THE SAXON VILLAGES OF TRANSYLVANIA, ROMANIA

A Future for the Mediaeval Landscape

THE SAXON VILLAGES OF TRANSYLVANIA, ROMANIA
A Future for the Mediaeval Landscape

prepared on behalf of

HRH The Prince of Wales

and
The Mihai
Eminescu Trust
by

November 2001
CONTENTS
page
Summary 1
Introduction 3
The study 3
The study area 3
The people involved 7
The story 9
The place 11
Philosophy 15
Conservation and protection 16
Non-intervention 17
Issues
1. Living 18
Community 18
2. Working 20
Agriculture 20
Crafts and industry 23
Tourism 24
3. Dwelling 26
Settled landscape 26
Cultivated landscape 30
Natural landscape 32
4. Connecting 34
Infrastructure 34
The Way Forward 38
Encouragement and awareness 38
Investment 40
Guidance and protection 41

APPENDICES
I Immediate projects i
Viscri & Malancrav
II Bibliography vii
The mediaeval street and courtyard patterns of Viscri. (Photo source: Weisskirch, Van der Haegen & Niedermaier)
 THE SAXON VILLAGES OF TRANSYLVANIA

A future for the mediaeval landscape

SUMMARY

The Saxon Villages of Transylvania lie in a mediaeval landscape.

There is a rare equanimity and balance between settlement,
cultivation and nature. From the valley folds, the symmetrical pattern
of walled street houses, cobbled courtyards and wooden barns
extends in strips up the valley sides through vegetable gardens,
orchards and meadows to thickly wooded ridges. Fortified churches
head the villages and vineyard terraces contour high slopes. The
landscape and its way of life have changed little since the twelfth
century. Everywhere there are animals: horses, cows, pigs and
poultry in the villages and on the streets; wolf, bear, lynx and wild
boar in the forests; and eagles, owls, storks and larks in the skies.
The meadows are lush with wild flowers and streams run fresh from
hillside springs.
The fortified church of Viscri sits at the head of the valley.
The landscape is dependent on the tight-knit communities and
centuries-old farming traditions that have created the form and
rhythm of the land. The history of Transylvania has been turbulent,
particularly during the twentieth century, but the rapid exodus of
Saxons following the 1990 revolution has precipitated sudden great
change. The villages have emptied, the remaining communities are
mostly elderly and impoverished, and the way of life is at risk.

The purpose of this report is to help an understanding of the

unique value of the place and to explore ways of carrying this
beautiful and balanced landscape into the twenty-first century, while
allowing the full and healthy development of the communities that
give the place life. The ethics of conservation and intervention are
explored, together with the elements and issues that define the
village character. In the end it is the typical as much as the unique
that is significant in Transylvania. It is the consistent pattern of
settlements in their landscape that is special, rather than individual
flourishes. Conservation of this kind of countryside depends as much
on keeping the place alive as it does on legal protection.
The animated street scene

1
The study area: Commune of Bunesti (Bunesti, Viscri, Mesendorf, Crit and Roades) and Commune of Laslea (Laslea, Floresti, Roandola, Nou
Sasesc and Malancrav). Biertan, Copsa Mare, Richis, Nemsa and Valchid were also visited.

2

The original mediaeval streets survive at the centre of each
village
The next generation needs a reason to stay
Cows and horses are still grazed and tended communally
The old houses are now falling into disrepair and collapsing
The villages retain a unique relationship with the surrounding
landscape
Horses are still widely used for transport and farming on the
steep slopes
INTRODUCTION
The Study
In May 2001 The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation and the
Mihai Eminescu Trust commissioned Kim Wilkie Associates to write
a report on the special character and value of the landscape of the
Saxon villages. The purpose of this report is to summarise the many
initiatives being undertaken by the Trust and to discuss the feasibility
of protecting the built and natural environments under some form of
designation.
The report has been prepared as part of the Mihai Eminescu
Trust’s Whole Village Project, which has been active since 1999.
Through the Whole Village Project the Trust seeks to conserve
the Saxon architectural heritage, by reviving and sponsoring the
use of traditional building methods and to regenerate village
economy by assisting traditional agriculture, small enterprises, and
ecotourism. The Trust’s growing interest in wider landscape issues,
such as forestry, agriculture and water management, has led to the
commissioning of a series of specialists. This report sets out to be
more generalist in approach; it aims to understand the landscape as
a whole, creating a framework into which specialists’ contributions
can fit.
The Study Area
The study area covers two Communes: Bunesti and Laslea. The
communes each cover approximately 140 square km (50sq. miles)
and each comprises five villages, with an average population of
500 per village. In 1999 the entire village of Viscri was included
on the UNESCO list of World Monuments as an example of a
mediaeval village and fortified church in intimate relation with its
surrounding landscape. In the early 1990s Biertan was also placed on
the UNESCO list of World Monuments. The Mihai Eminescu Trust
is working in both areas.
Each commune has a nucleus village, in which the Trust concentrates
its activities. In the four satellite villages of each commune, the Trust
is less active but all villages still derive considerable benefit from the
Trust’s activities. The two communes were selected because they
have particularly valuable and well preserved architecture, landscape
and wildlife. In each case the Town Hall village is less worthy itself
of conservation, being on an asphalt road on or near the national
highway and therefore more modernised. However, the Town Hall,
the Mayor and the Local Authority are essential allies in the Trust’s
conservation programme.
3
The Commune of Bunesti: Viscri Bunesti

