Posts Tagged With: Europe

As a huge Halloween fan, Bran Castle and Romania’s Transylvania region has been on my travel list for years.

Arriving in Brasov’s Old Town, I immediately fell in love. This, to me, is exactly what a medieval European city should look like. Ringed by the Carpathian Mountains and filled with cobblestoned streets, medieval walls and colourful baroque buildings, Old Town looks like something out of a fairy tale.

Brasov was founded by the Teutonic Knights in 1211 and was settled by the Saxons in the 13^th century, becoming one of Transylvania’s seven walled citadels. Brasov’s location became an important intersection, linking trade routes between the Ottoman Empire and Western Europe.

Our hotel, Casa Wagner, was located in Brasov’s main square, Piaţa Sfatului (Council Square), a large open area where medieval markets were held.

The hotel was originally built in 1477 and is the third oldest building located in the square that is also filled with shops, restaurants, and cafes, with Brasov Old Town Hall found in the centre.

Built in 1420, Casa Sfatului was the meeting place for the town’s council members for several centuries. Today, it is home to Brasov’s History Museum.

Just south of Council Square is the Black Church, the largest gothic structure in Romania and one of Brasov’s most famous sites. The church got its name after the flames and smoke of the ‘Great Fire’ in 1689 darkened its exterior walls. The church was originally built between 1385 and 1477. After the fire, restoration took 100 years.

Today, the church is a massive structure, with beautiful stained glass and statues located all around it. The bell tower stands 65m high and is home to the largest and heaviest church bell in Romania.

The Black Church’s massive pipe organ dates from 1839. It was built by Carl August Buchholz and takes up three floors and contains 3993 pipes! This massive organ still functions and concerts are performed several times a week.

Most of the original statues have been removed from the outer walls to preserve them and replicas have been put up in their place. You can find many of the originals inside the church. Entrance tickets can be purchased for 20 lei at the gift shop across from the church. It looks big from the outside, but once you walk through the large wooden doors, you see how truly big this church is.

Another interesting historical piece in this church are the pews. When people first started to attend, they sat within their guilds. The more important your guild (teachers, town councillors, etc.), the closer you sat to the pulpit.

These pews were also more ornately decorated. Each guild could add carvings, paintings, ornamental elements, and symbols to represent their guild on the panel of the pew. The pews themselves were all fairly standard, except for the carpenter’s guild, who made sure to carve theirs more ornately when making all the pews. It was neat to walk around and see all the differences.

There was a small section containing tombstones with elaborate carvings of the person’s face. Apparently, this was a common thing to do among the wealthy, so they could be depicted in all their grandeur for eternity!

The various murals, paintings, and statues found throughout the church are also worth a look.

As I often do when exploring a new city, I joined up with a free walking tour to learn more about Brasov and all there was to see. We set out with our guide on a 2.5-hour walk around Old Town, where he told us lots of historic facts and local legends and pointed out the house where Vlad the Impaler’s mistress lived.

As we came to the Black Church, he pointed out one of the statues on the roof and told us how Brasov and a neighbouring city were competing to build the biggest and best church. They took this very seriously and only the master builder knew the full plan. One day, he found a little boy up on the roof looking at all they were doing. No one knew who this boy was, so they figured he must be a spy sent from the other town and he was pushed off the roof!

Now, a statue of a little boy looking over the edge can be found on the roof. Some say it was put there as a memorial; others say it’s a warning.

Rope Street, Strada Sforii, is one of the narrowest streets in Europe at 3.6 to 4 feet wide. As the houses were all connected, there was no quick way to get from one street to another, so Rope Street was used as an access route for firefighters. There is a statue of a Rope Lady at one end, pointing the way to the passage.

One legend says that Rope Street was a meeting place for lovers whose parents did not approve of their relationship, and that couples who kissed on Rope Street will forever be tied together.

High above Brasov, in the Carpathian Mountains, is Mount Tampa. There are several different trails you can hike up the mountain or take the cable car (30 lei RT, Hours: 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.) to the top for a great view of the city and surrounding area.

From the upper cable car station, it’s a short walk along the path to the famous Brasov sign, where you will get the best views of the town from 955m above!

The cable car takes about 2.5 minutes to ascend to the top, and at less than $9 CAD ($6.50 USD) return, it’s definitely worth it. At the top, you will also find a small cafe and some more walking trails.

As we were there in October, all the leaves had begun to change colour, making the view even more spectacular. You could see all of Old Town, including a great view of the Black Church from above.

When Vlad Tepes (the Impaler) attacked Brasov in 1458, the citadel was destroyed and 40 merchants who refused to pay trade taxes were impaled, and displayed on top of the mountain. I much preferred the view of the fall foliage!

Catherine’s Gate, erected in 1559 by the Tailors’ Guild, is the only original gate to have survived from medieval times. During Saxon rule, Romanians weren’t allowed to own property inside the fortress and were only allowed to enter at certain times to sell their goods. They would be required to pay a toll before entering. At the time, these gates were the only way in and out of Brasov. Above the entrance, the tower bears the city’s coat of arms: a crown on a tree trunk.

Black Tower stands atop a rock on Starja Hill and is one of four defensive towers in Brasov built in the 15th century, and offers great views of the city.

Hunter’s Tower is another defensive tower in the citadel used for storing power during the Middle Ages.

Once you’re done exploring for the day, enjoy a traditional Transylvanian dinner at Sergiana. Head down into the basement, where you will find cave-like dining rooms, servers in traditional Romanian attire, and a delicious variety of local Transylvanian dishes.

After dinner, check out Beraria Mustata for some local craft beer.

While the Council Square is great by day, be sure to check it out at night when it’s all lit up and the Hollywood style BRASOV sign is shining high up on Mt. Tampa.

And while you are in the area, a trip to Bran to see Bran Castle is a must! We spent half a day exploring Dracula’s Castle and the small town of Bran. More on that here.

Brasov is about 30 minutes from Bran. There are buses that will take you, but we found taking a Bolt or an Uber far more convenient.

Before catching our train back to Bucharest, we had to stop for one more delicious Papanași (traditional Romanian fried doughnuts made with cottage cheese and topped with smetana and jam) at La Ceaun in the main square.

Whether you are exploring Transylvania or just making your way to see Dracula’s Bran Castle, be sure to stop and explore Brasov on the way. You won’t be disappointed!