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Brasov - Tourist attractions
The Citadel of Brasov
In order to protect the borders of Transylvania against the invasions, to develop the local economy and to enclose the Romanian population, the King Andrew II of Hungary let the Germans to colonize areas of Transylvania. The first mention of Brasov is recorded in 1234 known as Corona.
Later, the Germans started to enforce their town at the beginning of the 14Th century, during the reign of Louis Anjou I. The works had continued for the next century but unfortunately the citadel was attacked by the Turks in 1421 when the citadel was not finished yet.
Throughout the years the citadel was constructed, modified and renovated many times by the inhabitants of Brasov. Today the citadel of Brasov lost its defensive role, many of its walls and towers being destroyed. The initial walls were 12m (39ft) high and its base was 6m (20ft) wide. The corners of the citadel were protected by massive bastions while the walls were protected by towers located 60m (197ft) to each other excepting the southern side where they were located 110m (360ft) to each other. At the beginning the citadel had just three gates and then four. The whole northern fortification was protected by other two towers located 30m (98ft) above it which later were named the Black Tower and the White Tower. The whole citadel was surrounded by a ditch which on the northern side of it was crossed by the small artificial river Graft.
Each guild had to take care of a tower. Today among the most impressive are the Drapers’ Tower located in the south-eastern corner, The Ropers’ Bastion , the Blacksmith Bastion which in 1923 became the headquarter of the archives and the Graft Bastion located on the northern side.
A walking tour on the streets of the old citadel is like a travel in time. Towers, tall and thick walls, bastions and gates, old houses with their roofs made of ceramic tiles and cobblestone streets or alleys add a real medieval atmosphere which is hard to forget.
The Town Hall
Located in the town’s square, the Town Hall is the one of the main attractions of Brasov.
In 1420, the Guild of the Furriers allowed the Assembly of Burzenland County to build on top of their building a room for public meetings and trials. At the end of the 16th century a new tower was added which had been used as a watch tower. Some years later the tower received a new roof with for spires at each corner, symbol of the autonomy of the town. In the same century the prison it is mentioned for the first time. The guards used to survey the entire town announcing the hours, fires or an invasion, by blowing a trumpet, hence the Trumpet Tower name.
By the passing of time, the citadel developed economically and new chambers were added to the original construction while the tower had been given a clock with dials on all 4 faces.
Throughout the years the building was affected by different calamities, fires or earthquakes, and the building suffered many modifications, receiving a loggia and the crest of the town. Since 1950 it is being used as the History Museum.
The Drapers' Bastion
The Drapers’ Bastion, located in the north-eastern part of the citadel, was built and defended by the goldsmiths between 1450 and 1455 and rebuilt between 1521 and 1522. It was one of the most powerful defensive spots of the old citadel being built on three levels. It is 20m (65ft) high and 16m (52ft) in diameter while its walls are 2m (6.5ft) wide. In 1646 the goldsmiths built another tower and this one was given to the drapers who knew in the moment a strong economical development.
Ropers' Bastion
It is located on the southern side of the citadel, approximately at the half distance between the Weavers’ Bastion and the Drapers’ Bastion. It was for the first time certified in a written document in 1416. The bastion, built in a hexagon shape, was hit by different calamities and never completely rebuilt. In 1794 the guild built a house inside of it which is inhabited even today. A hundred years later it was sold. The Ropers’ Bastion was renovated in 2004.
The Weavers' Bastion
The bastion, built in two stages between 1421-1456 and 1570 and 1573, damaged in 1710 and then renovated in 1750, was given to the weavers who had to protect it in case of different invasions. It is the biggest in the country and the best-preserved comparing to the others citadel's bastions.
Initially, it was built on just two levels but in the second stage two other floors and two towers were added. From these towers the entrance roads were under the surveillance of the guards. At the base the walls are 4.30m (14ft) wide while in the upper part they are just 1m (3.28ft). The inner yard sheltered hundreds of guilders and their goods and consists of galleries on two levels and massive ramparts made of oak beams. The bastion was used as a training camp, too.
It’s been a museum since 1910.
The Blacksmiths' Bastion
One of the most powerful bastions of the citadel was the Blacksmiths’ Bastion located on the north-western side. A first tower, built here in the 14Th century and destroyed by the flood from 1526 was replaced by a bastion. This one is destroyed by another flood and by the great fire from 1689. The present building dates back to 1709.
Since 1734 the bastion lost its military importance due to the increasing power of the new fire guns and it use as granary or storeroom. In 1923 the former Blacksmiths Bastion became the headquarter of the National Archives from Brasov.
The Graft Bastion
Located on the north-western part of the citadel, Graft Bastion was built probably after 1562 in order to strengthen this sector. The saddlers’ guild took care of the bastion. It has a rectangular shape, two levels and loopholes on each face. In 1809 a flood weakened the strength of the citadel’s walls in this part. In order to consolidate them 3 arches were built north of the Graft Bastion. Two of them had been demolished only one of them resisting against time. A lifting bridge was connecting the White Tower to the bastion.
A new staircase between the bastion and White Tower was built in 2004 while Graft Bastion was renovated. Today it is part of the History Museum exhibiting a collection of medieval fire and side arms.
The White Tower
It was built in the 15th century on The Straja Hill, 30m (98ft) above the citadel. The White Tower is 20m (65ft) high and its walls are 4m (13ft) thick. It is defended by holes for pouring boiled pitch/tar, loopholes, balconies and ramparts. A lifting bridge was connecting the tower to The Graft Bastion. Initailly the tower belonged to the coppersmiths and tinsmiths but since 1678 the tower remained only under the authority of the coppersmiths.
The Great Fire since 1689 damaged this tower as well. It was restored only in 1723.