Population 2,500, of whom about 225 are Saxon, 1,300 are gypsy
and 975 are Romanian. There is a kindergarten and primary school
in each village and a secondary school in Bunesti. Bunesti commune
lies in 140 square km (50 square miles) of rolling hills, flower rich
pasture of a dry steppic type, and oak and beech forest. It is
comprised of five villages: Bunesti itself, Viscri, Roades, Crit and
Mesendorf (see adjacent plans).

The old Saxon names for these villages are: Bodendorf,

Deutschweisskirch, Radeln, Deutschkreuz and Meschendorf.

Viscri, the nucleus village. Declared a UNESCO World
Heritage Site in 1999. Population about 400. Home of
Caroline Fernolend, the inspiration of much of the Saxon
Village conservation movement, and a small but active
group of young Saxons and Romanians .
Bunesti, the site of Town Hall. The population of
Bunesti is about 900. It has a secondary school, small
museum, library, mains gas, and is on an asphalt road.

Mesendorf Crit Roades

Mesendorf has a spectacular, steep high street. Crit has the best honey-makers and active gypsy basket- The church and altarpiece at Roades are among the
weavers. finest in Transylvania.
4
Malancrav Laslea The Commune of Laslea

The Commune area (150 sq. km.) and population (3,000 people) are
similar to those of Bunesti. The land is more forested, is wetter, and
has a slightly richer wild flower population than Bunesti. It also is
comprised of five villages: Laslea, Malancrav, Floresti, Roandola and
Nou Sasesc.

The old Saxon names are: Lasslen, Malmkrog, Felsendorf, Rauthal

and Neudorf.

Malancrav, the nucleus village, is a particularly interesting village. It has the highest proportion of remained Saxons
in Transylvania, 170, a resident Evangelical priest, pf. Joachim Lorenz, a German language primary school, especially
well preserved architecture owing to its isolation down 13km of dirt track, very rare 15th century frescoes and a 1520
altarpiece in the church. A Hungarian princely manor house is being restored by the Trust, and an old 110 ha. (275
acre) orchard has, under the Trust, received full organic certification. Laslea is the site of the Town Hall.

Floresti Roandola Nou Sasesc

Floresti is a tiny hamlet, whose church is the oldest in the area and under Mihai Eminescu Trust care. Roandola has an active resident priest Johannes Friese. Nou Sasesc has
distinctive art deco house facades.
5
6
The People involved Local people
Much of the report is based on conversations with local people. It aims to respond to their
Mihai Eminescu Trust
concerns, aspirations and needs. Among many others, the following gave important insight
The Mihai Eminescu Trust has been active in Romania since 1987 and
into the plight of the Saxon villages of Transylvania:
‘is concerned with the conservation of built and natural heritage and Viscri
the promotion of education, culture, religion and academic research in Local councillor for Viscri: Caroline Fernolend
Romania’. Patrons, Trustees and employees who have been directly Gherda and Nicusor Gherghiceanu
involved in this report include: Emil and Elizabeta Ghilea
Royal Patron: His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, Dumitru Nechita
represented by Nigel Baker, Assistant Private Secretary; Roman and Annete Gihr
Chairman of Trustees: Jessica Douglas-Home; Bunesti
Director: Nat Page; Mayor of the Commune of Bunesti: Nicolae Stanciu
Trustee: Mary Walsh; Helmut Wagner
Resident Consultant: William Blacker, author of The plight of Crit
the Saxons of Transylvania and their fortified churches; Teofil Pandrea
Resident Architect: Mihai Cazan; Roades
Resident Accountant: Cristi Gherghiceanu; Martin Knall
Resident Managers: Nicoletta Voica and Ciprian Vasiliu. Laslea
Mayor of the Commune of Laslea: Iulian Lazar
In addition to the Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation, major Malancrav
donors to the Trust who have been involved in discussions include: Ernst, Edith and Jessica Linzing
The Horizon Foundation (Netherlands): Jeremy Amos Daniel Moarti, technician at the Trust’s 100ha orchard
On 26th June 2001 a brief meeting was held with the British Niesdor family
Ambassador to Bucharest, Richard Ralph, at the British Embassy. Floresti
The ambassador expressed a keen interest in the project and offered Councillor for Floresti: Ioan Onea
his support. Viorel and Steluta Nitu
Roandola
UK experts: Pf Johannes Friese
The following specialists have provided invaluable assistance to the Vice Mayor of Laslea: Ioan Brindusa
Trust and in the preparation of this report: Stefan Dotling
Stuart Miekle, consultant to the Agricultural, Horticultural and Nou Sasesc
Food Industries, currently setting up Transylvanian Natural Fritz Klusch and his son Siegfried
Products in the area;
Peter Worrall of Penny Anderson Consultants, an expert in Romsilva
water management; Mugurel Ghirda, Chief of Bunesti area
John Akeroyd, a botanist based at the Centre for Ecology and Mr Badila, Chief of Laslea area
Hydrology in the UK, co- author with Owen Mountford of Park Manager of Piatra Craiului National Park: Mircea Vergheleti
An ecological and nature conservation assessment of the Saxon
villages of Transylvania; Central Government
Susan Denyer, Historic Buildings Representative of The National Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forests: Secretary of State Viorel Ghelasa
Trust, North East Region; Ministry of Culture and Religion: Secretary of State, Ion Antonescu
Alice Owen, Yorkshire Regional Development Agency, formerly Ministry of Waters and Protection of the Environment: Consilier Iurie Maxim
of the Yorkshire Dales National Park; World Bank - Kevin Cleaver and John Fraser Stuart
Marian Spain, The Countryside Agency, Head of the National
Pro-patrimonio - Sherban Cantacuzino
Park Designation Team, South Downs National Park.
7
Viscri: development of the village form (source: Weisskirch, Van der Haegen & Niedermaier)

