City Landmarks

The Council Square
(Piața Sfatului)

The Transylvanian Saxons built massive stone walls and seven bastions around the city (still visible today), as well as ornate churches, elaborately decorated buildings and one of the most picturesque central squares in Transylvania, said to be the spot to which the legendary Pied Piper led the children of Hamlin. Located at the heart of old medieval Brasov and lined with beautiful red-roofed merchant houses, the Council Square, known to the Saxon population as the Marktplatz, is a nice place to rest and watch the locals and visitors.

The Old Town Hall (Casa Sfatului)

Address: Piata Sfatului 30

Built in 1420, Casa Sfatului served for several centuries as meeting place for the town’s council members.
At the beginning of the 17th-Century, the building’s watchtower became the place from which a trumpeter announced the top of the hour and hence nicknamed “Trumpeter’s Tower”.
Today, the Old Town Hall houses Brasov’s History Museum

The Black Church (Biserica Neagra)

Address: Curtea Johannes Honterus 2

Admission:
Adults: 12 lei ($3.00)
Students: 8.00 lei ($2.00)
Children 7 y.o. and younger: free
Visitors with disabilities: free

Brasov’s most distinctive landmark and Romania’s largest Gothic church, the Black Church towers over the Council Square and Brasov Old Town.
Built between 1385 and 1477 on the site of an earlier church (destroyed during Mongol invasions in 1242), the construction of the Marienkirche, as it was known in German, was hampered by extensive damage caused by Turkish raids in 1421.
The church was given its new name after disaster struck again in 1689, when the Great Fire leveled most of the town and blackened the walls of the church. Restoration took almost 100 years. Of the two towers planned, only one was finished. The Black Church is the largest gothic church between Vienna and Istanbul.
The seven-tons bell of the church is the largest – and heaviest – in Romania.

The original gothic interior got a makeover during restorations, and the lofty, light space you see today is mostly baroque. The interior is beautiful, with balconies, stained glass windows, an enormous organ, stone columns and walls adorned with fabulous Turkish carpets. The church windows have recently been fitted out with special UV-filtering glass to protect the 119 Anatolian carpets. Thankful to have survived their trips into the “barbaric” lands south and east of the Carpathians, German merchants donated the carpets to the church in the 17th and 18th centuries. The collection is the largest of its kind in Europe.
Listen to the impressive 4,000-pipe organ dating from 1839. Organ concerts are offered several times a week.

Brasov’s Defensive Fortifications

Ever since Saxon settlers arrived in the early 12th century, invading Mongols, Turks and others gave them a tough time, repeatedly destroying the old settlements of Bartholoma and Corona. Thereafter, the Saxons set themselves to building fortifications around their town.

Most work was done between 1400 and 1650, when outer and inner walls were erected, together with massive defense towers and gates. Part of the defensive wall, once 40 feet high, seven feet thick and two miles long, can still be seen today, though most was taken down in the 19th century to make room for the city’s expansion.

Of the original seven bastions, only a few have survived, including the newly renovated Graft Bastion, located in the middle of the citadel’s northwest wing. On the west side of the wall, walk along picturesque Dupa Ziduri Street (Dupa Ziduri means Behind the Walls) to catch a glimpse of the 15th century White and Black Towers. The Blacksmiths’ Bastion, one of the original seven built and guarded by the city’s guilds, is located at the southern end of Dupa Ziduri Street. Follow the city wall southeast to the fairy-tale Catherine’s Gate. Built in 1559 and once the main entrance to medieval Kronstadt, it is the only original city gate to have survived the test of time. Nearby is the classicist Schei Gate, built in 1827. The Weavers’ Bastion can be admired on George Cosbuc Street.

Graft Bastion (Bastionul Graft)
The newly restored 16th century bastion (1521) has four levels, accessible through interior staircases. Levels two, three and four host an array of medieval artifacts exhibits, while level one serves as a rest area for visitors.

