Day trip in Transylvania
Viscri Village, Saschiz and Sighisoara
Time schedule
We will start on the Bucharest-Brasov-Viscri-Sighisoara-Saschiz route.
We will make our first stop at Viscri, a Saxon commune in Brasov county, which, some time ago, was called Giscriu. Set back from the main road that connects Brașov with Sighisoara, the village of Viscri houses one of the most spectacular Saxon fortified churches, moreover being one of the 6 listed in the UNESCO world heritage.
We are visiting the Viscri Fortified Evangelical Church and the house of King Charles . Built by the Szeklers in the 1100s, the church in Viscri was taken over in 1185 by the Saxons who colonised the area and who, over time, built towers and massive walls around the church - thus, in the case of sieges by the Turks or Tatars , the entire population of the village could enter and survive inside the walls. The very name of the locality is given by the church: Weisskirch – in translation the white church.
The particularities of the settlement attracted the attention and goodwill of the Mihai Eminescu Trust foundation, patronised by King Charles himself, which renovated the church and some houses in the locality, restoring some of their original splendour.
We are heading to the medieval city of Sighisoara. We will visit: the Clock Tower (symbolic building of Sighisoara, today hosting the History Museum), the Monastery Church (historical monument), Vlad Dracul's House, Stag House, Venetian House, School Street-Scara Scolarilor (this staircase was built in 1654 on the initiative of the mayor Johann Both, in order to facilitate the access of students during the heavy winters or the rain, to the school located near the church on the hill), the Roman Catholic Church, the Hill Church (the evangelical church that was built in several stages between 1345- 1525, dedicated to Saint Nicholas).
Free time for lunch and shopping in Sighisoara.
After Sighisoara we will head to the Saschiz Tower. One of the most beautiful medieval buildings in Transylvania, belonging, like the fortified Church, to the Saxon architecture of the 15th century. X metres high, the tower still marks the centre of Saschiz commune today. Its defensive function is betrayed by the existence of the throwing holes and the 12 skylights that punctuate the roof covered in variously coloured glazed tiles.
We will return to Bucharest in to the late evening