KEY

Village Meadow

Woodland Pasture

Arable Unused land

8

The early Saxon villages (source: Fabini)
Traditional Saxon costume
(photo courtesy of Ernst Linzing)
The land ownership and field patterns date back to the twelfth century
settlement. (source Van der Haegen & Niedermaier)
The Saxon Nachbarschaft or tight-knit, strictly regulated community in
each village (photo courtesy of Ernst Linzing)
The Story
The Dacians and Romans
From the 2nd millennium BC much of Transylvania was occupied by
Dacians, who were descendents of Thracians, an Indo-European
race that had migrated through much of the Balkans and south-
eastern Europe in the 3rd millennium BC. Following the Dacian Wars
of 101-102AD and 105-106AD, Transylvania was occupied relatively
peacefully by the Romans for nearly 170 years. The Romans
withdrew in AD272, leaving Transylvania subject to continued
European and Asiatic migrations and attacks.
The Hungarians and the Roma
Hungarian influence in Transylvania arrived in c.800, as the Magyars
sought out fertile lands beyond the confines of the Pannonian plains
(modern Hungary). From the 12th century, the Gypsies (or Roma),
who had originally been driven out of northern India and Pakistan,
arrived in Romania.
The Saxons
In the mid twelfth century a group of ‘Saxons’, from the Lower
Rhinelands, close to Luxembourg, settled in the sparsely populated
Transylvanian plateau. Legend has it that these Saxons were the
children led out of Hamburg by the Pied Piper of Hamelin. They
came at the behest of the Hungarian King Geza II (1141-62) to provide
military support against the threat of an Ottoman invasion along his
kingdom’s south-eastern frontier. The Saxons were granted land and
virtual autonomy. Before long the Saxons had established over 200
villages and rapidly became the dominant ethnic group, dictating the
shape and form of architecture, agriculture and landscape.
The Mongol raids of 1241 brought devastation to many of the Saxon
villages, as did the repeated Ottoman raids between the 15th and 18th
centuries. These attacks led the Saxons to fortify their churches, as
protection against not only Mongols and Ottomans, but also against
Hungarians, Romanians and the plague.
9
World War II
The Saxon villages remained relatively stable until the end of the
Second World War, when Romania joined the Axis in 1940 and
fought on the German side. In 1944 Romania changed sides and,
following the ‘liberation’ by the Soviet Union in 1944, the majority
of the adult Saxon population was sentenced to seven years’
hard labour in the Soviet Union, as retribution for the Saxons’
Nazi allegiances during the War. All Saxon houses and lands
were confiscated and handed over to Romanians, Hungarians and
Gypsies. Seven years’ hard labour in the Soviet Union inevitably
made its mark, and few Saxons survived to return to a communist
Romania.

Communism
Communism under Dej and Ceausescu in many ways brought
stability to the Saxon communities. Collectivisation created a form
of total employment and few lacked food and shelter. Although
much traditional Saxon identity was preserved under communism, The pattern of courtyards and barns brought by ‘Saxon’ settlers in the 12th century remains largely unchanged today
the communities lost their former independence. In 1988, one (Geschichten der Siebenbürgen Sachsen, Ernst Wagner, 1998)
year before the death of Ceausescu, a State document was issued
announcing the imminent demolition of all Saxon villages.

