The proud church tower of Harman, 12km north of Brasov, is visible for kilometres around on the windswept plain; four small turrets warn visitors that the authorities were allowed to sentence criminals to death. Seven towers dot the 12m high ring wall, and one of the towers (formerly used as a chapel, now bricked up, waiting for renovations) boasts valuable medieval frescoes. Inside the church, the elaborate altar was donated by Swedish king Karl XII in the 17th century, who took refuge here with his soldiers during a wild goose-chase through Europe after a lost battle in Russia. The walls used to be lined with refuge cells for local families, but the stones were needed for local administration buildings. The shelters for the local nobility and their families (mayor, priest, doctor, notary) are perched on the walls of the church itself.