Viscri & Malancrav

Razvan Pascu

As I begin to write the text for this article, I find myself at

Malancrav

a village in the heart of Transylvania, located about half an hour's drive from Sighisoara. I have no phone signal anywhere in the village and no internet either. It’s 8 PM, and I wonder what I could do until bedtime. For now, I’ve opened my laptop to share with you “live” about how I spent my last summer weekend, through Transylvania.

The Area

I hold Transylvania very dear. Once every few months, when I have a free weekend, I like to get in the car and head towards Brașov, Sighișoara, or Sibiu. This time, I chose as the purpose of my trip a tour through the Saxon villages and fortified churches of Transylvania, so I will share my experience with you, in case you wish to spend a weekend in the area.

The Panait family has one of the first guesthouses in

Viscri

and they told us that they receive many foreign tourists, especially Germans and English. They also welcome groups of tourists from Israel who come here to enjoy Mrs. Panait's delicious lamb roast. The room we stayed in was simple, with wooden furniture painted with floral motifs typical of the Saxons.

We had:

• A bed with wooden nightstands
• A small table with a bottle of Biborteni mineral water, the kind that fit perfectly into the landscape
• A bathroom equipped with everything needed

In the morning, we had breakfast with local products:

• Cheese
• Homemade butter
• Milk
• Several types of jam
• Tea (including elderberry jam, which was extremely good)

The Fortified Church

Right after breakfast, we headed to the Fortified Church, the main tourist attraction of the village. In just 5 minutes, we found ourselves in front of the wooden gate through which we entered the churchyard. Immediately to the left of the entrance, we saw a series of wooden benches arranged in a hexagon, with a tree in the middle. This is where the Saxons from the village gather, as well as those who have moved to Germany, to hold their celebrations with traditional songs and dances.

We then ascended towards the church. The entrance fee is 4 lei per person. The fortified enclosure here has an irregular shape, with two towers and two bastions. The church was built in 1225 and is the oldest church of its kind in Romania. The interior is very simple, following the model of Evangelical churches.

The wooden benches conceal an ancient arrangement that dictates that:

1. The young sit at the back
2. As they age, they move forward on the benches, until they reach the first bench where the eldest sit

It also has a small organ and a balcony for the choir. We didn't catch a service at the village church, but it must be beautiful and moving. If you don't suffer from altitude sickness or claustrophobia, you can also climb the church tower where you will have a superb panorama of the village and the surroundings.

All around the church are storage spaces, attached to the defensive walls, now arranged into a small museum. From here, we set off on a walk through the village. We admired and photographed the Saxon houses renovated by the Mihai Eminescu Foundation.

Viscri

There are no streets, and the guesthouses do not display any logos or names. Their name is Viscri, accompanied by the house number. The village became famous after it was revealed that Prince Charles of the United Kingdom owns a house here and comes to spend a few days several times a year.

Thanks to His Royal Highness, Viscri was the subject of a report by Travel Channel, in which Prince Charles himself gave a brief interview, advising people to visit Transylvania. It seems that when he visits the village, both entrances are blocked by the police, and people are not allowed to enter or leave the village.

Contrary to expectations, there is no state secret regarding which house belongs to Prince Charles and where he stays when he comes to Viscri. The house is on the main street of the village, at number 263. It is a simple, blue house that, when the prince is not in the village, is rented out as a guesthouse. The rooms are simple, with wooden furniture.

Across the street is the house of Mrs. Caroline Fernolend, who founded the Mihai Eminescu Foundation and fights to preserve authenticity in the Saxon villages of Transylvania. I believe that thanks to her, people are talking today about places like Viscri, Malancrav, and more.