Cultural Adventure in Transylvania
If you are passionate about history, art, architecture and music and festivals, you must take the time and visit the Saxon villages and their fortified churches. True gems of crafts and art, Romanesque and Gothic monuments are to be found in a relatively small area. Together with that there are an impressive amount of cultural events all around the year, many of which are not known by the large public.
We invite you to stay for few days in our location and let us plan an incredible adventure in the historical times of the XIII-XVII century. What you need to do is to let us know the size of your group (a minimum of 4 is required) and the dates you intend for your stay and we will send you a proposal with full itinerary, and costs.
28-29 March „Sighisoara Blues Festival”
29 June – Crit Villages’ Day
3-5 July: The Craftmans Fair – Veritas Foundation Sighisoara
25-27 July: „ Medieval Sighisoara” Festival
6-10 August — Culturala Haferland Week (Bunesti, Crit, Mesendorf, Viscri)
First Sunday of September Fanfare Festival Sighisoara
UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN THE AREA
Historic Centre of Sighisoara
28 km distance from Crit
Founded by German craftsmen and merchants during the 12th century, Sighisoara (Schassburg in German) is one of the most beautiful and best preserved medieval towns in Europe.
Looking today much as it did 500 years ago, this medieval town was also the birthplace of Vlad Dracula – nicknamed Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler) – ruler of Walachia from 1456 to 1462. It was he who inspired Bram Stoker’s fictional creation, Count Dracula. His house is just one of the many attractions here.
Others include the Church on the Hill, with its 500–year old frescos; the Church of the Dominican Monastery, renowned for its Renaissance carved altarpiece, baroque painted pulpit, Oriental carpets and 17th-century organ; Muzeul armelor; Scara acoperita and the Venetian House, built in the 13th century.
Among the most striking attractions is the 210-feet high Clock Tower (Council Tower), built in the 14th century, where each day a different wooden figure emerges from the belfry on the stroke of midnight. The tower was raised in the 13th and 14th centuries when Sighisoara became a free town controlled by craft guilds, each of which had to finance the construction of a bastion and defend it during wartime.
The Medieval Fortified Churches of Transylvania
Transylvania is home to nearly two hundred villages with fortified churches built by the Saxons between the 13th and 15th centuries. Having to withstand constant invaders, the villages’ central areas, where the church was located most of the time, were fortified with defense walls, having the capacity to shelter a large number of people. Seven of the fortified churches have been designated by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. A visit to these quaint villages, will give travelers a taste of the long-gone medieval times.
Viscri Fortified Church
8 km from Crit
One of the most interesting Saxon fortified churches is located in the village of Viscri (Weisskirch in German). The name comes from the German Weisse Khirche, meaning white church. Unlike other Transylvanian fortified churches, Viscri was built around 1100 by the Szekler (Secui- in Romanian) population and taken over by Saxon colonists in 1185. Around 1525, the first fortification walls with towers were added. In the 18th century, the church was endowed with a second defensive wall. Inside, you can admire a classic 19th century altar featuring a Blessing of the Children centerpiece by the painter J. Paukratz from Rupea.
12 km from Crit
Visiting hours: 10 am – 5 pm
Saschiz is renowned not only as home to one of Transylvania’s finest fortified churches but also as a carpentry and wood-painting center. It was here that Saschiz blue pottery was born in 1702.
The Evangelical Church of Saschiz was built between 1493 and 1496 by Saxon colonists. The monument is very impressive due to its sheer size and the way the fortifying elements have been adapted to the shape of a church building.
Darjiu Fortified Church
38 km from Crit
The fortified church at Darjiu was initially built in Romanesque style in the 14th century, and later rebuilt in gothic style. It was fortified in the 16th century when locals drew inspiration from the fortified churches of neighboring Saxon villages.
The church’s interior features a partly destroyed but valuable series of mural paintings
Residents still keep their grain in barns inside the fortress, whereas bacon and ham are kept in the fortress towers. Grain may be picked up every morning, but bacon only once a week.
Visitors can also admire the towers surrounding the church, namely the Clock Tower, the Bell Tower, the Gate Tower and the Bacon Tower.
Biertan Fortified Church
60 km from Crit
Hours: Monday – Saturday: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Note: During the ‘low-season’ the gates to the church may be locked.
If the gates are locked just ask for assistance at the cafe which is next to the entrance into the fortress.
The village of Biertan (German: Birthalm), first mentioned in an official document in 1283, is home to one of the largest and most impressive medieval strongholds in Transylvania.
Surrounded by quaint streets and vineyards, the 15th century fortified church at Biertan is perched high on a hill in the middle of the village. Three tiers of 35-foot-high defensive walls, connected by towers and gates, encircled the complex, making the church impossible to conquer during medieval times.
The door, a true marvel of engineering, has a particularly ingenious locking mechanism with 15 bolts that can be simultaneously activated by a key. The mechanism stirred quite an interest at the Paris World Expo in 1900.
Couples seeking divorce were locked in the Prison Tower for two weeks. Sharing one set of cutlery and one bed, the couple had to make their final decision. In 400 years, only one couple decided afterwards to go through with the divorce!
Valea Viilor Fortified Church
78 km from Crit
Nearby large town: Medias
Located in the Vineyards Valley, this fortified church was built in 1263 in gothic style and was enlarged and fortified in the 15th and 16th centuries by adding a range of 26-foot-tall and five-foot- wide walls. A unique element is the well in the center of the church choir that provided water for the locals during sieges. Inside, you can admire Saxon furniture dating from the 16th century.