Biertan Fortified Church is perched high on a hill in the middle of the village, surrounded by three tiers of 35-foot-high defensive walls, connected by towers and gates, making the church impossible to conquer during medieval times.
We climbed up to the church.
The multi-paneled wooden altar is huge …
… as is the oak door, complete with a unique 19-points deadbolt lock, which protected the treasures in the sacristy.
We admired the array of imposing defending towers …
… the fortifications …
… and the replica of the Marital Prison where couples wishing to divorce were shut up together for three weeks with just one bed, pillow, table, chair, plate, knife and spoon to share. Church records show only one divorce here in three centuries!
We even got a chance to see into the back yards of a few of the houses that present such a closed front to the world from the main road!
Once the seven Saxon citadels were established, they were supported by further colonisation which established hundreds of villages in the area with a distinct culture and vernacular style. However the tide of history turns and their influence eroded through the C18th, putting them in a difficult position in WWII. Many joined the German army and after the war, as punishment most of the adult Saxon population were deported to the Soviet Union for slave labour. Those that returned found their land confiscated and today their numbers have dwindled significantly due to emigration, particularly after the fall of communism. An exhibition in the church highlighted this and showed attempts to preserve their culture.
A quick walk round the village …
… and we continued our drive to Sibiu, the most powerful of the seven Saxon towns, and also called Hermannstadt in German.
We checked in to Goldsmith, more rooms looking a little plain on the outside, but with a large and airy room within.
It is a few steps to Goldsmiths Square …
… and we see a sign of the duality of the town …
… before a flight of steps to Piata Mica, one of the three interlocking squares in the centre.
It appears we have arrived at festival time again, this time the Sibiu International Theatre Festival, and the town is full of crowds enjoying the various entertainment, much of it free. We stumbled on a cirque de soleil type show practising …
We are just about museumed out, so we’ve spent out time watching the world go by with a beer, snapping shots of the buildings, people and the odd clown!
We have visited a trio of churches – the Orthodox one had a great interior …
… and the Catholic one a lovely image of St George.
The Evangelical Cathedral was our favourite.
Rewind a couple of days and we were buying ice cream in Sighisoura and ended up chatting to four people on visit to Romania with the Dorking Choral Society, giving a concert at Sibiu cathedral which was sold out. Fast forward to yesterday, we were following two ladies who sounded very Surrey and asked if they were from Dorking. Astonished they said yes, we chatted and they mentioned there was a rehearsal the following afternoon. We timed our visit to the cathedral perfectly, entering as they started singing Jerusalem which filled the church! They continued rehearsing Mozart’s Requiem which really added to our visit.
I asked about the altarpiece on display in the entrance and a young guide came over to explain it had been the original. He also showed us how it had been changed over time, with images of saints painted over with text when the cathedral changed from Catholic to Lutheran, then additional paintings added over the text during the Counter Reformation.
Gabriel was a student, doing this as a holiday job, and was eager to show us more, and we almost went round again! We now know that when bodies were no longer allowed to be buried in the church, they were taken to a cemetery and the gravestones displayed on the walls instead …
… and this chap shouldn’t be sported red shoes as only the Pope was allowed to wear red …
Before we left, we climbed to the top of the clock tower for a fab view of the city with the Council Tower taking centre stage …
… then crossed the square, climbed up that tower and got the view the other way!
All the time, we were under the watchful eyes of Sibiu, which peer out from under the eyebrow dormers on the roofs … actually used to ventilate the attic grain stores.
The first night we ate in the Piata Mica at Inspirat, drawn by hummus and roasted cauliflower and also cutlets of pike perch for me and we watched the crowds in the square …
… and the show.
The following night, we found it hard to find a table, but took the only one we’d seen in Atrium, a fusion pizzeria! Chris enjoyed his pizza and I had Tonkatsu, a fusion schnitzel with teriyaki cabbage which was delicious.
Another couple sat on the next table, and we got chatting and pulled our tables closer. Both doctors from Sibiu, they have travelled quite and we had a lovely evening with them.
There was one last performance on our way back and then it was curtains for Sibiu … the Transfagarasan awaits!
Off Travelling Together 