Secular oaks from Breite

Breite is a nature reserve near Sighişoara, Mureş County, Transylvania, Romania. It has a surface of 70 ha and protects six centuries old oaks.

Geological / geo-morphological aspects: the hilly region tilt slightly with slopes with partly sunny exhibition. The geological substrate is located on a Transylvanian Neogene sedimentary basin with deposits consisting of marly clays and sands.

Vegetation: the area is located in a hilly zone, with sessile oak forest. On the pasture are secular trees, aged between 400 and 600 years with uneven settlement in small groups, with densities of 0.1-0.2 / ha. The trees are in a ratio of 80-90% viable, with broad crown covering the whole trunk and leafy branches typical to singular trees. The oaks have a shaft diameter between 1.0-1.8 m and a height of 12-20 m. The grass vegetation is typical for hilly areas.

Fauna: the fauna do not have special characters, is a normal fauna for the hilly forests and grasslands.

Sighişoara Clock Tower

Located in the eastern part of the Sighişoara Citadel, the Clock Tower was built to protect the main gate of the citadel, to host the City Council meetings, and for keeping the archives and treasures of Sighişoara.

Built in the 14th century, the tower has a double barbican to control access into the city, ramparts, watch road and shooting galleries, and four towers that symbolized (as the architectural effigy of the entire community) that the city had judicial autonomy, the famous jus gladii - the right to capital punishment. The construction is based on a rectangular prism, with five levels and a pyramidal roof balcony, and had a height of 64 m.

The roof was destroyed by the great fire of 30 April 1676 and was rebuilt in 1677 by artisans Veit Gruber from Tyrol, Philip Bong from Salzburg, and carpenter Valentin. Repaired several times (1775, 1804) the roof acquired its appearance in 1894 when was covered with colorful enameled tiles and were painted the two emblems and was engraved the logo. The general form of the roof (of 1677) bears the seal of the Baroque style and has a height of 34 m. The roof is interleaved with a flashlight, then two onion-shaped domes, superimposed, interrupted also by two small flashlights.

The roof spire terminates in a gilded globe that contains a volume equivalent to 10 buckets. Above is a rod so called "time bar" with a two-headed eagle on top, indicating the wind direction. At the corners of the roof are four towers, with a height of 12.5 m and covered with enameled tiles. Each tower has a globe on top with one wind flag. On two of these flags is a rosette with six petals and the year of renovations (1894), and on the other two the names of master builders: Leonhard and Kovatsch, which realized the general renovation of the tower, and Johann Polder, the tinsmith.


Near the Clock Tower

The building received the beginning of the 17th century a clock rebuilt in 1648 by Johann Kirschel, provided with lime wooden statues of 0.80 m high, belong to a rather rustic Baroque and representing the pagan gods as personified weekdays: Diana, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and Sun.


Under the Clock Tower

The current clock mechanism is made by Fuchs from Switzerland and was installed in the Clock Tower on April 1, 1906. The watch was upgraded with an electric engine in 1964 by artisans Konradt, father and son. The clock has two huge dials 2.40 m in diameter and statues placed in niches. Towards the citadel there is the Goddess of Peace with an olive branch, accompanied by a drummer beating a bronze drum each hour, the Goddess of Justice with the balance, the Goddess of Justice with a sword and two angels, representing Day and Night: at 6 am appears the Day, and at 18 exits and appears the Night with two lighted candles in hands. Towards the lower city there are figurines representing weekdays, installed on a wheel, moving at 12 pm. The figurines of the clock tower were recently restored by the specialists of Brukental Museum in Sibiu.


View from the Clock Tower

Under the Clock Tower, the main gateway to the lower city, the access to the citadel was through two passages. Pedestrian corridor was built in the 18th century and transformed into a prison and torture chamber. The Clock Tower houses the History Museum of Sighişoara since 1899.