The removal from power of Ceausescu in 1990 and the invitation

of repatriation from the German Foreign Minister Genscher led to
the mass emigration of many Saxons to a newly unified Germany.
It was this emigration and consequent danger of the Saxon villages
Typical section through the village of Viscri. The sequence is similar in all Saxon villages:
being lost forever that drew the attention of the Mihai Eminescu
street - house - courtyard - barn - vegetables - orchard - arable, with pasture and woodland beyond
Trust to Transylvania.

10

The Saxon villages are based on a linear street pattern and link directly out to the farmed landscape
The street is the focus of community life
A stream typically runs down the street, flanked by lines of
pear trees
Great barns and vegetable patches lie behind each house
The regular pattern of houses fronting the streets is given
subtle variety with the ochres, greens and blues of the
limewash and individual flourishes in the plasterwork
The Place
The Saxon villages display a remarkable, unspoilt harmony between
people and landscape. The steeply rolling topography has defined
the pattern of development in each village, from the linear street
pattern in Viscri to the trifurcate pattern in Roades. The valley
systems in which Roades and Crit have been built allow for a central
village ‘square’, whereas the single valleys in Viscri, Floresti and
Mesendorf have led to a main street with subsidiary cross-streets.
These villages are enclosed and neatly protected by steep valley
sides. Where landform is less steep, development follows a looser
pattern, as seen in Roandola and Laslea.
The houses also follow a clear pattern: they sit end-on to the street,
painted in a rich variety of ochres, greens and blues, with distinctive
hipped roofs. A stream typically runs down the street and pear trees
are planted on either side. The houses themselves are built to a
format, with their cobbled courtyards, winter and summer kitchens,
vegetable patches and colossal timber frame barns enclosing the rear
end of the courtyard. Behind the barns lie a further vegetable plot
and an orchard, usually with a row of walnuts at the far end to act as
a fire break and provide insect free shelter from the sun.
Arable and pasture land extends from the backs of the villages up
to woodland, which in most cases crowns the high ground. As
in much of mediaeval Europe, the egalitarian Saxon communities
divided their arable lands into strips. A family might own a number
of separate strips, some distance apart from each other, on which
different crops could be grown, depending on the lie of the land
and the soil quality. Unlike the rest of Europe, this method of strip
farming is very much alive in the Saxon villages. Village livestock is
grazed communally on the meadows, controlled by cowherds and
shepherds rather than fences.
Where the land is steep, row upon row of terraces have been
fashioned out of the valley sides to maximise agricultural potential.
These terraces were once intensively cultivated and would have
been the mainstay of cereal, vegetable and wine production. Now
that village populations have drastically reduced many of the terraces
are no longer cultivated and support an abundance of wild flowers
and grasses. With the reduction of open cultivated land, the
terraces and ungrazed meadows succumb to the forces of ecological
succession: pioneer grasses and wild flowers first colonise the
11
uncultivated land, followed by scrub and finally woodland, which is
the natural climax vegetation in Transylvania.

The oak, hornbeam and beech forests, which would have covered
much of the landscape prior to the arrival of the Saxons, were cut
back to make way for agriculture and now cling only to the higher
ground. Where previously farmed land has become disused, the
woodlands are advancing back down towards the villages, slowly
recolonising the land that was cleared by the early Saxon settlers.

Each village has its own distinct character, but there is a certain
unity that defines the ‘Saxon-ness’ of the villages: the fortified
churches, the tanzplätze or dancing circles, the houses and barns, the
streetscape, the exemplary harmony between man and landscape South-facing hillsides have been contoured for vineyards
and the centuries-old agricultural methods that survive to this day.
The rhythm of the villages is still set by the daily ritual of milking
the cattle, watching their lazy stroll through the village and out to
pasture and then their return to be milked at dusk.

for orchards and haymaking

The Tanzplatz or dancing circle in Viscri

or simply for tracks between the villages and up to the summer pasture

12
The special character and uniqueness of the Saxon villages

The harmony between man and animals The pattern of settlement on the land The floral diversity

The age-old ways of sustainable farming The rare and endangered fauna that still survives here

The extraordinary architectural heritage The tight-knit communities and cultural traditions The daily rhythm and pace of the landscape and the way of life

13
The next generation needs work Traditional skills need to be encouraged and where necessary, reintroduced (photos Mihai Cazan)

Villages need to be places where the young wish to live, without losing the Farming should retain its sustainable status and yet become The typical is as special as the exceptional
special character of animals and children on the street viable
14
 PHILOSOPHY

The crisis in European agriculture and the plight of rural settlement

makes the harmonious balance of the Transylvanian countryside
seem like a forgotten Arcadia. The way of life has a natural rhythm
and relation to the land that has been lost in fully industrialised
countries. There is a hope that Transylvania could hold the key to a
more sustainable and integrated agricultural and social economy by
leap-frogging the mistakes of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries
and showing the way to a saner twenty-first century.

