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Transylvania, with its name coming from Latin ultra silvam (beyond the forest), is one of the most interesting and surprising regions of Romania. Its German, Hungarian and Romanian cultural traditions play a great role in its cultural and ethnic diversity. The Transylvanian plateau is surrounded by mountain peaks and drained by sparkling rivers which makes it both a pleasant place for a relaxing holiday with a landscape pleasing to the eye and an exciting place for adventure-seeking travellers.
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Fortified Churches from Transylvania
| Feldioara / Marienburg |
Feldioara lies on the left bank of the river Olt, 17 km north-west of Brasov. This territory was continuously inhabited since the Neolithic and bronze era up to the times of the Roman conquest. The glass fragments, ceramics, golden objects and 21 gold coins that were found here date back to those times. Five golden ingots dated to 402-408 AD supported the hypothesis that the people here might have paid tribute to a migratory population, probably the Huns.
| Halchiu/Heldsdorf |
25,000 Wallachian soldiers against a few dozen Saxon families sheltered behind the hot walls of the church! The impossibility to defeat the brave Saxons who had resisted to innumerous conflagrations and assaults must have made the proud King Michael the Great feel very angry...
| Harman / Honigberg |
The story of Harman, though, dates back long before this siege of 1643. It relates to the Teutonic Knights who had settled here and in Feldioara, Prejmer, Rasnov, and Sanpetru at the beginning of the 13th century. Its first written acknowledgment came only later, in a document dated the 21st of March 1240, 15 years after the Teutons had been chased off this territory.
| Homorod / Hamruden |
Once upon a time, during the reign of King Geza II in the 12th century, certain Flemish guests (hospites flandrenses) arrived on a hillock near the area where Homorod now lies. Although they spoke a language different than the Saxons, they were of Germanic origin. The place they settled in bore the name of the patron saint of the existing church – Petersdorf. In the 13th century, following the great Tatar invasion they decided to move for reasons of security or because the water spring was too far away. Nevertheless, they relocated to the base of the “hill” (ham) which they then “deforested” (roden), giving their new site the name, Hamerodia, as first mentioned in 1400. A contrarian view comes from the Hungarians who say that it is from them that the colonists actually took the name, as they called the nearby flowing river hamar, meaning quickly.
| Hosman / Holzmengen |
Several old documents refer to the settlement as Holzmeni (1318), Holzmengen (1479) or Holczmang (1494). These names seem to stem from holz, German for 'wood', and Menge, meaning 'bunch'. These would seem to add up to 'a bunch of wood', quite accurate for describing the first houses on the road connecting Sibiu to Nocrich.
| Iacobeni / Jakobsdorf |
Despite the fact that it was mentioned for the first time in 1309, it seems that Jakobsdorf (the German name of Iacobeni) is one of the oldest Saxon villages in Transylvania.
| Ighisu Nou / Eibesdorf |
Ighisu Nou lies very close to Medias and can be easily reached by a pleasant road. The settlement was first mentioned in 1305, in a document of the Superior Council of Alba-Iulia. It reports the transfer of lands and villages between Count Gregor, son of Apa, and Gregor, son of Nicolae. The place was then called Isontelke; and, half a century later, in 1359, it was referred to as Villa Ysopis ("the town of Ysop"). Its German name is Eibensdorf, meaning "the village of Eiben", but the etymological connection between the two names is not known.
| Laslea/Lasseln |
The skilful and strict Cardinal Gentilis of Montefiori, delegate of the Pope, imposes a heavy punishment and promises the excommunication of anyone who will marry people of other religions apart from the Catholic one. A great council gathered in Pojon (Bratislava) in 1309...
| Maierus/Nussbach |
Was Villa Nucum the place the Teutonic Knights had chosen among others in order to build a citadel? That seemed to be indicated even by the simple positioning of Nussbach...
| Malancrav / Malmkrog |
The history of this fortified church is related to the Apafi family, upper class noble landowners from Transylvania. Malancrav was a commune coveted and then incorporated by the district of Alba Iulia. But because it was a latifundium placed in the midst of the Saxon Seats of Sighisoara/ Schassburg, Medias/ Mediasch and Cincu/ Grossschenk, it was assigned by the Hungarian king to the Apafi family. The first acknowledgment of Malancrav dates from the 14th century in a series of documents related to disputes over property.
Fortified Churches Multimedia CD - 15 EUR
Over 400 images revealing 44 saxon villages from Transylvania and their Fortified Churches, historical facts and architectural information, 19 local legends, an interactive map of the site, explicit hand-made drawings on how were the churches made, a see-through section ; all this toghether with a large, easy-to-use dictionary which will accurately explain all the specific or not so well-known terms you will come upon. Available in 7 languages: Romanian, German, English, Hungarian, French, Spanish, Catalan
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In April and May you can witness the beginning of spring by admiring the blossomy fields and fruit trees, the fresh green of the grass, the flowery scents and the clear blue sky. This is an ideal time for experiencing the rebirth of nature and for taking fabulous pictures.
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The Fortified Churches are an unique and interesting fenomenon. They can be found in only a few places throughout Europe and there were more than 300 Fortified Saxon Churches in Transylvania.
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