Brasov, a Jewel in Transylvania's Crown

Brasov Downtown (photo: Ileana 2015)

Brasov is truly a jewel, a rare pearl in the Transylvanian crown. The Barsa Land surrounding Brasov is a portal into the southern Carpathians’ thick forests, castles, citadels, Evangelical churches, and other historical sites.

The Teutonic Knights protected this area between 1211 and 1225 from the invasion of the Cumans, a Turkic migratory tribe. South of Brasov is the Prahova Valley where I was born and raised decades ago, a land rich in oil with fields of corn and wheat stretching as far as the eye can see.

Despite its heavy industrialization during the communist regime, Brasov kept its medieval character and fresh air. Workers were crushed here in 1987 during a revolt against Ceausescu’s tyrannical regime. Many were arrested and taken to infamous prisons around the country to serve as model for those who would dare again to oppose the dear leader.

Brasov pedestrian walk (photo: Ileana 2015)

The pedestrian walkway from the downtown center to the Black Church is dotted with cozy cafes and restaurants offering local cuisine, street food, Strudel, pizza, and gelato. The cobble-stoned Council Square is very close to the History Museum which holds among its collections the first known document written in Romanian in 1521; the Black Church and the Ethnography Museum, with displays like a walk through a medieval market, are flanking the square.

The famous “Cerbul Carpatin” (Carpathian Stag) restaurant serves delicious Romanian cuisine both indoors and outdoors. Folkloric groups entertain guests with their Romanian music and famous vocalists soothe the hearts of those longing for lost loves. Hunting trophies complement the décor, typical country art with handmade furniture, stained glass, and peasant table cloths.

The Black Church is actually St. Mary’s Evangelical Church. Its walls have been blackened by a fire during the Habsburg siege of Brasov in 1689 which killed 3,000 people. This church has been in existence since 1383. A statue of its most famous priest, Johannes Honterus (1498-1549), stands outside. Honterus helped disseminate Martin Luther’s 1517 “95 theses” challenging the “corrupt practice of selling ‘indulgences’ to absolve sin.” The Protestant Reformation that “emerged was shaped by Luther’s ideas. His writings changed the course of religious and cultural history in the West.”  http://www.history.com/topics/martin-luther-and-the-95-theses

Black Church on the left (Photo: Ileana 2015)

 

Black Church tombs in the walls (Photo: Ileana 2015)

 

Famous citizens of Brasov (Kronstadt) were originally buried in the Black Church and their sarcophagi with intricate tombstones are seen in the walls. The practice was stopped centuries ago for sanitary reasons. The local rich who could afford such a burial in the church walls are now entombed in the cemetery across town.

Black Church pew (Photo: Ileana 2015)

 

The pews are beautifully carved indicating which guilds owned them. There are over 100 Anatolian rugs gifted by Saxon merchants who bought them from Turkish soldiers.  The blue organ is used three times a week since there are worries that the heavy sounds vibrate the walls too much, further deteriorating the precious building.

Ethnography Museum in Brasov (Photo: Ileana 2015)

 

On my way to the quaint square where the First Romanian School is located, I came upon Strada Sforii (Rope Street), 3.6-4.4 feet in width, advertised to be the narrowest street in Europe.

First Romanian School (Photo: Wikipedia)

The First Romanian School is located on the grounds of a 16^th century church, Sf. Nicolae (St. Nicholas), past the Schei Gate. The school was attended by one pupil per village as space was limited. This pupil was supposed to go back to his village and disseminate to others what he had learned.

According to the energetic caretaker and guide, Vasile Oltean,  the school was established in the 14^th century but the building itself was not erected until 1495. Vasile Oltean was himself a former pupil and teacher at the school. The school was still used in the 20^th century, closing in 1941. When I walked in, a jocular and animated guide was giving a lecture in the classroom to a group of Italian tourists.

First Romanian School printing press (Photo: Ileana 2015)

 

The first Romanian Bible was printed here and Deacon Coresi’s printing press on display in the museum managed to publish only 35 titles but in hundreds of copies. It was so labor-intensive, 10-20 apprentices toiled to hand-sculpt each page through a process called xilo-engraving. It was a labor of love because they helped promote the linguistic unity of the people.  The wooden press printed the first Romanian letter in Latin, the first Romanian grammar textbook and the first Bible printed on goatskin, with a cover weighing seven kilograms.

The square where the First Romanian School is located (Photo: Ileana 2015)

 

The plaque above the school entrance described the school as the first Romanian School of Greater Romania, rebuilt in stone 1595-1597 with a gift from Prince Aron of Moldavia under the care of Archpriest Mihai, and rebuilt in 1761. The center of education for hundreds of years, it enlightened children and adults alike.

After the primary schools and Orthodox high school of Brasov were built, the building served as a meeting place for the parish council and later housed the historic archives of St. Nicholas Church. The tiny school building to the left of the church was not very imposing, but, as a life-long teacher, it made an indelible impression on me on that rainy spring day.

