The Black Church, Brown Bears, Ski slopes, Rasnov, and Dracula
Written: Jan 09 '09 (Updated Jul 09 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Beautiful city, beautiful mountains, lots of attractions, Black Church, nearby Rasnov, Ski-resort, Prejmer
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: Brasov is a beautiful city surrounded by beautiful mountains. The ambiance is wonderful and there are many attractions.
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| texas-swede's Full Review: Brasov |
I was in Romania in July/August of 2008 with my oldest son and the water polo team that he is part of. My son plays water polo for St. Marks School of Texas in Dallas, and the coach is a Romanian native, a proud Dacian, and a former member of the Romanian Olympic water polo team. He organized this trip for the kids to give them some international water polo experience and as a pleasure trip. He needed two parent volunteers, one of them being me and the other a fun, friendly and smart fellow with the name "Jim". Mihai, Jim and I had a wonderful time together and so did the kids. In Bucharest the kids played Water Polo against Romanian teams and a team from Qatar. We spent time touring Bucharest, and we visited Walachia, Transylvania, and the cities of Sighisoara, Sibiu, and Brasov. We also did all things Dracula. At the end of the trip we stayed three days in Poiana Brasov (a ski-resort) near Brasov and during that time we spent considerable time in Brasov since there was no skiing in August. However, we also visited Brasov one afternoon on our way to Prejmer earlier during the trip. Prejmer is a medieval unspoiled town located 12 miles north of Brasov.
About Brasov
Brasov is Romania's seventh most populous city and it has close to 300,000 inhabitants. The Brasov metropolitan area has around 350,000-400,000 inhabitants. Brasov was first named a city in the 13th century under the name Corona, however, settlements in Brasov goes back all the way back to Neolithic times. Brasov is located in Transylvania and is surrounded by the southern Carpathians often referred to as the Transylvanian Alps. Brasov is also often called Kronstadt which is the German name for Brasov. I can also add that Sibiu and Brasov are often considered to be the most beautiful cities in Romania. Brasov is located 166 kilometers (103 miles) north of Bucharest (driving distance). Depending on traffic it will take you 2-4 hours to get there.
There are a lot of interesting things to see in the old section of Brasov. One of the main attractions is the Black Church (Biserica Neagra) built in 1383, which is the largest Gothic style church in South Eastern Europe. The height of the clock tower is 65 meters (213 feet) and the length of the church is 89 meters (292 feet). This is a magnificent building and it hosts a 4000 pipe organ that was built by Buchholz in 1839. It gets its name from the fact that the invading Habsburg forces set fire to church in 1689, however, not much of the damage can be seen today. It should be noted that despite the fact that Romania is a predominantly Romanian Orthodox country, the Black Church is Lutheran. For a few dollars (Lei) you can go inside and see the Church. Unfortunately they don't allow visitors to take pictures. Another interesting attraction is the church where Titulescu is buried. Titulescu was a well-known Romanian diplomat, at various times government minister, and the President of the League of Nations.
The Brasov Town Square is a place with a very special ambiance. When you stand in the middle of the town square you are surrounded by medieval buildings, medieval churches, market booths, cafes and restaurants, and beyond that tall and beautiful mountains. You can stroll among the market booths and buy candy, desserts, souvenirs, and much more. While looking for the narrowest street in Europe (Strada Sfiforii) we saw this beautiful building and we went in to check it out. It turned out to be an old Synagogue. We went inside and it was surprisingly large, nicely decorated, and almost completely white on the inside. It looked like a palace and it was very beautiful. I am not sure if it was used or not, there was no staff to ask. We also walked on Strada Sfiforii (once we found it) and the street was so narrow that only two people could stand across it. When we stood in the middle of Strada Sfiforii we looked up and saw the top of the big mountain next to Brasov and we saw the big letters on top of the mountain which said "Brasov".
We also took the Brasov skyline up to a mountain from where we could get a good view of Brasov. The view was astounding. You could see all the beautiful old buildings of Brasov and you could trace where you had been walking from above. While I was admiring the view, this Asian guy started speaking to me in Norwegian. It turned out that he was from California but had moved to Norway and he recognized my accent as Norwegian or Swedish. It amazed the others that he spoke to me in Norwegian and I spoke to him in Swedish and this worked perfectly. The thing is; the Norwegian and Swedish languages are very close to each other. In any case, Brasov attracts many tourists from all over Europe.
Not far from Brasov is the Rasnov Fortress or the Rasnov Citadel as it also is called. The Rasnov Fortress is an old fort that sits on top of a hill. This fort was quite large and impressive. The Rasnov Fortress is surrounded by large walls and inside the walls there are buildings, towers, churches, and land where the cattle and other animals could graze. One of the main attractions inside the Rasnov Fortress is the well at the centre of the Fortress. It is 143 meters (460 feet) deep and provided the inhabitants of the fortress with fresh water. The story of the well is that two captured Turkish soldiers were put to the task of digging the well. These two men were assured that they would be given their freedom once the well was completed. According to legend, it took them seventeen years to complete the well, but they were still killed afterwards. The Rasnov Fortress was used to defend against all kinds of invaders including Mongols (Tartars) and Ottomans (Turks) and others. Indirectly the Rasnov Fortress also protected Western Europe from the many powerful invaders entering Europe from the East.
