Fortified Church Șura Mică / Kleinscheuern

Valchid / Waldhütten The village Valchid is hidden in a quiet side valley of the river Târnava Mare. In this place a church was build in the 14th century in pre-reformation style and has been preserved until today. It is surrounded by a fortification wall and has several defence towers. From the beginning, history did not treat Valchid very well, but it is a typical example of the troubled past of the region. The very first documentary reference from the year 1317 relates to the attempted reconciliation of a dispute over land with a neighbouring village. The conflict flared up again and again over the next 450 years. In 1605 the village and the church were looted by passing troops. In 1776 the dispute over land was finally settled, but only a few years later a fire destroyed the entire village. In the late 19th century the village made its living from viticulture and was heavy hit by the sudden invasion of phylloxera, which destroyed many vineyards. More than half of the inhabitants found themselves forced to emigrate. Place and surroundings The hall church with polygonal chancel was erected around 1390. Later a sacristy was built on the northern side, followed in 1441 on the western side by the richly decorated portal with ogee arch. The church itself was never fortified, but the assembly was surrounded in 1600 by a nowadays about 6m high wall, protected by five defence towers. The six story eastern tower with wooden defence level served as gate tower and bell tower in the same time. The southern tower collapsed end of the 19th Century, the other ones have been preserved. The classical sail vault now defines the interior of the nave, but the chancel still preserves its lierne vault from 1507. The organ altar, the pulpit and the font are dated beginning of the 19th Century. Keys are with: Karin Crișan phone: +40/788/039 837

Dupuș / Tobsdorf The construction of the small hall church in Dupuș was probably finished in 1524 – at least this date is written on the west wall behind the organ. The church is dedicated to the patron Saint of the village, Saint Tobias. Above the hall and choir rises the battlement floor, covered by a solid hipped roof. A painted cornice can be seen at the base of the battlement floor. Access is via a stair tower with a spiral staircase in the northwest corner of the church. After a fundamental renovation in 1741, further repair work followed in 1904/05 and in 1969 difficult consolidation work on the vault of the church was carried out. Originally, the church was surrounded by an approximately seven-meter high defensive wall, which the parishioners of Dupuș, however, partially removed in 1901 in order to build a new school. The remaining enclosure wall was thoroughly renovated in 1957. The bell tower, which collapsed in 1725, was replaced in 1902 by a smaller tower, which carries three pre-Reformatory bells. The middle bell from 1491 has medallions with depictions of dragons and griffins. The pre-Reformation winged altar is dated 1522. The Baroque side parts are from the early 18th century. Keys are with: Mr. Taropa Dan phone: +40/726/178 955

Daia (SB) / Thalheim In the 13th century, a three-nave Romanesque towerless basilica was built in Daia. The enclosure wall, the round-arched arcades and the walled up west portal have been preserved. Around 1500, the choir received its polygonal end and a groined vault with lunettes. The simple sacrament niche, the side aisles and the buttresses of the choir also date from this period. The Baroque altar is dated 1797, the central picture shows the Crucified with Mary and John. The mechanical organ was built around 1800 by Johannes Hahn junior. The church is surrounded by a simple circular wall with an oval floor plan. Keys are with: Mr. Johann Hopprich phone: +40/269/584 325

Teaca / Tekendorf The old church of Teaca stood on a terrace north of the market place, where the cemetery is located. Today’s church is an early Gothic building from the 14th century, whose naves are separated by pillar arcades. Remains of the frescoes have been preserved in the southern side aisle. In the 15th century, the central nave was raised and fitted with tracery windows, and the side naves were given ribbed vaults. In addition, the parishioners of Teaca built a massive bell tower in the west of the church, which has loopholes on different floors. In 1799, the bell tower was given an additional floor. Since 1753 the central nave has a Baroque barrel vault and to the north of the church there is now a porch. In 1828 the aisles were equipped with galleries and in 1909 the old choir was replaced by a polygonal choir. Keys are with: Mrs. Mihalci phone: +40/747/088 518

Tătârlaua / Taterloch In the small village of Tătârlaua, first mentioned in documents in the year 1332, stands the towerless hall church dating back to the 15th century. The nearly square-shaped central nave is completed by a long-stretched choir with polygonal closure, canopied by a late Gothic reticulated vault. The central nave with its flat ceiling and the circumferential gallery are rather conservative and can be observed as quite a contrast. The bells are located in a separate wooden bell tower. No traces of the former defence system have remained. Just as in Dârlos the outer walls of the choir still boast remainders of frescoes, in this case displaying depictions of Saint Christopherus. During recent exposure works there were also pre-Reformation frescoes found in the interior that were well-preserved under the protective plaster layer. The winged altar from the year 1508 was originally made for Jidvei but then sold to Tătârlaua by the congregation in the 19th century. It shows depictions of the martyrs Demetrius and Valentine as well as scenes from the life of Mary on the high day side and pictures of various Saints on the weekday side.