Enthusiasm for the apparent idyll of the landscape must not

Transylvania could hold the key to a more sustainable and integrated agricultural and social
economy
however become romantic and overlook the poverty and hardness
of Romanian life. What may previously have been seen as luxuries,
such as running water, flush lavatories, washing machines, smooth
roads and internet connection, are becoming essentials to the next
generation. Health, education and economic security are priorities.
Scything and carting hay by hand may look beautiful but it is
back-breaking work, particularly for people in their seventies. It is
important that the essence of the balanced landscape is understood
and encouraged, rather than the trappings.

The people of Transylvania need to establish what they hold

sacrosanct, what should be conserved at all costs, and what is
less important and can continue to change and develop. Although
tourism can contribute to the local economy, it should not dominate
as a substitute for the long term agricultural stability of the region.
International intervention should not be seen as an attempt to
protect a remnant of mediaeval Arcadia as a delightful holiday
destination.

Scything by hand is hard, especially for the
old
Former luxuries are now a necessary part of
life for the young
This report tries to emphasise the parts of the landscape and way
of life that are most special and of most benefit to the long-term
health and prosperity of the inhabitants. The aim is to explore ways
that these aspects can be supported, conserved and encouraged
to evolve. At the same time it is as important to show where
daily life can be improved by regular modernisations that make it
comfortable to live in Transylvania and encourage young people to
stay in, or at least return to the villages. Support from outside should
constantly be reviewing whether and how intervention is relevant
and constructive.

15
Conservation and protection

The first impetus for intervention, both locally and internationally,

is an awareness that something special and rare has survived
in Transylvania and that it is under threat. The threat has
been precipitated by sudden depopulation, following the exodus
of the Saxons in 1990; by widespread unemployment, following
the collapse of the State Farms; and by the consequent rapid
deterioration of the historic buildings and neglect of the traditional
farmland.

For conservation to succeed, it has to be perceived as progressive

and to lie in the hands and interests of those who live in the place
itself. There is a role for far reaching strategic co-ordination. Yet
the immediate need is for small model examples showing how Restoration projects being carried out under the Mihai Eminescu Trust Whole Village Project
sympathetic development of buildings, farming and local industries
can stimulate a more organic evolution of the area, one where
the local people have more control. Rather than rely on State
regulation for conservation, it would be more effective for the
local community to take pride in the appearance and identity of
their villages and appreciate the long-term economic benefit of
conservation in terms of property values and tourism. The outward
statements of modern comfort, such as pebble-dash, crazy paving,
tarmac and Alpine picture windows, are best combated through
education rather than regulation. The desire to make a property
better is worth channelling rather than snuffing out. Where possible
the same applies to the ownership and management of land.

The aim is to start locally, from the ground up. The success of
the schemes already initiated by the Mihai Eminescu Trust under
the Whole Village Project should set examples to others and help to
inspire the interest of local, regional and national leaders who can
then promote such ideas elsewhere.
Restoration drawing by Mihai Cazan for the Trust
Government protection in the form of Conservation Areas or
Natural Park (IUCN Category V) designation could help to set a
legal framework for the long term conservation of Transylvania, but
the procedures will necessarily take time and will probably need to
be initiated from outside Romania. The Saxon villages need more
urgent action.

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The collapse of buildings
Aspiration to ‘improve’ dwellings
Insensitive modernisation
Non-intervention
Before launching into a programme of conservation, it is worth
questioning what might happen if the area were allowed to develop
without the checks and skews of interference. A number of
outcomes are possible:
1. Continuing flight from the villages, collapse of buildings and
abandonment of farmland.
2. Inappropriate development, loss of Saxon heritage and of
the villages’ unique character by:
Large new houses of successful entrepreneurs on the edge a) return of wealthy Saxons and gentrification of villages as
of villages holiday homes; and
b) acquisition of cheap land and buildings by tourist
developers for extensive rural hotels linked to hunting and
novel, inexpensive holidays.
3. Intensification of agriculture, giving less village employment,
and rapid evolution of some small towns, with outlying large
new houses of successful entrepreneurs.
Inappropriate tourist development
The integration of modern technology
17
ISSUES
1. LIVING
Community
Ethnic mix
In 1990 the ethnic mix in the Saxon villages area was thought
to be 70% Saxon, 25% Romanian and 5% Roma, with a Saxon
population of 90,000. Today that population stands at less than
20,000 with a dramatic change in ethnic mix: 5% Saxon, 35%
Romanian and 60% Roma. In some villages there is also a small
Hungarian population. Saxons are continuing to leave Transylvania,
but more encouragingly, a few are returning to their ancestral
homes. In spite of the ethnic mix and some hostility towards the
Roma, there is good co-operation within the villages and the ethnic
diversity is not seen as an impediment to further co-operation and
progress.
Age mix
A visit to any one of the villages shows a disproportionate lack of
young people. Young Saxons have emigrated to Germany and there
is an ongoing migration of all ethnic groups to towns and cities.
The majority of the population is ageing
The majority of elderly Saxons who have decided to stay, cite their
age and infirmity as reasons for not leaving. For the few young
people in the villages today there is little to keep them. Chronic
unemployment (currently around 60%), poor infrastructure and lack
of amenities drive teenagers away to the towns and cities. Increased
awareness of the world outside inevitably creates expectations in
the young: they want running water, comfortable heated homes
with flush toilets, access to the internet and entertainment.

