Fortified Church Hălchiu / Heldsdorf

Avrig / Freck In the 13th century, a Romanesque three-aisled pillar basilica dedicated to St. Catherine was built in Avrig. On the ground floor of the bell tower, which serves as a porch, there is a cross vault. On the remarkable west portal, remains of stone sculptures have been preserved, which remind us, for example, of Hosman. Around 1500, in the course of the reconstruction to a hall church, the side aisles were removed, the choir end was straightened and the bell tower was raised by one floor. In 1765, the choir and nave were given baroque vaults. Parts of an oval ring-wall and the remains of a gate tower are still preserved from the original fortification. The tower clock was a gift from the Gubernator Samuel von Brukenthal (1770). The pulpit including the baldachin dates from the 18th century, the late baroque altar from 1805. Keys are with: Mr. Nicolae Alexan phone: +40/743/765 412

Felmer / Felmern Only the choir with its semi-circle apse and the central nave have remained from the original 13th century building located on a slope in the remote hills east of Făgăraș. Around the year 1500 the church was fortified for reasons of defence, the side naves were taken down and a defence floor was erected on the choir and middle nave. The church is surrounded by a ring wall which originally boasted three defence towers of which two still stand. In 1795 the church received a tower on the west side and for this cause the ring wall was moved further westwards. The defence floor was taken down around 1800 and the central nave was vaulted with Bohemian caps that rest on sturdy wall structures. The today completely destroyed school was erected on the south side of the ring wall. In the interior parts of the classicist features such as the pulpit and the altar without the altarpiece can still be found. The first oeuvre of the organ builder J. Prause is the organ of Felmer from the year 1780 which was brought to the church in Făgăraș and can be visited there. Projects / Partners Renascendis Association is a nonprofit nongovernmental organization in Romania, founded in 2012, whose objectives are to protect, preserve, restore, recover, promote, and reuse the cultural heritage (tangible and intangible movable and immovable) in Transylvania, to help underdeveloped rural and urban communities in their economic and social recovery and sustainable development, and to support students and young researchers in their efforts of professional specialization. Keys are with: Radu Barla and Alina Patru phone: +40/268/255 558 e-mail: contact@renascendis.org Hotel: former rectory Information and Booking: Radu Bârla phone: (0040-721) 320452 or (0040-268) 255558

Filitelnic / Felldorf In the 13th century a Gothic hall church with a bell tower and pointed windows was built. Over the centuries the building went through various repairs and modifications, among which is worthy to mention the renewal of the bell tower’s roof in 1787 and full restoration of the church, of the surrounding wall, the bastion and the portal between 1580 and 1655. The last repair took place in 1972, when the church and the bell tower were renovated and the fortification wall, the gate tower and the north tower were consolidated. Major damages to the church were already being reported in 1980 and since 1989 on the Sunday service is held in the parish house. Every year the church showed more and more degradation. The roof of the chancel and then partially the roof of the nave became a ruin. But in 2010 a descendant of former inhabitants (Georg Fritsch jr.) together with the Arcus Association in Târgu Mureş adopted the church and started to successfully repair it. Since 2012 the church has a new roof. Place and surroundings Whenever a Transylvanian priest is asked about the location of Filitelnic, the answer is: in Mesopotamia. This doesn’t imply the land between the two waters of the old Orient, but the land in the centre of Transylvania, between The Târnava Mare River („Big Târnava”) and the Târnava Mică River („Small Târnava”). The first documentary attestation dates back to the year 1347. In the late Middle Ages numerous conflicts have taken place here, between the peasant and the landowners, concerning land ownership and employment obligations. The developments of the 20th century brought great changes: after in 1944 as most Germans in Northern Transylvania left, most villagers of Filitelnic followed the same path. The Saxon community has never recovered from these emigrations, thus the Evangelical Church was closed in 2000. However, starting 2010, The Arcus Association of Targu Mures, together with Georg Fritsch jr. of Filitelnic, set up a training center for the preservation of the fortified church. With the help of volunteers, major repairs could be done to the church and the enclosure. Keys are with: Mr. Jakob Elek phone: +40/746/177 490

Vulcan / Wolkendorf Only the triumphal arch is preserved from the 13th century Romanesque basilica. A vault carried on stone ribs, which end on consoles decorated with face-masks, covers the late Gothic chancel that was built two centuries later. After the church was destroyed by the troops of Gabriel Báthory, the community needed more than 50 years until it started rebuilding in 1665. The vault of the chancel and the paneled ceiling of the nave were built in that time. More than a century later the bell tower was erected and in the same time the wooden galleries inside the church. On the baptismal font from 1741 two inscriptions in German and in Latin can be read. They are also mentioned in a church book dating back to the 18th century. A portcullis and a machicolation secured the entrance of the 14th/15th century curtain wall. The view of the main entrance is blocked by the town hall today. Inside the fortification several good preserved granaries can be visited. An interesting visit can be the one of the Evangelic cemetery located behind the church. The tombs sheltered on the perimeter under a common roof and the stories about those resting there are worth paying a visit. Place and surroundings The village Vulcan is to be found on the foothill of Bucegi Mountains, only miles away from the Omu peak (more than 2.500m), which is well visible in clear weather. It is no wonder that a village bestowed with such a picturesque name gave birth to some of the most beautiful Romanian legends. Apparently both the Saxon “Wolkendorf” (the village of the clouds) and the Romanian “Vulcan” (volcano) derives from the oldest form “Wulkendreff”, which may come from the Hungarian “wylk”, meaning wolf. From the mystical world of the village emerges the “White Rider”, a phantasm that has been seen once by a villager in the “Kirchwald” (the Church’s Forest), but which disappeared as soon as the church bells started tolling. Vulcan lies away from the heavy traffic in a quite environment and has in its middle a beautiful fortified church, the center of an active community. Moreover one can find here the Recreation Home of the Evangelic Church A.C in Romania, a place opened for tourists looking for relaxation as well as for meetings and group travel. Keys are at: the Parish Office Vulcan phone: +40/268/256 477 or Uwe Seidner phone: +40/745/108 974 e-mail: pfarramt@kg-wolkendorf.ro

