The more than photogenic Transylvanian town of Biertan
In the heart of Transylvania , that region with probably the most evocative name in Europe, the Saxon country unfolds, a contradiction inherited from medieval history that ensures that in today's Romania the German imprint is still present. The Saxons settled here from the 13th century and soon began to fortify their churches and towns to defend themselves against the Turkish onslaught, because Eastern Europe has always been a disputed and bloody territory. What's the score? That along a couple of highways that connect the cities of Sibiu, Brasov and Sighisoara , there are very, very rural Romanian villages in which part of the population still speaks German and maintains Saxon customs; some do not have paved roads but are adorned by walled churches virtually intact since medieval times ; seven are today World Heritage Sites.
READY, SET, GO!
You have to forget about making the journey by public transport, impossible. It is necessary to rent a car (a Dacia is what is appropriate) and put the suspension to the test on bumpy construction roads. Horse-drawn carts and tractors loaded with hay or firewood, herds of goats, gypsy camps... will soon appear. the heart of Europe is eminently rural. The signs of " bisericii evanhelice fortificate ” identify the obligatory stops, but there is no possible confusion because the towers of the churches stand out from the rest of the constructions of the towns. In the most remote, those in the area of Stockings, It is convenient to take the food just in case, and if not, there is always the option of asking a neighbor if he knows of a place to eat.
The stone fortress of Câlnic
Among the Romanesque and Gothic churches that are a World Heritage Site, Prejmer it stands out for its monumentality and good state of conservation; Calnic it is a great fortress with solid stone walls; the medieval frescoes are the highlight of Darjiu ; the tall clock tower presides saschiz and in Valea Viilor stone porches surround a church that wouldn't be out of place in a Hammer production. However, the most representative and visited towns are biertan Y Viscri.
TOP DESTINATIONS: BIERTAN AND VISCRI
It has some reward to reach Viscri ; A dusty road leads to this little village where the geese stroll oblivious to the tourists who come to photograph the impressive structure of the fortified church: white and wooden reinforced walls around a simple and beautiful Romanesque chapel, with pews and floor of wood. You have to go inside the fortification, where you can see farming implements and stone capitals next to areas that patiently await restoration.
to the most photogenic Biertan church It is reached after a long climb up a wooden staircase. The construction stands out from a handful of small houses that are pure Saxony, and from it the views of the fields of work and the green meadows could not be more bucolic-pastoral. Among the constructions annexed to the church, there is a room in which couples who wanted to separate were locked up and forced to live together . The obligatory stay of two weeks sharing a bed and time achieved a number of separations so low that it would be the envy of the Catholic Church today.
Interior of the Dârjiu church
** SLEEP AS A TRANSYLVIAN (I MEAN, WITH GARLIC, "JUST IN CASE") **
Staying in these towns is part of the experience. They can be booked from simple pension s and more or less modern until rooms in saxon houses with the toilet outside to which all you need is a string of garlic to be part of a movie fantasy . We cannot forget, after all, that we are visiting those towns where the real Dracula is still considered a hero. In the nearby town of Sighisoara without going any further, a Vlad Tepes statue greets us next to the town hall (it is also true that on the ground floor of the same building there is a hostess club). Romania never ceases to amaze us.
*** You may also be interested in...**
- Truths and lies of the (multiple) castles of Dracula
The fortified church of Viscri