Political structure
Romania is divided into 40 counties. Each county is further divided
into about 60 communes (a small group of villages administered
by a single Town Hall). The Communes of Bunesti and Laslea
each consist of five villages and are represented by a locally elected
mayor. Each village is represented by an elected councillor. A law
passed in January 1998 gives the communes greater responsibility
for local government and taxation, and communes are now in the
process of planning their own local strategies.

and the young will need to be encouraged to stay

18

The communities need good access to schools and medical facilities
Redundant buildings can be restored as cultural centres in strategic
villages
Each village has to survive as a vibrant social as well as economic
unit
Healthcare
Healthcare provision is still basic in both Communes: there is a
dispensary in Bunesti (the nearest hospital being in Rupea, 20km
away) and in Laslea there is a small hospice, the nearest hospital
facilities being in Sighisoara, 15km away. The outlying villages of
the communes are visited once a year, on average, by doctors who
have no independent means of transport. The villages are effectively
isolated by unsurfaced roads 10-15km long.
Education
There are primary schools in each village and secondary schools in
Bunesti and Laslea. Difficulties of roads and transport make it hard
for children to get to these schools, particularly in small, remote
villages, such as Floresti. Fewer Roma than other ethnic groups
attend school. The Trust is currently refurbishing the school in Viscri
and setting up a new library. Malancrav, exceptionally, has a German
as well as Romanian-language primary school.
Recommendations
The primary goal is to retain an active community and to preserve
the special character and qualities of the Saxon villages that have
been severely eroded over recent years. The immediate priority
should be to ensure that the existing inhabitants, whatever their
ethnicity, are recognised as custodians of the Saxon heritage. Even
if many Saxons return, they are likely to remain a minority. The
focus therefore should be on the existing population, to preserve the
unique qualities of the villages as well as unlocking the great potential
that the villages have for sustaining their communities.
• Discuss with Town Halls how to improve medical care and
access to hospitals.
• Promote benefits of education, particularly among the
Roma community which has low school attendance rate.
• Supply villages with modern school facilities (furniture,
blackboards, equipment, library, games/sport facilities, etc.)
The Trust has already refurbished the school in Viscri.
• Improve access to secondary schools in Bunesti and Laslea
through reinstatement of bus service. The Trust (with
support from Haella Foundation, Netherlands) has already
provided a bus for Viscri and Roades school runs.
• Set up cultural centres in strategic villages (e.g. Roandola,
Malancrav and Viscri) where locals can learn about their
cultural heritage, agricultural possibilities, income-generating
crafts, building techniques, nature conservation, woodland
and landscape management. Participation and involvement
to be encouraged.
19
2.WORKING

Agriculture
Major investment in the State farms in the 1970s and 1980s drew
farmers away from the traditional methods of strip farming to
intensive, large scale agriculture. Many of these farms are now, in
effect, bankrupt. State farm buildings, hop yards and machinery
are unused, relics of major investment and optimism in the 1980s.
Viscri and Crit have over 160 hectares of good quality hop fields
and, by European standards, much modern hop machinery installed
in the 1980s, which now lies abandoned. This is typical of the
area. The population reduction over that period and the consequent
abandonment of arable land has led to large areas being categorised The balance between new machinery and traditional practices needs to be made
as ‘degraded’. The arrival of tractors and vertical ploughing under
the communist period resulted in increased soil erosion on the steep
valley sides

85% of all arable land is now privately owned as a result of the

privatisation process that followed the fall of Ceausescu. Under
privatisation most families were given land, which in the case of
Viscri amounted to approximately 18 hectares each. Until 1998 the
state bought much of the farm produce, but this has largely stopped,
leaving farmers to grow cereals only to feed their own animals.
Increasingly, animal production is becoming more practicable and
lucrative for private farmers, though the markets are still weak. Dairy
cattle bring the most revenue to farmers at present, followed by pigs
and sheep. There are no milk processing facilities in the villages. Milk
is collected by a private buyer twice a day. Abandoned state hop farm Arable strips surviving in the valley bottom

The majority of the working population is employed in agriculture,

but mostly at subsistence level. Families typically own two or three
cows, which are milked morning and night, and the village herds are
taken out to pasture by one or two individuals during the day, leaving
the owners to tend their fields. Most villagers say that they would be
willing to take on an increased workload and consequent revenue,
were it available.

