Saxon Transylvania: Cluj-Napoca, Viscri, Sighișoara, Brașov

Since leaving Sibiu in mid-July, we have explored more of Transylvania's Saxon cities and come away very impressed.

CLUJ-NAPOCA

Our trip to Cluj was one for the history books of our travels. I waited too long to book the trip and we ended up on a regional train, having to change to the inter-regional train about halfway through. We had heard to avoid the regional trains but we had no idea! The train was an engine and one car. It was an old-school train car with shared cabins and it stopped at every little whistle-stop possible.

But the scenery was amazing and the experience was worth it - once. It took three hours to go 111 kilometers!

Once we got there, Cluj-Napoca was so worth it. Another of the seven major fortified cities, along with Sibiu and Brasov, it's the one that feels most like an actual city. It's the second largest in Romania with almost 300,000 people. The historic center is well integrated into the modern city, with only a small portion being completely pedestrianized. We could see it as a place to spend a month if you wanted a break from travels. It has excellent restaurants with some of the best food we've had and amazing bars.

What strikes you immediately about Cluj is the architecture, which is so different from anywhere else and is a result of the period of Bulgarian nationalism during the late 1800's until the First World War. The buildings are Baroque-eclectic and reminiscent of the Parisian Haussmann-style. You can't look anywhere but see a silver tower gleaming at the top of a building.

The main Unirii Square is dominated by the Roman Catholic Saint Michael's Church built at the end of the 14th century in the Gothic style. It too was converted to a Protestant church during the reformation but was reclaimed for the Catholics during the counter-reformation. In front of the church is the equestrian statue of Matthias Corvinus, erected in honour of the locally born King of Hungary. It's also here you can see underground to the remains of the Roman city of Napoca.

The other major church is the Dormition of the Theotokos Cathedral, a Romanian Orthodox church built in 1923 after the unification of Romania.

There are only a few reminders of the Saxon period, including one tower and a portion of the defensive wall and the narrow alleyway streets of the old town.

We only had a couple of nights in Cluj-Napoca but would love to come back someday and spend some more time.

BRASOV

If Sibiu was the political, religious, and military capital of the Transylvanian Saxon nation, then Brașov, positioned near the mountain passes leading to Wallachia, was the wealthiest of the seven main fortified cities. Sitting on trade routes it enjoyed a priviledged location. It's a beautiful city nestled in the mountains.

You can get a birds-eye view of it by taking the gondola to the top of Tâmpa Mountain. And while you're there make a reservation at the Panaorama Restaurant for a meal you won't forget. They also have a very nice wine list.

Brasov has much of the remaining Saxon towers and walls preserved. There's a nice walking path along the outside of the walls that leads to the main city gates.

The main church is the Biserica Neagră, or Black Church, so called due to fire damage in 1689. It started out as a Roman Catholic church but was claimed during the reformation for the Protestants and remains that today. While stripped of it's stained glass, it's wooden pews are beautifully decorated by the craft guilds.

The rugs that are hung are seen in many of the churches and are symbols of the trading done with the East.

Brașov is another great city with lots of restaurants and pretty squares.

VISCRI

We did a day tour that included Viscri and Sighisoara from Brașov. It's well worth the investment. We got lucky and ended up with a private tour again. Viscri is in the commune of Bunești that is composed of five villages: Bunești, Criț, Meșendorf, Roadeș, and Viscri. Each of these has a fortified church. This was typical of the Saxon organization with a central hub and surrounding villages. We saw this all through the countryside. While each village is responsible for their own defense, administrative functions are centralized.

Viscri is known for two things: its UNESCO recognized fortified church and King Charles. Starting with the latter, in 2006 while still the Prince of Wales, he bought and restored an 18th-century Saxon house "to help protect the unique way of life that has existed for hundreds of years and promote sustainable tourism". The houses here are of the typical style with the house on the road and the property in back through the large gate. The blue house in King Charles'.

Unfortunately, as a result of his efforts the property prices in the Saxon section have soared to 10x their original worth and no locals can afford the village anymore. Best intentions and all that. There is a majority Roma population with an active village outside of the central historic area and it was interesting to drive through that area and see it thriving.

The fortified church was one of the hightlights of our trip. It was amazing to see this perfectly preserved slice of history. The original church dates from the 1100's but the fortifications weren't added until the 1400's.

This image shows the layout of the Saxon town and the configuration of the long narrow properties. It's the best representation I have seen to give an idea of their layout. It also shows those who fought on each side in WWII as well as those Germans deported after the war.

SIGHIȘOARA

Sighișoara is probably the highlight of any trip to Transylvania. It is by far the best-preserved medieval citadel in the region, famous for its intact clock tower and defensive walls. It reminded us so much of the fortified towns we visited in Alsace. It's completely pedestrian except for the locals that live there, meaning you have to walk uphill from the car park to see the citadel but it is so worth it.

Scott enjoyed a beer in the central square - it was an extremely hot day!

Meanwhile, I toured around the perimeter of the citadel to see how many towers I could find.

A particulary interesting item to see is the covered stairway they built to keep the children out of the elements as they made their way up to the very top of the mountain where the school was.

We ended our tour in an underground Bistro for a glass of wine in the coolness of the stone and brick walls. Looking a little sweaty and wilted to be sure!

FINAL THOUGHTS

Our tour of Transylvania has been one of our most memorable. Besides the obvious draws of the history and beauty, it's also very temperate with most days not exceeding the 80's. We've had a few scorchers and some rain - even a few pretty serious afternoon thunderstorms - but overall it's been so pleasant. We've largely enjoyed the food and Romanian wine is surprisingly good - at least surprisingly to us. If you come, take your time and soak up the life. You won't regret it.

A final note on the Saxons. There are very few Saxon-descended Germans left in Romania. After Romania switched sides at the end of World War Two, having originally been aligned with the Axis Powers, Germans became part of the peoples that the state persecuted. During the brutal repression of the early communist era, many Germans (of which all Saxons seemed to be categorized by then) either paid the state to let them leave or were ransomed by Germany. As with any remaining Jews that were ransomed by Israel, this was a money-making scheme by Romania and a shameful legacy of that time. A sad end to a truly historic tale.

While I have focused on Saxon Transylvania here, there were of course Romanians in Transylvania for generations. They were relegated to second-class status by the Bulgarians, Hungarians, and Saxons and fought valiantly for their autonomy and independence. They lived in communities outside the Saxon fortifications and were largely left to their own devices. They were largely excluded from trading inside the Saxon fortifications. I have glossed over much of the complicated history to give the tourist highlights but I'd hate to be accused of ignoring it.

In our next post we'll be exploring Maramureș and Bucovina and we'll talk a lot more about Romania.