Vărd / Werd Quarry stones were used for the construction of the Romanesque church of St. Marz in Vărd in the 13th century. The thickness of the walls indicates that not only a house of worship was built here, but also a structure that was intended to offer protection to the inhabitants in dangerous times. The four-story stone bell tower, which is the same width as the church hall, was built a century later and was raised by another floor in the middle of the 19th century.  Already from the 15th century, there is a rectangular curtain wall, six to seven meters high, with two towers to the southwest and east. In 1660, the small fortified church successfully defended itself against the troops of George Rákóczy II. In 1924 the biggest part of the wall belt was taken down, but already in 1877 a part of the ring wall had collapsed. The fortification tower in the southwest was finally demolished in 1953/54. Inside the church, the people of Vărd built galleries on the north and west walls in the 18th century, whose wooden paneled balustrades are painted with Rococo motifs. In addition, the hall and choir were spanned with a round belt vault. In the church of Vărd there was once a Johannes Hahn organ from 1770, which today stands in St. Michael’s Church in Cluj. Keys are with: Mr. Ion Avram phone: +40/744/281 746

Vingard / Weingartskirchen The towerless hall church in late Gothic style was built in 1461, according to an inscription on the west portal, which mentions Johannes Gereb de Vingard as the church patron Saint. The five keystones in the choir show the Hungarian imperial coat of arms, the heraldic animal of the Gereb family, the heraldic image of the Szilágyi family, the heraldic animal of the Hunyadi family and a stone decorated with vine leaves and vines, which refers to the name Vingard, German: Weingartskirchen. Valuable stone carvings can also be found in the south portal and on the west façade. In the 18th century, the interior was redesigned in Baroque style. The Baroque barrel vaulting contains pilasters that correspond to the old buttresses. The Baroque altar dates from 1715, the rectory chair from 1461. Keys are with: the Reindt family phone: +40/258/766 081

Uila / Weilau The towerless hall church in Uila is said to have been built in 1778. It shows features of the late Baroque period and has a short choir and a flat-ended choir screen. The choir and nave are spanned by a wooden ceiling with segmental arches. The interior is divided into capitals by pilasters. On the side of the altar, there are doors that close off a gallery. The main picture, which shows the crucifixion with Mary and John, is a work of the Sibiu painter Carl Dörschlag from 1866. The organ by Samuel Binder was installed in 1862, using the case, wind chest and pipe work of a predecessor organ. A special feature is the bell tower, which is not next to the church, but down in the village. Keys are with: Mr. Andor Barna phone: +40/265/714 831 and +40/753/391 669

Ghimbav / Weidenbach On the settlement founded in the 13th century by the Teutonic Order, the 15th century Gothic basilica evolved by altering the preceding Romanesque church. Later on it was fortified and surrounded by a curtain wall with five defence towers, an outer bailey, a moat, and the tower of the church was provided with arrow loops. After battle damages, the church was re-built in its original shape in 1658, but the vaults of the nave were added later in 1775. Remaining details of the Gothic period, besides the plan composition of the ground floor, are the Gothic cross rib vault of the chancel and the domical vault of the apse as well as the trefoil tracery windows. In the reconstruction phase the distinctive roof of the tower in form of a truncated pyramid with an open level for the bells was built. The interior setting was created during the 18th and 19th century. Unique in Transylvania is the 1902 colourful floral and ornamental painting covering all walls and vaults. Place and surroundings Ghimbav is located several miles away from Braşov, in the middle of the so-called “Ţara Bârsei”. Due to its position close to the natural border of the Carpathian arc, the region was threatened by armed hostilities in the 15th and 17th Century. Therefore the church, as many other similar buildings in the region was rebuilt and prepared for defence. Besides fortifying their own church, the inhabitants had to support the construction of the defensive systems of Braşov. Between 1599 and 1611 the village was burned down twice and it was also plundered twice. In 1612 the fortified church had to be surrendered without a fight. And in 1658 besieged Crimean Tatars the fortification again. After negotiation free passage was offered to the more than 900 villagers that where inside. Thus the promise was not kept and the inhabitants leaving the protective walls were killed or deported to the gates of Braşov. From the ones offered to redeem, 155 were ransomed by the inhabitants of Braşov. Keys are with: Mr. Mihaly Francisc, phone: +40/268/258176, Accomodation: Guest rooms in the former parish house Mrs. Monika Rausch phone: +40/268/258773

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