Transylvania - Brasov

Braşov is the capital city of Braşov County in Transylvania. Developed and expanded throughout the centuries, Braşov has traces of settlement since the Neolithic Age (9500BC). During the 12th century, the King of Hungary invited German Saxons to settle and develop the surrounding area. A century later the Teutonic Knights built fortifications to defend the kingdom’s borders, among these was Kronstadt, the Crown City, today known as Braşov.

Located in the foothills of the Carpathians the old city centre reveals Saxon architecture, partial remains of the old curtain wall, bastions and towers, and restored city gates. At the centre of the old city in a large open square is the old Town Hall, Casa Sfatului, a building that originally began as a watchtower in 1420. Over the succeeding centuries it has been added to, partially destroyed by war and earthquakes, rebuilt, restored, altered and nearly fully demolished twice in the 20th century. This is one building that has withstood the test of time. Given its many changes, the building is a blend of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture. The tower’s German clock, installed in 1892, continues to accurately tell time.

Nearby, tucked amongst buildings in a court is the 15th century Saxon-built, Gothic-style Black Church, Biserica Neagră. Towering above the old city’s skyline, this imposing church is the heart of the city. The main entrance is richly decorated with heavy carved doors leading inside where two large chalices (c1504) occupy the floor, more than 200 Ottoman carpets – the second largest collection of Ottoman carpets in Europe, mostly from 15th-16th centuries – hang as decoration and two organs, of which one has 4,000 pipes, are played during weekly concerts.

Southeast of the old city is the ethnically Bulgarian and Romanian neighbourhood called Prund-Şchei, Şcheii Braşovului, a village-like town made up of small houses and narrow streets. Prior to the 17th century, the town’s residents were not permitted to own property inside the old city’s walls and access was only allowed through St Catherine’s gate (one of five gates) where they had to pay a toll in order to sell their produce. The ethnic Bulgarians arrived in the late 14th century, most likely to assist in the reconstruction of the Black Church destroyed by the Tatars, a Turkic-speaking ethnic group, a century earlier. They settled in the area and over time adopted the Romanian language and ethnic identity.

In 1583 the First Romanian School located in Prund-Şchei began conducting its first lessons in the Romanian language. Prior to this, education was conducted in Church Slavonic, which used to be the liturgical language of the Romanian Church. As the school was within the Kingdom of Hungary, students from far and wide would come to attend. Their attendance was paid for by the village with the aim that upon return they would then teach and share their education. The school operated for 230 years. Today it is a museum, exhibiting various educational books in both Slavic and Romanian, the first Romanian bible and the first Romanian printing press.

Having worked up an appetite from all my wanderings, I head to the nearest restaurant to try some of the local cuisine. I settled for a Ciorbă de Perişoare for entrée, a clear, slightly sour meatball soup with vegetables chopped up really small and for main I opted for a vegetarian dish of stacked potatoes. This dish in Romanian is called Cartofi Franţuzeşti, meaning French Potatoes, although unsure if it originated in France it consists of layers of sliced potatoes and hard-boiled eggs, topped with sour cream and breadcrumbs, and baked in the oven. There are variations to this dish for the meat lovers by adding ham, sausages, or really tasty salami. Yum!!

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