White Tower (Turnul Alb)
Located near Graft Bastion, the semicircular White Tower was completed in 1494.
A wooden staircase spirals up four levels, offering a great view of the old town.
Located high on a hill, you’ll have to climb some 200 steps to reach it.

Black Tower (Turnul Negru)
The squared Black Tower, also built in 1494, stands atop a rock on Starja Hill near the Blacksmiths’ Bastion. The tower received its name from a severe fire in 1559 when it was struck by lightning. Recently renovated and boasting a pyramid-shaped glass roof, the Black Tower houses a small war-related artifacts museum. There are four floors inside, each reached by a narrow wooden ladder. Climb all the way to the top for a panoramic view of the Black Church.

Blacksmiths’ Bastion (Bastionul Fierarilor)
First attested in 1529, the Blacksmiths’ Bastion is now home to the Brasov Archives which hosts more than 100,000 old and rare documents, including 80 valuable 14th – 16th century letters. Among them is the oldest letter in the Romanian language, written in 1521 by Neacsu, a merchant from the town of Campulung.

Catherine’s Gate (Poarta Ecaterinei)

Catherine’s Gate, erected in 1559 by the Tailors’ Guild, is the only original gate to have survived from medieval times. The fairy-tale tower we see today was part of a bigger structure, which unfortunately, was demolished in 1827. The original structure can be seen at the Weavers’ Bastion Museum where a large model of 16th century Brasov is displayed. The four small corner turrets (as seen in other Saxon citadels) symbolized the judicial autonomy of the Town Council which could apply, if necessary, the death penalty. Above the entrance, the tower bears the city’s coat of arms: a crown on a tree trunk.

Schei Gate (Poarta Schei)
Entry to the Schei district from the walled city was marked by the Schei Gate. Old documents mention it, also, under the name of Porta Valacce (Wallachs’Gate) because it was the only entrance for the Romanians living in Schei. They were not allowed to use any of the other entrances. The structure standing today was built in 1827 by Emperor Franz I and replaced the old Schei Gate which had been heavily damaged by fires. The gate resembles a triumphal arch with three openings. Above the small arches on both sides, you can see Latin inscriptions.

Brasov Fortress (Cetate)
Address: Dealul Cetatii
Tel: (+4) 0268 417.614
Open: Mon. – Sun. 11 am – 12 am
Strategically located on a hill overlooking the town and the plains to the north, the citadel was part of Brasov’s outer fortification system. Built in wood in 1524, it was replaced with a stone structure in the 16th century, only to be abandoned in the 17th century after technological innovations made cannons stronger than the building. Today, it serves as a restaurant.

Weavers’ Bastion (Bastionul Tesatorilor)
Built during 1421 – 1436 and rebuilt in 1570 – 1573, this is the largest medieval bastion in Brasov and the best-preserved among the seven original watchtowers constructed around the city walls. Today, the Weavers’ Bastion houses an interesting museum that can be visited on the way up Tampa Mountain.

Tampa Mountain (Muntele Tampa)

Brasov is often referred to as the city at the foot of Mount Tampa.
Above the Weavers’ Bastion, along the southeastern side of the fortress walls, there is an alley (Aleea Tiberiu Brediceanu), shaded by old trees and dotted with benches. From here, one can hike to the top of Tampa Mountain, where the original defensive fortress was built.
When Vlad Tepes (the Impaler) attacked Brasov in 1458-60, the citadel was destroyed’
40 merchants who refused to pay trade taxes were impaled, of course, on top of the mountain.
Walking to the top takes about an hour; just follow the ‘red triangle’ marked trail that begins at the cable car (lower) boarding point or the yellow triangle marked trail which continues from Brediceanu Alley.
Those in a hurry or not in the mood for a little hiking, can take the cable car to the peak of the mountain (3,200 feet high).

