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This was our last day at Brasov. The day started sunny and bright. I went for a walk in the town. I crossed the town center walked to Bastionul Graft, this is a part of the wall that once used to surround the city.
Then I walked up the stairs to the upper tower . The White Tower (Turnul Alb) is located directly above the Bastionul Graft. Turnul Negru or black tower can also be reached from the canal path. This two towers were used once to keep watch on Brasov.
I booked a car from my place to Sibui via Viscri and Sighisoara. Unfortunately this was the only day weather was predicted to be cloudy and rainy. Booking a private car in Romania is much cheaper by European standard. For the whole day with 250+ Km it costed me 750 Lei (£120) , out of this agency is taking 350 Lei and the driver is getting only 400 Lei.
We took highway E60 which crosses a through a green corridor outside Brasov and first large town was Rupea. The magnificent citadel dominates the skyline, we stopped and took some pictures and the proceeded towards Viscri.
We went to Bunesti and then took diversion to 104L to Viscri. Brunesti is a typical Romanian village with majority of gypsy population. They are easily identifiable from their looks and their colorful houses. Most of them don’t do any permanent work and live a nomad’s life.
From Brunesti it was few more miles to Viscri. The road was bumpy and not properly tarred.
Viscri fortified church is one of the 25 fortified UNESCO Heritage sites in Romania. Unlike other Transylvanian fortified churches, Viscri was built around 1100 by the Szekler population and taken over by Saxon colonists in 1185.
There was no caretaker at church , finally someone fetched caretaker from his home. I climbed the towers and spent sometime in the museum.
This guesthouse is the 18th century farmhouse in the Saxon village of Viscri acquired by HRH The Prince of Wales in 2006. It was recently restored as a guesthouse by Count Tibor Kalnoky. This traditional Saxon house is managed by Count Tibor Kalnoky, who was asked to furnish and prepare the house based on his experience in restoring his own family estates. HRH The Prince of Wales is keen to promote sustainable tourism in Transylvania. Fundatia ADEPT can offer visitors to the house a range of activities and guided tours, so that they can discover the magic of Transylvania.
Sighiosora is 60 km from Viscri. It took another 2 hours to reach Sighiosora. The origins of Sighisoara city go back to the Roman times. During the First Century AD, the Dacians (ancient inhabitants of the territory of modern Romania which eventually will develop into the Romanian people), built a fortification called Sandava. Under the Roman administration it was known as Castrum Stenarum.During the 12th century, the Transylvanian Saxons built a new citadel which was named Schäßburg.
Sighisoara (Schäßburg – Schassburg or Schäsbrich 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 Dracula, also known as Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler), ruler of the province of Walachia from 1456 to 1462.
We also did a toy train ride at Sighisoara specially for Shreyashi.