Panoramas by Michael Pop, from www.360trip.ro

Jidvei Vineyards

The Târnave Vineyard is the largest in Transylvania, gathering the vigor of the vine planted between the rivers Târnava Mare and Târnava Mică. It is located inside the triangle formed by the localities Blaj, Sighişoara, and Bălăuşeri.

Vine cultivation has millennial attestations and the twinning of different nations (Romanians, Hungarians, Saxons) has led both vine cultivation and wine production to develop techniques and skills with amazing results. Considered to be the second motherland of the Traminer, Târnave Vineyard owes this fact to the massive colonization in the second half of the thirteenth century with Saxons from the Mossel – Rhine Valley, who founded Seiden (the German name for Jidvei). The first agricultural unit with wine-growing profile of great proportions was founded in 1949 and has developed continually, and as of the 2000s has a cultivated area of approximately 2000 hectares. The 1999 privatization of the wine-growing and fruit-growing sector and of the cellars offered the Târnave Vineyard new opportunities of development and affirmation of its capacities which led to increase exports and domestic sales.

The vineyard is spread on a surface of about 2000 hectares (with around 250 hectares renewed every year) and it is situated at an altitude between 200-500 meters, with most of the vineyards set on southern exposure slopes, which makes the sun rays and atmospheric circulation to favor vine cultures. The land benefits of a continental-plateau type climate with an average temperature of +9 C (January -4 C, July +18 C). The moderate temperature during the grapes' maturing period determine slow oxidation reactions, helping to a continual accumulation of sugars and aromas and to a not so accentuated reduction of acidity. The soils are divided into three categories: forest brown, forest brown with different degrees of podzolisation and river-bank soils, all three types of soil enabling vine cultivation.

The wines of the Târnave Vineyard provide a perfect blend of acid, alcohol and flavor. They seem to have gathered together the strong fragrance of pine resin, the smell of lime blossom, and the transparency and sweetness of acacia honey. Jidvei vineyards produce white wine and special sparkling wine. The sparkling wine is the Romanian equivalent of champagne (do not mistake it with the frothy wine). The positioning of wines is as high quality ones, with denomination of controlled source (DOCC) and levels of quality.

The wine sortiments produced here are Sauvignon Blanc, Dry Muscat, Dry Riesling, Fetească Regală, Muscat Ottonel, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Riesling Târnave Castle and other, all awarded with over one hundred of medals at the most prestigious wine contests.

Source.
Official webpage.

Criş Castle

Criş (former Crişd; German Saxon: Kraeš; German: Kreisch; Hungarian: Keresd) is a village in Daneş commune, near Sighişoara, Mureş County, Romania.

Before 1300, one of the members of the Bethlen family received here a domain, for his bravery during the crusades. Since then goes back also the legend of the family coat of arms, depicting a serpent with an apple in his mouth. The legend said that the place was haunted by a monster, a giant snake associated with the numerous disappearances among locals. The crusader, seeing the snake, have thrown it an apple, which he would have drowned. Historians have a different interpretation, seeing the apple as a symbol of a Papal document, and added during the time the family converted from Catholicism to the Reformed religion.

The Bethlen Castle construction began before 1300 and lasted over 400 years (between 14th-17th centuries). Initially, the castle had an irregular quadrilateral shape, with wedge-type rhomboidal bastions on corners. Built in several stages, it was originally designed in Gothic style, and over the years were added the Transylvanian Renaissance elements, being now the most beautiful Renaissance castle in Transylvania.

Now, the castle has a fortified square shape, with circular bastions at the corners and square entrance tower, a structure typical for the late medieval military architecture. The residence has two floors, an imposing circular tower (Archers' Tower) and a loggia with semicircular arched openings on short cylindrical pillars. The fortification system was completed with a semi-enclosure with bastions.

