P h o t o g e o g r a p h y

There are 25 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Romania. Seven of this list are Saxon villages in southern Transylvania. They are dominated by their fortified churches, which illustrate building styles from the 13th to the 16th century. One of them is Hărman Fortified Church. I have already presented the beautiful village of Viscri, which houses one of the fortified churches - also listed on the UNESCO list ( click to read my article about Viscri ). The church in Hărman is just as beautiful and it displays the typical characteristics of a fortified church. The village of Hărman (Honigburg in German, meaning Honey Castle) is located some 10 km east of Brașov , in the Burzenland region of southeastern Transylvania. When visiting Brașov, you must visit Hărman (and Prejmer too) ( click to read my article about Medieval fortifications in Brașov ).  Hărman was established and long inhabited mainly by Transylvanian Saxons. The church at Hărman dates back to 12...

The true story of Vlad the Impaler called Dracula   There are several locations in Romania linked to the Dracula legend. Vlad III the Impaler, also known as Vlad Dracul or Vlad the Dragon was the legendary vampire, created by author Bram Stoker in his 1897 novel of the same name. Though Dracula is a purely fictional creation, Stoker named his infamous character after a real person. Vlad was the second of four brothers born into the noble family of Vlad II Dracul. His sobriquet Dracula (meaning “son of Dracul”) was derived from the Latin draco (“dragon”) after his father’s induction into the Order of the Dragon, created by Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund for the defence of Christian Europe against the Ottoman Empire.  Vlad Tepes was born in 1431 in Transylvania and was the Prince of Wallachia - a kingdom that now comprises the southern half of Romania. Vlad earned his name Impaler (in Romanian - Tepes) by impaling his enemies on stakes in the ground and leaving them to...

Fortified churches in Transylvania  Romania is a beautiful and very interesting country. You can admire there magnificent scenery and a lot of splendid architectural monuments. Very interesting and picturesque architectural objects are fortified churches in Transylvania region. There are more than 100 of well preserved fortified churches from the 13th to 16th centuries. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Villages with Fortified Churches in Transylvania are seven villages founded by the Transylvanian Saxons. They are characterised by the great variety of architectural styles. They are dominated by fortified churches and characterised by a specific settlement pattern that has been preserved since the late Middle Ages (see also: Fortified Church in Hărman, Romania ). Fortified church in Viscri - UNESCO World Heritage Site One of the most interesting Saxon fortified churches is located in the village of Viscri. The village is located in the centre of Romania...

Old Town of Brașov and the White Tower. A view from Tâmpa Hill Brașov is located in the central part of Romania in Transylvania region. The oldest traces of human activity and settlements in Brașov date back to the Neolithic age but the first attested mention of Brașov is Terra Saxonum de Barasu ("Saxon Land of Baras") in a 1252 document. The city was described under the name Corona, a Latin word meaning "crown", a name given by the German colonists. Old Town of Brașov. White and Black Towers and Brașov Fortress (on the hills over the city) The German name Kronstadt means "Crown City" and is reflected in the city's coat of arms as well as in its Medieval Latin name, Corona. The two names of the city, Kronstadt and Corona, were used simultaneously in the Middle Ages, along with the Medieval Latin Brassovia. Probably the name of Braşov (Brassovia) came from the name of the local river named Bârsa. Dupa Ziduri Street (En. Behind the Wall...