The Biertan fortified church

The Fortified Church of Biertan, located in Biertan, Sibiu County, in the Transylvania region of Romania, is a remarkable example of late Gothic architecture.

Biertan fortified church, by Wolfgang_Fricke, CC BY 3.0

Construction and Architecture

The church was constructed in the 15th century on the site of an earlier Romanesque church. It's a massive, three-aisled hall church that appears almost like a square block due to the limited space available on the hill. The church's structure includes a rib-vaulted ceiling and three naves of equal height.

Historical Significance

The church was built by the ethnic German Transylvanian Saxon community at a time when the area belonged to the Kingdom of Hungary. It became Evangelical Lutheran following the Reformation. From 1572 until 1867, Biertan was the seat of the Saxon Evangelical bishops of Transylvania.

Unique Features

The church boasts the largest multi-paneled wooden altar in Transylvania and a remarkable, massive, oak door which, for centuries, protected the treasures in the sacristy. The door of Biertan sacristy, manufactured in 1515, has a unique 19-points deadbolt lock. The church's organ features some 1,290 pipes and 25 registers; it was built in 1869 by Hessian Company in Vienna.

Marital Prison

An interesting feature of the church is the 'marital prison'. For more than 300 years, couples who approached the local bishop to seek a divorce would be sent here, for a maximum of six weeks, to iron out their issues and avert a divorce. Today, the Fortified Church of Biertan is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and serves as a significant tourist attraction.

Mysterious Transylvania

Gothic cemetery in Transylvania – eerie crypts and tombstones

Gothic cemetery, Transylvania

Transylvania is surrounded by densely forested mountains of the Carpathians like a huge castle created by nature. This region is home to medieval towns and unspoilt villages.

But behind this idyllic facade lies a dark secret that terrifies the locals. For Transylvania is also home to vampires, the sinister creatures of the night that feed on the blood of the living.

What sounds like fantasy and fiction is actually a real place, a region in central Romania. In the Transylvanian forests, there are secrets and magic that seem to be out of this world. Faint lights glow between the trees, eerie, whispering voices can be heard on the wind. Travellers who have ventured too deep into the forest have never been seen again…

The Gothic cemeteries full of eerie crypts and tombs may harbour the remains of undead creatures. The mysterious and magical symbols on the tombstones show the fear of the population and their attempt to block the path of the sinister, cruel beings into our world.

Nature conservation, climate protection, preservation and expansion of the original flora and fauna of Transylvania

Nature conservation and climate protection in Transylvania

Nature conservation project, Transylvania

You are supporting a special nature and animal conservation project in Transylvania. We plant native deciduous trees – original tree species such as robinia, oak and maple. We are actively committed to the protection of flora and fauna. The land for our land donations may not be used commercially.

This means that trees, shrubs, grasses, flowers, herbs, mosses and fungi can develop undisturbed. At the same time, the fauna also develops with numerous different species: Insects, reptiles, amphibians as well as small mammals and birds find a safe habitat here.

The property's own spring and the stream on the property round off this habitat. They provide undisturbed access for all the fauna from the surrounding area and the opportunity to obtain fresh, clear spring and mountain water. This is particularly important during the long, hot and dry Transylvanian summers.

Roe deer, deer, foxes, wild boar, badgers, martens, frogs, toads and amphibians, small rodents and reptiles such as lizards and slow worms from the surrounding woodland areas make use of this opportunity and regularly visit the fresh water source.

This project actively contributes to the preservation and expansion of valuable ecosystems.