Prejmer / Tartlau Due to its strategic location, the fortified church of Prejmer was particularly strengthened. The building of the church has been started by the Teutonic Knights in 1218 and continued by the Cistercians after their expulsion. The floor plan in the shape of Greek cross was modified between 1512-1515 by adding two unequal side aisles and by extending the main nave. Above the crossing a high bell tower was erected in 1461. The church itself was never fortified, but protected by a surrounding 14 m high wall, strengthened by five towers, a kennel and a moat. A special feature, preserved until today as a whole is the four-story residential rooms and pantries, and behind them the parapet walk. The simple interior of the church preserves no frescoes and the 19th Century painting was removed during late restoration. The highlight is the Gothic winged altar with the Crucifixion scene in the midfield. Place and surroundings The fortified church of Prejmer was for centuries of particular strategic importance due to its position at the exit of the Buzău Pass, over which main invasions to Transylvania had to pass. The village was attacked and destroyed over 50 times between the 13th and 17th Century. The fortified church however was only taken a few times. A 30-meter long entrance tunnel with portcullis and solid oak doors protects the entrance to the precincts. Into the massive fortification wall are built more than 270 dwelling units and storage rooms. In case of an attack they offered shelter for up to 1,600 villagers. Some chambers have been converted into a museum now. Connecting the chambers and along the outer wall ran several staircases and corridors, accessible today for visitors. They are also leading to the machicolation and crenels on the outside of the fortification wall. The climbing in the dark and twisty battlements is a special experience and gives a strong impression of the defence situation in case of siege. Keys are with: Parish Office Prejmer phone: +40/268/362 052 Opening times: Summer Monday-Saturday 9:00-18:00 Sunday 11:00-18:00 Winter Monday-Saturday 9:00-16:00 Sunday 11:00-16:00

Toarcla / Tarteln The Romanesque basilica of Toarcla dates from the 13th century and is dedicated to St. Catherine. At the turn of the 15th to the 16th century, it was fortified. It has two side aisles and a mighty west tower, which is as wide as the central nave. The choir with semicircular apse has a cross vault. The first floor of the tower also boasts a cross vault and carries the western gallery. Below the sound windows of the belfry of the tower, there are twin windows with round arches. The Romanesque west portal of the church is significant. Its vestments are stepped six times and have three pairs of columns on bases stepped twice. Similar to the west portals of Hosman and Avrig, remains of sculptures can be seen in Toarcla. In the south, west and north, remains of the fortified wall are still preserved. The organ comes from the workshop of Johannes Prause (1796) and was purchased by the church community of Cincu in 1905. Keys are with: Mrs. Frieda Hodnogy phone: +40/742/750 994

Gherdeal / Gürteln The church in Gherdeal, a small, secluded village in the valley of the Rohrbach River, is still surrounded by a well preserved defence wall with towers in all four corners. The southern tower was transformed mid 19th century into a gatehouse and served as a home for the castle guardian. The initial medieval church in danger of collapse was completely demolished in 1850 and a new hall church with western tower was built in the contemporary style, as the simple composition of the tower’s facade and the interior furnishing testify. Only the Baroque altar was saved from the old church and placed in the new one. The Baroque organ was built for the church in Cristian, but in 1842 it was brought and assembled here. Place and surroundings A visit to this location can be compared to a journey back in time, Gherdeal being known as “the phantom village of Transylvania”. The designation does not necessarily suggest that on the dusty path walks nor inside the deserted houses restless spirits are on the watch, but rather tells that Gherdeal is not merely a village anymore, but the memory of a cheerful, lively place that it used to be once upon a time. The few inhabitants can be easily counted on the fingers of few hands and the silence of the forest is rarely disturbed by a shy motor growl or the sound of a telephone ringing. Nevertheless the fame of the place has reached Germany due to the documentary movie “Gherdeal” that M. Nudow and Th. Beckman shot in 2002-2003, which presents the solitary life of the inhabitants and of the last Saxon family in the village. The Orthodox and the 16th Century fortified Evangelic church are both signs of trust in a better future, as well as high faith that Gherdeal, the place that people forget, is not a God forsaken place. Keys are with: Mr. Johann Ongherth phone: +40/788/635 771

Cincu / Großschenk From its very beginning the destiny of the Evangelic church in Cincu was to be a bastion of faith, both metaphorically and literally: the western tower was erected at the beginning of the 13th century, it was heightened and strengthened several times, gaining its current appearance after the works in the 18th century. A large part of the two ring walls, which had bastions and defense towers, have been demolished. However, from all the fortified buildings two are still preserved: the so-called old town hall and a defensive storage building. The interior nowadays has the appearance of a hall church, due to the heightening of the aisles to make room for installing the galleries. The wrought iron balustrade was added about a hundred years later. The interior furniture of the church shows an attractive mixture of styles: next to the chancel pews in the late Gothic style there is the Renaissance pulpit, while the classicist organ dominates the Baroque font, epitaphs and pews of the guilds. Place and surroundings The Saxon name “The Big Inn” probably refers to a location that was founded hundreds of years ago by a local landlord. These counts (germ. “Graf”) used to have an important position in the Transylvanian society, and many of them became mythical characters over time. Indeed, walking through the village in the morning fog and confused by the smoke coming from the nearby coal depot, the traveler would not be amazed if he would meet such a historical figure. Legends smoulder here like burning coal: translucent beings dance stunningly at night above the fortified church. “The Cursed Bridge” in the village has a story of its own. A long time ago, while the borderlines of the place were established, the wise old man of the village is said to have secretly put some soil in his boots and sworn before the authorities “I am standing now on the ancestors’ ground”. While he was returning home, his horse stumbled on the bridge and the man broke his neck as a punishment for his fraud. Tourism Accommodation is possible in the parish house with 10 beds in 2 rooms, a kitchen with refrigerator, a bath room with washing machine, a dining room and a terrace. Contact: Mrs.Friederike Pall, phone: +40/268/244192 Keys are with: Mr. Constantin Boghean phone: +40/784/451 853 or +40/268/244 112 Accomodation: Guest rooms in the parish house beside the fortified church Mrs. Friederike Pall phone: +40/268/244192 and other local possibilities