Romantic Brasov

Brasov, Romania.  

Romantic is a wonderful word for describing this beautiful town cradled by the Southern Carpathian Mountains. Just saying the name in the Romanian accent, “Brah-shauv,” sounds romantic, sounds sublime. I fell in love with this place at first glance. Brasov is not found on any list of the world’s most beautiful cities list I have found but it should be.  Most of the world’s most beautiful places have water . . . a winding river, a crashing sea, or a sandy beach. Brasov has no river, no riverside or shoreside promenade but it has a green nearby mountain range that in winter is alive with ski resorts.  

Smaller in size but no less majestic is Mount Tampa just outside the old city walls. Like a sentry, the very green and pointed mountain overlooks the town. In 2004 they installed a sign at the top that reads BRASOV much like the famous Hollywood sign. Back in the Communistic days, lines of fir trees spelled out STALIN.   After the ending of communism, the towns folk cut down those trees and in 2004 added the BRASOV sign in the resulting bare spot that is spot-lighted at night just as LA’s Hollywood is lit each night. It is a strange contrast to the medieval town at its feet. 

Because it is just a few steps away from the city many people take one of three very steep hiking trails to the top of Mt. Tampa but there’s a swift cable car that whisks you there in only a few minutes. From the top visitors can see the BRASOV sign close-up and shop for cheap souvenirs. Most people make the trip to enjoy the panoramic view of both Old Town and the new modern city that circles the hill. We rode the cable car to the top but because we enjoy walks in the woods and because we did not have our steps-in that day, we hiked the Yellow Trail down the mountain. That we later learned is the longest, steepest, and most treacherous walk down . . . but it led to our area of town. We like to think it was a shortcut. We have hiking poles. They are ever-so-useful in providing stability on rough, muddy, or hilly terrain. Because we might be a touch impulsive and undertake hikes at any given moment, our poles are usually back in the apartment. We certainly could have used them that day. 

Brasov is a jewel, a beautifully preserved, fortified town that in the 1200s was at the crossroads for trade routes that linked the Ottoman Empire with Western Europe. First settled and founded by the crusaders, the Teutonic knights in 1211, Saxon merchants also settled here and built this pretty place.   The Saxon merchants and tradesmen amassed considerable wealth and built this colorful town reflecting that status as well as their Saxon and Hungarian heritage.  Naturally, they were at once targets of invading tribes of Mongols and Turks. A strong fortification wall with a single gate, Catherine’s Gate, was built around the city. Seven bastions with watch towers and powder stores were provided by the craft guilds. Back then craft guilds played a key role in leading the city, modeling good citizenship, and sustaining a trained and qualified workforce to support the town and create revenue. Individual craft guilds like linen weavers. rope makers, goldsmiths, carpenters, hunters, blacksmiths, and spinners raised and manned seven bastions at vulnerable spots along the wall and rang the bells when danger approached. Although repaired, rebuilt, and restored, over the last 700 years much of the wall and several of the bastions exist today. The city wall also kept out native folk. Before the Saxons settled here, earlier peoples were forest dwellers with little skill in organized defenses. If attacked, they sought cover in the woods. Those early Romanians were allowed to enter the city on specific days but were warned that the city exercised law by the sword. If someone committed a crime, even petty theft, they were jailed, sat before court, and were judged on the same day by the mayor. Common folk criminals, like non-Saxons, were hanged at the pillory in the town square Important or Saxon infringers were beheaded at the same spot. A geometric fountain close by the restaurant where we had lunch spouts water in that place today. Imagine . . . 

The Council Square, or Piața Sfatului has been the place for weekly and annual markets since 1364. Its most important building is the 1420 Council House. The great building stands in the middle of the square today. It now is the Brasov County Museum of History, but the Council House was the office of town government in medieval times and was the place where criminals were jailed, tried, and punished.  The surrounding streets with 18th and 19th-century houses are ever so inviting. The area is like a checkerboard of water-colored pink, green, blue, and yellow tall, red-roofed houses built one next to the other in a fortified fashion. I give credit to the people of Brasov who have established most of the houses as historical monuments and thus have kept this beautiful place alive and preserved for all of us to see and gain insight into a culture of long ago.  

Just off that great square, stands the icon of Brasov, the Black Church. It is Romania’s largest Gothic church, and it looms over Old Town. It originated in 1242 and was rebuilt following Turkish raids in 1421. It was reconstructed again in 1689, when a fire destroyed most of the town, brought down the roof and ceiling of this great church, and blackened its walls. The restoration took almost 100 years and work continues today to preserve the massive church. I put my hand on the wall and tried to imagine 1689. 

I will say no more. If visiting a destination well off the worn paths of even the most seasoned travelers sounds intriguing, here is a place where its people gladly greet you. It will delight the senses with history, and natural beauty, let you peek into past centuries, and yet present a lively café culture at a very reasonable cost. Five stars for Brasov!