 

Reconstruction by Radu Oltean

The buildings of the castle, along with the walls of the fortress, enclose an almost rectangular square. The oldest building is the leveled medieval old tower, its highest level facade being decorated by painted high-relief figures showing warriors carrying halberds or shields in their right hands, their left hands resting on their waists. The 5th level of the tower comprising of eight arched windows is known to be used as a look-out. The secret turret case has been inserted into the thick tower walls. The old tower was provided with Renaissance doorway and window frames during the 16th and the 17th centuries.

In 1559, chancellor Georgius Bethlen and his wife Clara of Nagykároly completed the old tower with a vaulted building and a loggia. Their son, Miklos Bethlen, continued to bring further improvements to the castle, with new buildings in Renaissance style. Between 1675 1691, Count Alexius Bethlen consolidated the corners of the fortress with bastions.

The rear facade of the old tower faces a small yard, as well as the western walls of the fortress. The leveled building on the eastern side, along with the southern and western walls of the fortress enclose sculptured window and door frames. On the ground-floor is the chapel of the fortress – one of the most beautiful spaces of the building complex, with both Gothic and Renaissance decorating elements. The wing connecting the eastern side corner bastions hosts a range of inter-connected rooms, with a total length of 50 m.

The interior of the castle never failed to preserve its authenticity. The splendor of the salons was enhanced by the exquisitely painted and polished pieces of furniture, as well as by the inbuilt chests of drawers, carpets and rugs. Portraits of family members were lined up along the walls. The library and the family archives were on the first floor of the old tower.

In the courtyard of the tower there used to be a flower garden, the castle being surrounded by a vast English park. There was also a pentagonal summer pavilion, with walls decorated with paintings.

When Bethlen family left the country in 1948, the castle was nationalized and used as a pioneer camp and then as vegetables and grain warehouse of the village's farms. Many valuable objects, collections of art, weapons and hunting trophies, furniture, were taken to Sighişoara and some at the Bruckenthal Museum in Sibiu. The rest was stolen. In 1974 the castle was taken over by the Department of Historical Monuments, that began a sustained work of the consolidation and restoration, an activity that lasted until 1977. In that period have been strengthened the chapel, the octagonal tower, the dungeon tower and floor the ground-floor of the manor.

The castle has been partially restored in the '90, but the restoration stopped because the inheritors claimed the castle. After many years of legal suits, the Transylvanian branch of the family received the castle and the park.

Images from Incogniterra, Várak Magyarországon and Mishu Vass.

Sighişoara. Just photos

Sighişoara Medieval Festival

Founded by Transylvanian Saxons during the 12th century, Sighişoara (Sachssburg in German) still stands as one of the most beautiful and best-preserved medieval towns in Europe. Designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, this perfectly intact 16th century gem with nine towers, cobbled streets, burgher houses and ornate churches rivals the historic streets of Old Prague or Vienna for atmospheric magic. It is also the birthplace of Vlad Dracul, also known as Vlad Ţepeş (Vlad the Impaler), ruler of the province of Wallachia from 1456 to 1462. It was he who inspired Bram Stoker's fictional creation, Count Dracula.


The city of Sighişoara hosts the Sighişoara Medieval Festival featuring medieval music, film, poetry, folk music concerts, and a competition of love declarations.


Sighişoara’s 15th century citadel was the inspiration for the festival — a group of enthusiastic people sought to raise awareness about the state of degradation of the structure. The beautiful and well-preserved urban medieval town is enhanced by narrow lanes, inhabited massive brick houses, all surrounded by walls buttressed with 14 defense towers. The ambiance of the medieval festival is perfectly suited to the surroundings.



Participants include Romanian artists and performers from all over Europe. The festival is meant to reconstruct the atmosphere of a medieval citadel, with street music and theater and parades of craftsmen and townspeople, damsels and knights in period costumes.


The festival typically attracts 20 to 30 thousand attendees each year. The Festival of Medieval Arts and Crafts (end of July) is re-creating a medieval atmosphere, complete with troubadour music and costume parades, street entertainers and handicraft displays, open-air concerts and medieval ceremonies, this event offers the chance to immerse yourself in the lore and legends of medieval Transylvania.