Today it is part of The History Museum exhibiting several maps and medieval weapons.
The Black Tower
Built above the Blacksmith's Bastion in 1494 on a rock of Straja Hill, the Black Tower, with walls 10m high, has a square shape and a pyramidal roof. It was linked to fortresses of the city through a lifting bridge. The Black Tower was built with two purposes: the first was to stop the approaching of the enemy, and the second purpose was to use the tower as fire alarms. On July 23rd 1599 a lightning destroyed the tower, its walls being blackened because of the fire ignited by the lightning. From this moment the tower received a new name: the Black Tower.
Today it is a section of the History Museum.
The Catherine's Gate
The Catherine's Gate, erected in 1559, was the shortest way for the inhabitants of the Romanian neighborhood to reach the center of Brasov. It is named in this way because the gate was connected to a road which was leading straight to the former Saint Catherin’s Chapel.
One main tower comprising other four small towers in each corner covers the gate, symbolizing the autonomy of the city. The Catherin’s Gate, protected by a moat, had a lifting bridge and fire holes in all three exterior parts. The beautiful tower exhibits the coat of arms of Brasov. It represents a crown over a log with 7 groups of thick roots. The walls that formed the gate were demolished in 1827.
Schei Gate
Located right next to the Catherin’s Gate, the Schei Gate was erected in 1829. It is built in the Baroque style, made of stone and bricks and has three entrances, a large one in the middle and two others smaller on each side for the use of pedestrians. It displays a number of Latin inscriptions.
Some of the deeds mention this gate as the Wallachian Gate.
The Hirscher House
The Town Hall Square was for many centuries the market of the town. Here the merchants were selling their final products.
It is the reason Apollonia Hirscher, the wife of the magistrate of Brasov Lukas Hirscher, erected this building between 1539 and 1545 in the style of the western market houses. It served the craftsmen of Brasov who were selling here their products. Thus it was known also as the House of the Merchants. From the original building few parts resisted against the time, among them being the crests of Brasov and of the Hirscher family. The building had been almost completely destroyed by the great fire from 1689 and then by another fire in 1699. It was restored in the 19Th century.
The legend has it that Apollonia Hirshcer had a daughter who had apparently died and was buried with lots of jewelries. The next night a group of thieves dug out her in order to still all her belongings. When the thieves wanted to cut off one of her fingers to take a ring the daughter woke up. The family celebrated her rebirth by building this house with arches which in a fresco represents Apollonia Hirscher and her daughter.
The Fortress of Brasov
The first mentions about this a wooden fortress built on the Martinsberg Hill appeared in 1529 when the whole town was involved in a fight against the prince of Moldavia Petru Rares. The present fortification was built by the Habsburgs in 1553-1554. In 3rd decade of the 16Th century a well had been dug while later, between 1625 and 1630, the fortified bastions were added.
In 1688 the fortress was the center of the anti-Habsburg revolution. After the suppression of the uprising the citadel was surrounded by a moat and reinforced. The last military action in which the fortress was involved happened in 1849 when the Russian army attacked the Hungarian revolutionaries protected by its walls. Later on, the fortress was used as prison and for a while as storeroom of the archives. It was renovated between 1975 and 1981, today being a tourist attraction of Brasov.
Unfortunately, in 2010 the authorities of Brasov decided to cut off all the trees surrounding the fortress in order to make it more visible from the lower town. It was a harsh action against the nature.
The Ruins of the Brassovia Fortress
The Brassovia Fortress was built at the end of the 13Th century on the site of a former fortification built for the first time in the Bronze Age. Located on the Tampa Mountain, well above the citadel of Brasov, it was used as a shelter during the different invasions.
The citadel consisted once of watching towers, thick walls, water tank and a chapel dedicated to the Saint Leonhardt. Johannes of Hunyadi realized that in case the Brassovia fortress would be captured by the enemies, than it would become a real threat for the citadel situated much lower. Because of this he ordered in the 16Th century the destruction of it.
Today, beside the old ruins, only the name of the Castle Street reminds of it. In 1712 a chapel was built on the top of Tampa Mountain while in 1896 a monument celebrating the Hungarian Millennium was added on the top of the mountain. During The Great World it was dynamited.
The Orthodox Roadside Shrines
There are 60 shrines built in the old Romanian neighborhood, the oldest one, known as the Cross from Cutun, dating back to 1292. Many times the local authorities tried to convert the Romanians to Catholicism but most of these attempts failed. The Romanians, in order to strengthen their fate built these roadside crosses. Generally, they were built by important members of the Romanian community, like priests, merchants or reach families.
The crosses were built in different parts of the Romanian district, at the crossroads, at each exit from the neighborhood, in the courtyard of a family or in many other parts. At the beginning they were made of wood, exactly like the oldest one, but later they were made of stone. Each cross was protected against the weather by a small painted chapel.
In the medieval times these crosses received beside their religious connotation a nationalist one, taking in consideration that the Orthodox people were represented mainly by the Romanians. It is the case of the roadside crucifix built in the main square of Schei by the captain Ilie Birt who lived in the 18Th century. He was a Romanian merchant from Schei and a great defender of the Romanian rights. He was the son of a merchant and knew three foreigner languages beside his native language. Thus he became the leader of the Romanians being many times sent to Vienna or Budapest to represent their interests. He was also captain in the Huszar army and father of 8 children.
Today, he is known mostly because of the two roadside shrines built by him. One of them, located in the Unirii Square, built in 1738 and renovated for the first time in 1780, represents frescos of different prophets, scenes of the Old Testament and moments from the life of the Saint Mary. The second one was built at the corner of his house, at the crossroad between Pe Tocile and Ilie Birt.
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