Anonymous architects
That late October day looked like early June. Only the multicolor jigsaw of the forests betrayed the season. Thus, it didn't take long for Dan and me to hit the road again. Our destination: Sighisoara (Schassburg) and its Festival of Old Music.
Eclipsed by the popularity of the Festival of Medieval Art, this little known festival takes place here every autumn. During the three days of East-West eclectic music, combining religious and secular styles, many famous names were present, including the Madrigal Choir, as well as a few ensembles of medieval music from abroad.

Sighisoara medieval town (Courtesy Mr. Radu Cerghizan)


Biertan citadel (Courtesy Mr. Radu Cerghizan) 		But those days also gave us the opportunity to explore the surroundings of the magnificent town of Sighisoara.
Leaving Bucharest in the afternoon, after five hours in the train we reach the heart of Transylvania, the landscape changing fast on the way from green-yellow fields to snow capped mountains and then - after Brasov - to the timeless Saxon villages spread all over the Transylvanian plateau.
As the evening in Sighisoara is falling, we assist a beautiful classic guitar concert - what could be a better introduction into the magic atmosphere of this place ?
The fresh early morning reminds us that it's autumn, but the day looks promising, as the sun shines unchallenged on the blue sky. And so we hitchhike our way to Saros pe Tarnave (Scharosch), where an old fortified church stays witness of a rich history. After a short visit to this peasant citadel - built to shelter the villagers during invasions - we catch the local bus to Biertan (Birthalm), the site of one of the most fascinating fortified citadels.
This Saxon village, still preserving a sizeable Saxon community, is a wonderful example of German tidiness: the straight streets are lined with the large facades of the houses that hide their patios from the passers-by. And there, on the top of the hill, the majestic fortified church. Surrounded by three rings of picturesque walls, the red-beige citadel is one of the strongest in Transylvania and a UNESCO World Heritage monument.
It was built between 1492 and 1516 in the late Gothic style with Renaissance influences. The inner wall supports five ramparts and a picturesque arched pathway connects the two innermost walls.
A Saxon lady guides us through the citadel. We find out that the church was an Episcopal Seat for almost three centuries and - a touching detail - when the population converted to Reform, they preserved a chapel for those who remained Catholics. Up in the spire, we are shown a large painting of a man who seems to watch you with his eyes wherever you stay. And we are also shown the fascinating bolt with no less than 19 locks !
And, by the way, if you happen to be in the region on the first Saturday after 15 September, don't miss the Sachsentreffen, the celebration of the Saxons from all over the world.
After the few hours spent in Biertan, we head to Sighisoara, but on the way we make a detour to the Cris (Kreisch) village. Considered the geographic center of Transylvania, Cris hosts a small but wonderful castle - at that time under heavy restoration. The handsome tower with the beautiful stone staircase, the walls forming a strange rhombic pattern sheltering the court, the small park hidden under weeds and the forest surrounding the castle - all transpose us in a legendary past, with medieval knights and maidens held prisoners by ugly ogres.
Still under the spell, we head back to Sighisoara where we witness again an evening of beautiful medieval music.
It's a fresh new morning, and a hitchhike later we are in Saschiz (Keisd), a village hidden among the hills of southern Transylvania. It's Sunday morning and we are lucky to witness the local Saxon population participating at the mass in the fortified church. There are no words to describe this feeling: it's like witnessing a piece of history that continues stubbornly to live. Again the German tidiness is present: the villagers dressed in their sober but wonderful traditional dress know their places inside the church - the women in the central nave and the men sitting in the lateral naves. The priest - a young blue-eyed Saxon - greets each of the participants at the end of the mass and welcomes us to their village. Behind his smile, we guess the sadness of the Saxons' departure to their motherland. Indeed, from the once thriving Saxon community in Transylvania, just a handful of rather old people remained.
After the mass we examine closely the church dating from 1493-1496, with its beautiful tower reminding the Clock Tower in Sighisoara. Here the double function - spiritual and defensive - is so obvious. The church looks like a powerful rampart, witness of troubled times of invasions, when it served as a shelter for people and for food (which explains the name Speckturm given to many of the towers of such fortified churches and meaning the "bacon tower").
On a hill just a short walk from the village lie the ruins of the peasant stronghold (unlike most villages, besides the fortified church, in Saschiz a refuge citadel was built in the 14th century): a few walls spotted with blue paint from place to place and a wild court full of weeds. We have a beautiful panorama on the village and on the road winding through the hills and through the autumn harvests. We pick-nick in this place loaded with history and we leave for Sighisoara.
Another unforgettable evening unfolds - the Madrigal Choir and the Alba Iulia Theology Institute Choir concerting together in the Orthodox Church.
And now it's time to be back home. Or are we home already?
Cris castle


Saschiz fortified church (Courtesy Mr. Radu Cerghizan)

home >>
all stories >>