Exploring Romania: From May 24 through July 5, we visited the historic towns of Transylvania: Cluj-Napoca, Sighişoara, Sibiu, Brasov, and Sinaia. After a week in Bucharest, Romania’s capital city, we returned to Transylvania for a longer visit in Sibiu.
Location: From the center of Brasov’s Old Town, our Air BnB was a fifteen-to-twenty-minute walk, all uphill. Although our apartment was lovely and our hosts most friendly and helpful, the walking up and down was most uncomfortable for Sara’s knees. We are reminded again how important our airBnB location is to our overall stay.
Like Hollywood, Brasov has its own sign with big, white letters on the mountain. We took the cable car up to the top on one glorious day, to enjoy the ride and the lovely view over the town of Brasov and beyond.
The Piața Sfatului, the Council Square is the center of the Old Town of Brasov. It’s a pretty big square with restaurants, shops, and of course a Starbucks Café – but you can easily find other cafes around town.
The Council House or “Rathaus,” sitting in the middle of the Main Square, was built in 1420 at the center of the ancient fortress. It was once the city hall, but now it houses a museum of the history of Brasov.
Also on the east side of the square is an Orthodox Cathedral, the “Assumption of the Holy Mother” notable for its Romanian architecture, built 1895-96.
Heading east from the Main Square is Strasse Republicii, (Street of the Republic) a wide pedestrian walkway lined with even more restaurants and shopping. This was always fun, and we walked it frequently.
The Black Church: Built 1383-1477, Brasov’s Black Church is the largest Gothic church between Vienna and Istanbul. It sits just off the main square. Originally it was Roman Catholic, but during the Reformation it became a Lutheran church. In 1689, it suffered from a great fire, after which it became known as the “Black Church.” The name has stuck for centuries, even though the church is no longer black at all.
We enjoyed a lovely Organ Concert in the Black Church evening. The large pipe organ sits at the back of the church, above the main entranceway and opposite the altar. I was surprisingly impressed by the pews in this church. As usual they face the altar. But the hard backs of these pews are hinged, allowing them to be moved forward, so that the pew seats can easily face the front OR the back of the church. Thus the audience could comfortably sit in the pews, with our backs to the altar and our attention to the large organ and organists.
Many of Brasov’s medieval walls are still intact, along with many of the towers.
On a hill just north of the old town sits The Citadel, a military fortress. Originally built in 1524 as a wooden fort, it was later destroyed and then rebuilt as a fortress with four towers. Through most of history it’s been a military garrison and a prison. Today, it’s for tourists. We climbed the hill to see it, but it’s all closed right now, so we could only circle the fort and head back down.
Poarta Ecaterinei / Catherine’s Gate: The Transylvania Saxons built fortresses for themselves, not for their Romanian neighbors. Catherine’s Gate was built in 1559 to provide access from the Schei Quarter where the Romanians had to live, west of the walled city. They could even be put to death for entering at night or without permission. With gates like this, the Saxons had control over who went in, who went out, and when. A few hundred years later, in 1827-8, the Poarta Schei / Schei Gate was built to provide greater access from Schei.
Rope Street is the narrowest street in Eastern Europe. Streets in the Old Town were so compact, and the blocks so long, that it was impossible for firefighters to reach many homes. Rope Street was built to accommodate these firemen. It’s so narrow that you can touch both sides with your elbows at the same time.
Day Trip to Bran Castle: From Brasov it was a fairly short bus ride to visit Bran Castle. Historically, this castle was most closely associated with Vlad Tepes, Vlad the Impaler who is believed to have inspired the legends of Dracula. Obviously, it’s a tourist destination today, with a lot of crazy Dracula souvenirs. Even in the castle, there is Dracula kitsch, including a review of the many film manifestations of the undead vampire. Bran is often simply referred to as “Dracula’s Castle.”
But, if you can look past all the Dracula / Vlad silliness, Bran is really a classic and well-preserved medieval castle. It sits tall upon a small mountain with sides so steep, it could easily defend itself against attackers.
Saint Nicholas Church: In a town with plenty of churches, St. Nicholas stands out. First built in the 13th century, in the Schei area, this Orthodox Christian church mixes elements of the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles. The church and its grounds are quite beautiful.
Museum of the First Romanian School: On the grounds of St. Nicholas Church, the school was built in 1495. It was not the first school in Romania, but the first one to teach in the Romanian language. As a museum today, it preserves a traditional classroom, portraits of many educators and church leaders and many original books. It houses the first printing press to print books in Romanian, including the first Romanian schoolbook and the first Bible.
We enjoyed our nine days in Brasov, despite the uphill climb to our apartment. Next, we move on to Sinaia for one more stop in Transylvania before we head south of the mountains and down to the capital, Bucharest.