Tampa Cable Car – Brasov,
(Telecabina Tampa)

Address: Aleea Tiberiu Brediceanu
Tel: 0268 478.657

Hours: Daily 9:30 am – 5 pm
(Monday hours may be affected by Regular Inspection & Maintenance work)

Trip duration: 2 minutes and 30 seconds
(it takes a little longer on bad-weather days)

The great: views of Brasov, from the top of Tampa Mt., are superb.
(the end point of the cable car is located 1,400 ft. above the city)
The not so good: Tampa cable car looks a little old (it was built in 1971)

The Schei District

During the Saxon rule of Brasov, from the 13th to the 17th century, Romanians were forbidden from owning property inside the citadel walls and so they settled in the southwestern Schei district. Romanians could only enter the town at certain times and had to pay a toll at the gate for the privilege of selling their produce inside the citadel. Every spring, thousands of Romanians gather at Solomon’s Rocks for a massive picnic and sing-along, after following the traditional Junii Brasovului procession through town. This festival celebrates the one day a year that Romanians were allowed to enter the Saxon town freely.

Walk up Strada Prundului to Piata Unirii and the beautiful St. Nicholas Church; then, wander around the small curving streets that gradually slope upwards against the hill. Continue to the southern end of Schei and you’ll end up on the gravel road to the impressive Solomon’s Rocks (Pietrele lui Solomon), a popular picnic area for locals during the weekend but relatively quiet all other times.

Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church (Biserica Sfantul Nicolae)

Address: Piata Unirii 1 – 2

Saint Nicholas’ Church dominates the Schei District. First built in wood in 1392, replaced with a stone structure in 1495 and considerably expanded in the 18th century, the church is a true architectural masterpiece. With a mix of Byzantine, baroque and gothic styles, it features a slender tower and four corner towers.

Like other medieval churches, it is surrounded by protective walls with large wooden gates. The enclosure shelters a small old cemetery where several *prominent people of Romania are buried. The First Romanian School, now a museum, the Library and the Archives of Saint Nicholas Church also are found on nearby grounds.

* The old cemetery shelters the grave of Nicolae Titulescu (1882-1941), finance minister, foreign minister and president of the Assembly of the League of Nations. The monument near his grave quotes a line from his will: “I wish to be buried in Transylvania. My friends will know to find a place according to my wish.”

Historic Churches

Franciscan Monastery
(Manastirea Franciscanilor)
Address: Str. Sfintu Ioan 7
The monastery was built by the Lutherans in 1725 on the ruins of an old building destroyed by fire. Later, it was given to the Franciscans monks. It houses a 1729 organ.

Saint Peter and Paul Roman-Catholic Cathedral
(Catedrala Romano-Catolica Sfantul Petru si Pavel)
Address: Str. Muresenilor 19-21
Built between 1776 and 1882 on the site of an old Dominican church, the cathedral is considered to be the most representative baroque style building in Brasov.

Romanian Orthodox Cathedral
(Catedrala Ortodoxa Adormirea Maicii Domnului)
Address: Piata Sfatului 3
Located on the east side of the Council Square, opposite the Old Town House, the Romanian Orthodox Cathedral was built in a glaring Byzantine style in 1896 and displays some impressive interior frescoes and decorations. On Saturdays, brides and grooms line outside (being careful to avoid glancing at each other – bad luck) to get married here.

Saint Bartholomew Church
(Biserica Sfantul Bartolomeu)
Address: Str. Lunga 247
Considered the oldest architectural monument in Brasov, this church was built in 1223 in Roman architectural style mixed with early gothic elements. Inside, you can admire an ancient sundial on the southern side of the tower, as well as remarkably well preserved fragments of original frescoes.

Saint Martin Church
(Biserica Sfantul Martin)
Adddress: Str. Dealul de Jos 12
Not as richly decorated as other churches, Saint Martin Church has preserved its original 15th century form.

The Beit Israel Synagogue
Address: Str. Poarta Schei 27
Open: Mon. – Fri.: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.