, Transylvania / Photo by Otto Schemmel

The church has three rows of exterior fortifications linked by gate towers, nine in total.

The first, with four towers, dates to the 14th century; the second was built together with the church, and has a series of reinforcing arches; the third, also with towers, is from the 16th and 17th centuries.

The clock tower to the north of the church also serves as a gate within the inner fortifications. Four stories high, it has a wooden battlement and parapets.

One of the most attractive elements for visitors is the sacristy door, which due to its uniqueness was awarded at a Parisian exhibition in 1910. Dated from 1515 and made of oak with beautiful inlays, it also has the master Johannes Reichmut as its maker. the author of the pews.

The uniqueness of this piece also contributed to the complicated locking system operated by a wrench and a crank. Four mechanisms are activated by the key and another fifteen by the crank. In the event of a siege, all the valuables of the community were housed here. The late Gothic style baptismal font is made of stone and dates back to the 16th century. It is decorated with lily flowers and is partially buried in the floor.

Its chapel (ca. 1520–1530) features a rare example of 16th-century Transylvanian mural painting, forming an exception to the austere aesthetic that predominated.

The grounds contain a "matrimonial prison" where couples wishing to divorce were confined so they could be sure they wished to end their marriage.

The lockup lasted for two weeks, although the pair could leave early if they reconciled. They had to share a single bed, plate and spoon. During the three centuries that bishops resided at Biertan, just one couple ended up divorcing.

In 1993, Biertan and its fortified church were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site; it was joined by six other places in 1999 to form the villages with fortified churches in Transylvania site.

Additionally, the church is listed as a historic monument by Romania's Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs, with each of the three fortifications considered a separate monument.

Biertan was the subject of two 2011 postage stamps, a joint issue between Germany and Romania

Biertan (German: Birthälm; Hungarian: Berethalom) is a commune in Transylvania, Romania, in the north of the Sibiu County, 80 km north of Sibiu and 29 km east of Mediaș. Biertan is one of the most important Saxon villages with fortified churches in Transylvania, having been on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1993.

The commune is composed of three villages: Biertan, Copșa Mare (Gross-Kopisch; Nagykapus) and Richiș (Reichesdorf; Riomfalva), each of which has a fortified church.