Whimsical fountain downtown Brasov (Photo: Ileana 2015)

 

Rasnov Citadel (Photo: Ileana 2015)

 

The one location that attracts the most visitors about 10 miles past the Rasnov Citadel built by Teutonic knights in 1215 and past the National Park Piatra Craiului with its 7,000 foot peak, is the village of Bran with its famous Bran Castle.

Bran Castle in the village of Bran (photo: Ileana 2015)

 

Bran’s Castle is known to westerners as Dracula’s Castle even though Voivode Vlad Tepes III’s connection to this castle was rather vague. He briefly captured the castle during a period in 1459 when he was arguing with the town’s merchants.

Bran’s ownership has been a struggle across the centuries. According to the National Geographic, the castle has been controlled from the late 15^th century until 1920 by the Saxons of Brasov even though the Turks have assaulted it and their last failed attempt happened in 1787. In 1920 the city of Brasov gave the castle to the royal family. It was remodeled by Regina Maria who had electricity installed. “After years spent as a summer palace, a field hospital, and a communist-run museum, the castle now belongs to three members of the Habsburg family; the Brasov city council hopes to raise $78 million to buy it back.” (National Geographic Traveler, p. 148)

The adjacent Village Museum is an outdoor vivid lesson about the history and culture surrounding the castle and Brasov. This museum is located on the border between Transylvania and Wallachia (Muntenia). Looking up from the verdant yard below, the sheer walls of the castle with its ominous aura of impenetrable solid rock appearance, one can understand why Bran was a perfect location for a frontier garrison and customs post, documented as early as 1377.

The castle, which is located on a crag and appears impossible to destroy, is actually crumbling under its own weight. Engineers discovered in 1989 that the rocky cliff is crumbling. During the engineering exploratory digs, medieval wall frescoes have been found.

A handmade iron (Photo: Ileana 2015)

 

Seven bastions and fragments of protective walls built by the Saxons in 1395 are still preserved today in Brasov. The circular bastion of the Weavers is the best preserved, built by the weaver’s guild in the 16^th century. Life was organized around trade unions called guilds in medieval times. They kept their paperwork in beautifully carved wooden trunks.

Brasov view from Tampa Peak, 960 m (Photo: Ileana 2015)

 

An Orthodox church in Brasov at the foot of Cetatea (Photo: Ileana 2015)

 

A sixteenth century fortress named Cetatea still stands today. A steep climb through a wooded area of Brasov or a leisurely drive rewards the visitor with a breathtaking view of the downtown center of Brasov, the pearl of Transylvania.

Copyright: Ileana Johnson 2015 

Exceptional Romanians and Their Amazing Country

Voronet Monastery Photo: Wikipedia

These days Romania receives bad press and Romanians are preceded by an unfair and negative reputation across the European Union thanks to its large indigenous gypsy population that travels to Western Europe in search of jobs and lucrative activities and businesses, legal or illegal.

You can only punish a person or a nation so much before that punishment starts to invade who they are, so I decided to write a short article highlighting some of the famous people and facts that are seldom mentioned or known about Romania. Truenomads.com has more interesting trivia and links for the curious traveler in search of history.



Peles Castle Photo: Ileana Johnson 2012

I wrote about Peles Castle in my newest book, Communism 2.0. Peles Castle, the royal residence and now a museum, with its first corner stone erected in 1875, was the first European Castle to have self-generated electricity and heat in 1888 which are still operational today. But during Ceausescu’s brutal socialist/communist regime, the rural population survived by oil lamps.

The town of Timisoara was the first European city that used electricity in 1884 to illuminate its streets, second after New York City. In 1869 Timisoara was also the first European city to operate trams pulled by horses.

Brasov - Black Church

The largest gothic church located in Eastern Europe is The Black Church in Brasov. Built in 1380 and partially destroyed by a fire in 1689, hence its name, the Black Church has an organ with 4,000 pipes and a bell that weighs 6.3 tons.

The tallest wooden church in the world (78 meters) is located at Peri-Sapanta Monastery in Maramures. With its 7-meter cross weighing 455 kg, the church was built by Ion Macarie in 1766 for the Greco-Catholic community, to replace the previous stone church that stood there for 312 years.

The Unitarian Church was founded in Transylvania, in western part of Romania, the birthplace of Francisc David in 1510.

The Voronet Monastery in Moldova is known by its moniker, the Sistine Chapel of the East. The Biblical figures painted inside and out have a folkloric twist and date back from 1488. The famous blue color of Voronet and the greens are as vivid today as they were when painted during the reign of Petru Rares.



Babes Mountain - The Sphinx
Photo: Wikipedia

Bucegi Mountains - Babele Photo: Wikipedia

The beautiful Carpathian Mountains with rare and interesting rock formations such as Babele and active mud volcanos are home to the most virgin forests in Europe with over 400 unique animal species, including the Black Goat and sixty percent of the European brown bear population.

Scarisoara Glacier Photo: Wikipedia

Romania is home to the second largest subterranean glacier in the world. Situated in the Apuseni Mountains, not far from the town of Campeni, the Scarisoara Cave (Pestera Scarisoara) was first mentioned in 1863 by the Austrian geographer, Adolf Schmididi, who drew the first map of the cave. The largest such glacier is in Slovakia. The glacier, jutting from the icy waters of the cave, at the 1150 m altitude, is 3000 years old, with a total surface of 5500 square meters of ice, as thick as 37 m in some places and as thin as 26 m in others. It is a cave explorer’s dream.