Soil fertility on the Transylvanian plateau is high, but the long cold
winters reduce the viability of intensive agriculture and crops tend
to be restricted to spring grown wheat, oats, barley and maize. A
benefit of the cold winters is that the climate helps to kill off pest
and disease. Much of the land has never been contaminated by Traditional orchard Upland shepherd’s compound
pesticides, herbicides or artificial fertilisers.
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 The organic nature of the land, combined with high levels of manual
skill, make the area well suited to labour-intensive organic farming.
The traditional methods of horse-drawn agriculture and contour-
ploughing might also be reinstated.

Efficient and productive agriculture has always been a cornerstone of

Milk collection The layout, climate, traditions and skills of the Saxon villages make
them an ideal prototype for organic farming
New machinery will not fit in the old courtyards
the Saxon communities in Transylvania. Agricultural development,
particularly organic farming, presents a sound basis for a sustainable,
long-term economy. Stuart Miekle and his associates are making
progress with the development of an organic food and farming
business, Transylvanian Natural Products (TNP), in the area. Their
proposals include:
• production of fruit & vegetables for fresh sales & processing;
• freezing & juicing fruit & vegetables;
• lamb & beef, poultry & traditional-breed pork production;
• fresh milk, yoghurt & ice-cream produced from cows milk;
• production of sheep & buffalo cheeses;
• integrated arable & forage production;
• hop production;
• organic seeds production.
Production will be in-house and outsourced. The Avalon Foundation
(Netherlands) has experience in developing organic farming in
Eastern Europe and will manage research and training activities to
support local farmers. The market focus for Transylvanian Natural
Products encompasses northern Europe, the Gulf States and the
developing Romanian market.
The question of mechanisation needs to be addressed. Tractors,
Much of the agriculture is still horse-drawn
combine harvesters and farm machinery are seen by many locals
as the symbol of modernisation and the key to agricultural success.
This is not necessarily the case: machines involve heavy investment
and running costs. They are not always the most efficient and
productive tools for successful farming: hay-making in a steep
orchard may simply not be possible with a tractor. Some form of
power-assisted horse-drawn mowing machines may combine the
best of both worlds. It will also be necessary to reawaken the
wisdom of the centuries-old, local farming methods. Flowers, fungi
and fruit of the forests and meadows can be harvested, but a
balance of harvesting and conservation must be struck carefully.

Abandoned state dairy The orchards, hay meadows and vegetable gardens
still relate to each house

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These methods can be linked to the long traditions of sustainable
silviculture and grazing management.

Finally the intercession of local administration and organisation of

farming needs to be very sensitively handled. Individual motivation,
landholdings and sense of independence as well as co-operation will
be crucial to retaining the energy of the farmers who have created
and tended this landscape over the centuries.

Recommendations:
• Help and advice in promoting, establishing and organising
organic farming;
• Assistance in achieving Organic Certification, with
international status and a traceability system.
• Help in shortening the link between producers and
consumers and securing local and international markets,
• An education programme to establish the benefits of the
various agricultural methods open to farmers.
• Re-establishment of hop production (need to invest in
research and technology for organic growing, hop setts and
marketing).
• Technical innovation in traditional agricultural methods,
such as horse-drawn, butane-powered equipment.
• Investment in appropriate agricultural projects, such as
local processing for: The clothes factory in Malancrav, which shut down in 1990
- organic meat/dairy produce
- organic seed
- local research, training and crop trials
- irrigation and drainage
- orchard planting
- diversificaton in ventures such as rose oil, marigold
production, etc.

In association with the Mihai Eminescu Trust, the International

Finance Corporation and those individuals establishing Transylvanian
Natural Products are developing a project to address the above. This
project is entitled the Agricultural Development and Environmental
Protection in Transylvania (ADEPT) project.

Traditional skills include fine wood working and basket weaving (photo Mihai Cazan)

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 Crafts and Industry
The traditionally agrarian Saxon villages have no history of large-
scale industry. In nearby Rupea there is a furniture manufacturer and
a now out-of-business meat factory; in Malancrav a small clothes
factory shut down soon after 1990. The State formerly employed a
large proportion of the working population on its State Farms, but
since the demise of communism, these farms are now derelict. Small
industry includes a privately run sawmill in Bunesti and individual
carpenters in Nou Sasesc and Bunesti.