The best preserved natural wonder in Romania is the Danube Delta where the River Danube flows into the Black Sea. The Danube, originating from the Black Forest Mountains in Bavaria, flows into the sea, forming the second largest delta in Europe and the best preserved with 3,540 square kilometers of unusual fauna, flora, rivers, canals, swamps, lakes, and arbors with islands of reed.

The oldest Homo sapiens fossils, carbon-dated to 37,800-42,000 years ago, have been unearthed in the south-western part of Romania. It is an archeologist’s dream, amateur or professional, to join the many on-going digs around the country, finding evidence of Romania’s early history, and its ties to the Roman Empire and to the fights with the indigenous Dacians.

The discovery in 1961 by archeologist Nicolae Vlassa of three clay tablets with unusual inscriptions that predated the Sumerian writings from 3300 BC, convinced some archeologists and historians that the Tartaria tablets, dated around 5500 BC, could place the written language away from Mesopotamia to the Danube River area in Romania.

Among famous inventors and Romanians of note stands Henri Coanda. The Bucharest-born inventor presented at the International Aeronautical Exposition in Paris in October 1910 at Champs-Elysee a red airplane without a propeller marked “COANDA-1910.” The single-seat plane was different because it was propelled by a piston-motor with 4-cylinders cooled by water, producing 50 HP at 1,000 RPMs, and then transferred to a compressor at 4,000 RPMs. While trying to test the motor, Coanda actually took off in his propeller-less unusual airplane that was shooting flames. Since he had not flown such a contraption before, Coanda made a forced landing. His extraordinary flight occurred 30 years before Heinkel, Campini, and Whittle and was the precursor of the famous Concorde.

Petrache Poenaru from Benesti, Romania, obtained in May 1827 the French patent for “plume portable sans fin, qui s’alimente elle-même avec de l’encre,” the portable pen without end which supplies itself with ink, the first fountain pen in the world. The remarkable inventor was Tudor Vladimirescu’s secretary during the Revolution of 1821. He escaped by fleeing to Paris where he received in 1826 a scholarship to complete his engineering studies at the famous Ecole Polytechnique.

Professor Nicolae Paulescu discovered insulin in 1921, the hormone that regulates metabolic lipids, minerals, proteins, and named it “pancreina.”  He published his research and findings in a Belgian journal under the title, “Recherches sur le rôle du pancréas dans l’assimilation nutritive.” In 1916, during final research stages, the Germans occupied Bucharest and delayed his announcement of the final results.  However, two enterprising Canadians, Frederick Banting and Charles Best, using Paulescu’s 30 years of research and published papers, isolated insulin and used it to treat a patient 8 months earlier. For this reason, they received the 1922 Nobel Prize in Medicine. Millions suffering of diabetes are saved by Paulescu’s research.

Ioan Cantacuzino is said to have developed the “Cantacuzino Method” of the anti-cholera vaccination. He was also instrumental in treating typhus and tuberculosis effectively, developing the notion of contact immunity.

The Romanian inventor Traian Vuia was the first to build and fly on March 18, 1906 an “automobile-plane with fixed wings” that was totally self-propelled.

A Romanian doctor, Ana Aslan, specializing in gerontology, prepared a product in 1952 at her clinic in Bucharest, which she named Gerovital or Vitamin H3, patented in over 30 countries, to treat dystrophic ailments in the elderly. Among her more famous patients are Tito, Pinochet, Charles de Gaulle, Claudia Cardinale, Charlie Chaplin, royalty, bankers, famous businessmen, and even President John F. Kennedy.

Renowned for its gymnastics school made famous by Coach Bella Caroly, one of his pupils, Nadia Comanici, was the first gymnast to receive a perfect score of 10 in the Olympics in Montreal, Canada in 1976.

The huge Parliament building, a painful reminder of Ceausescu’s communist destructive megalomania, is second largest in the world after the Pentagon building. Many beautiful and important historical and religious landmarks had been destroyed to make room for this opulence.

So many exceptional young Romanians have left their home country and still do today, trying to find themselves, their art, talent, education, freedom, and economic opportunity. Some make it, some remain in anonymity.

Mihai Eminescu
Photo: Wikipedia

Most memorable are the famous sculptor Constantin Brancusi who, in his old age, wanted to leave his entire life’s work to his compatriots in Romania but was refused; the celebrated composer, violinist, pianist, and conductor George Enescu, one of the greatest composers of the 20^th century;, and the legendary Romantic poet, novelist, and journalist Mihai Eminescu who wrote about valiant Romanian fighters and its tumultuous history; and the comedic and witty playwright Ion Luca Caragiale whose short stories, poems, political commentaries and plays rejoiced in painting the foibles of humanity; and the playwright Eugen Ionescu, who wrote mostly in French, a prominent figure of the French Avant-garde theatre.

Copyright: Ileana Johnson 2015