There is however a long tradition of craftsmanship: the Saxons are

famous for weaving, lace-making, embroidery and wood-carving
and the Roma have great skills in basket-weaving and woodworking.
These traditional crafts are in danger of being lost or forgotten, but
present an enormous, yet largely untapped source of employment
and income.

Honey making, building crafts, bread making, Recommendations:

and embroidery, weaving and
lace making.
There are numerous opportunities, especially for women, for
exploiting traditional crafts and skills and the marketing of these
to both domestic and foreign markets. In Malancrav the possibility
of reviving the clothing factory beside the post office should be
explored and its former workers possibly re-employed. Energy must
be given to the marketing of these products, both locally, nationally
and abroad. Many possibilities have already been earmarked and
promoted by the Mihai Eminescu Trust and include:

• knitting and weaving (clothes, rugs, blankets)

• basket-making
• jam and honey production
• wood carving
• hemp paper and cloth production
• furniture manufacture

The former Town Hall in Malancrav (now used by the local school)

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Tourism
Tourism is developing fast in the larger towns and cities of
Transylvania. The region attracts visitors to the churches, castles,
palaces, beautiful landscape and increasingly, the spurious links with
the Dracula myth. In the summer of 2001 the Romanian Ministry of
Tourism announced its intention to build a ‘Draculaland’ theme park
on the outskirts of Sighisoara, a proposal strongly opposed by the
Mihai Eminescu Trust.

Tourism in the more remote Saxon villages is as yet largely

undeveloped. The villages in this study have one youth hostel
(Malancrav) and only a handful of basic guesthouses, few of which
Each village should have guest houses run by local
have running water. Viscri has 15 houses registered for agro-tourism, The church in Biertan families
with 300 guest nights taken in 2000. Day visitors tend to pass
through quickly; they swoop in by the coach- or car-load for a few
minutes and then rush on to their next target. The result is little
economic benefit to the local communities and much disruption to
the village.

The Mihai Eminescu Trust has sought to introduce limited tourism

to the area in a manner that minimises the impact of tourism but
brings benefit direct to the community. Schemes initiated by the
Trust include the establishment of guesthouses and walking, horse
riding and painting holidays for limited numbers only.

The thirst for more active and adventurous holidays that allow
for greater contact with local people and their ways of life has
created a growth industry. Such tourism needs to be developed Equestrian tourism could work well The Fernolend family house museum in Viscri
with great care, so as not to damage in the long term the very
reason for its establishment. The more the community turns away
from agriculture to reap the benefits of tourism, by setting up guest
houses, opening tea shops and the like, the more the landscape and
essential qualities of the agriculture-based community are eroded.
Short-term gain from tourism could easily lead to long-term loss of
traditional skills and crafts.

It is the landscape and way of life that makes the Saxon villages so
interesting to tourists. If tourism itself results in the loss of landscape
management and a fundamental change in the way of life of the
villages, ultimately the tourist attraction and the tourism revenue
will dry up.
There is great scope for walking and riding holidays through the Sighisoara is threatened by a ‘Draculaland’ theme
gentle countryside park

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 If tourism were allowed to develop unbridled, it may not be long
before the deleterious arrival of chain hotels and restaurants, car
parks and even theme parks on the lines of Draculaland. The aim
should be to capture revenue from tourism, whilst protecting the
resource so that short term gain does not destroy the long term
future. Ideally, tourism should contribute to the preservation of the
traditions of the Saxon villages by providing supplementary income
and employment.

Recommendations
There is plenty of scope for the development of the Trust’s existing
projects:
• Each village should have one or several privately run guest
houses, depending on the size of the village (the Trust is already
refurbishing houses in Viscri, Crit, Malancrav and Mesendorf
as model guest houses, and has identified the former priest’s
house in Roades as a possible guest house). Facilities need only
be basic but of sufficient comfort and modernity not to deter
visitors. This will lead to a steady but discerning category of
visitor. The question of how the houses should be upgraded to
cater for the limited numbers of tourists is discussed below.
• Walking and riding holidays are becoming increasingly popular.
Employment could be gained through guiding and establishment
of walking routes and maps (some routes have already been
written up by the Trust, but further routes could be developed).
For equestrian tourism, horses will clearly need to be housed,
fed and looked after.
• Limited bar/restaurant facilities each village.
• Cultural centres, aimed primarily at the local communities,
would be a useful tourist resource as museums of local history
and crafts. In Viscri there is already a small museum and the
Fernolend family house is a fine example of a traditional house
interior. A similar sized museum could be developed as part
of the Manor House proposals in Malancrav. Links with the
Peasant Museum in Bucharest should be considered.

The altarpiece in Malancrav

(photo Stuart Meikle)
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