I can add that the famous Bran Castle is 30 kilometers from Brasov. Many visitors who come to Brasov see the Bran Castle while staying in Brasov, or on the way to or from Brasov. Many others drive from Bucharest (which is much further). We saw it when we left Brasov. However, if you think that the popular Bran Castle is "Dracula's Castle" then you have been hoodwinked. I know that the Bran Castle is considered Dracula's Castle, at least that is what everybody says, however, there is no proof that Dracula was ever even there. It is mostly a tourist ploy. Dracula's real Castle is the Poenari Castle and it sits on top of a hill by the Arges River and it does not get many visitors (but we went there on our way to Brasov). This is the only place from which the Discovery film team fled during their filming of the series the world's most haunted places. I saw that episode and I know what I am talking about. Go there if you dare. For those who do not know who Dracula is, his real name is Vlad III Tepes, or Vlad the Impaler, or Vlad III Drakul. He was a cruel ruler (Voivod) of Walachia in the 15th century. Dracula was born in Transylvania (Sighisoara) and lived from 1431 to 1476. He defended Transylvania and Walachia by scaring the living day lights out of the invading Ottoman forces. He did that by impaling thousands of Ottoman soldiers. Despite his cruelty and crazy behavior he is often revered in Romania as a defender of Christendom against the invading Turks.
About Poiana Brasov
Poiana Brasov is a ski resort 12 kilometers (7 miles) from Brasov (right outside Brasov). Poiana Brasov is surrounded by four mountains Postãvaru (1,799 m), Piatra Craiului (2,238 m), Bucegi (2,505 m) and Piatra Mare (1,848 m). It is the most popular Romanian ski resort and visitors come here not only from Romania but from Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and other European countries. We stayed at a ski-resort hotel called Casa Viorel. This was a nice hotel with good rooms and a great breakfast and it was almost ski-in-and-ski-out (however, it was not ski season). We paid 90 Lei per room and night which is about $36. Casa Viorel is also known for their horses and price winning horse carts. We took a horse carriage ride around Poiana Brasov. Jim and I also walked around in the forest around Casa Viorel and Poiana Brasov, however, in the forest we met a German couple who told us about a Brown Bear who had killed a tourist the day before and they also showed us a corpse of a fox that had been eaten by wild boars. The rest of walk was a little bit less relaxing and we were watching out for Brown Bears. At one point I succeeded to make Jim jump by pointing to a big furry dog and telling him "look there's the bear".
We took a cable car to the top of the Postãvaru summits, which are also called Cristianu Mare. From there we had a good view of Brasov, the ski slopes, Poiana Brasov and the surrounding Carpathians. We could also see the famous Atlas Mountain which in the ancient was believed to hold the sky. It was easy to understand why the ancients believed that. The Atlas Mountain is a huge mountain that is high and wide and quite impressive. From here we could also see the Caraiman Mountain which has a giant cross erected at the top in the memory of the soldiers who died in World War I. In Poiana Brasov we ate at a famous restaurant called Coliba Haducilor. The restaurant was astoundingly beautiful, it had good local entertainment, and the meal we ate was astounding, and it cost us only a few bucks per person. We had Boar meat, Deer meet, and Bear meat, impaled flaming chicken, fantastic soups and stews, mamaliga, bread with a delicious eggplant salad, and everyone including the kids got a shot of that strong hard Transylvanian liquor called Palinca. Since the kids were too young to drink Palinca according to the American standard (13-14 years old is less then the American drinking age), Jim and I had to share the responsibility of emptying the Palinca shots. We ordered a few more too. The next day we ate at a restaurant called Draculas restaurant. It was situated in a Dracula themed hotel that was built like a scary Castle, and in the basement they had a very classy restaurant with exceptional service. They also had a torture chamber which the kids enjoyed themselves in by torturing each other. We took a tour of the hotel, and we found it quite amazing. You could rent "Dracula's suite" in the hotel tower for less then a room in a typical American ski-in-ski-out hotel. I do not remember the price, but I remember being quite impressed and interested in coming back here for skiing. For those interested in investing; the Carpathians are largely undeveloped with respect to ski resorts (unlike the Alps). I could see immense investment opportunities here.
About Prejmer
Prejmer is a small medieval unspoiled town located 12 miles north of Brasov. It was founded it the 1100's and it still looks like a medieval town. They have a fortified church for protection (no longer used), horse carts are used for transportation, and the cattle and the other animals are roaming freely around the town and the farms are still small. We stayed one night in Prejmer at a small bed and breakfast place called Pensiunea Diana. It cost almost nothing to stay here. It was not luxurious but the kids did not care about that. At Pensiunea Diana I saw one the most amazing things that I have ever seen, a dog that was walking only on his front paws. The dog had been struck by a car and had injured his pelvis. Since he could not move his back legs he simply walked on his front paws as if he was doing a hand stand. The kids loved that dog. We also visited a small farm and talked to the farmer and his family. After hours Mihai, Jim and I sat on the balcony at Pensiunea Diana and talked and had some Palinca. The temperature was around 75-80 degrees, we were surrounded by grape vines, and it was incredibly silent, no cars, and no crickets either. I used the Wireless internet connection of Pensiunea Diana to look up the news and weather in Dallas, Texas. It was 108 degrees in Dallas that day. I was happy to be where I was. By the way they spoke English at Pensiunea Diana so this is a place you can rent without having to have a Romanian translator with you (which we had).
Practical matters
I found the Romanians to be friendly towards both Western European and American visitors. The Anti-Americanism that you sometimes encounter in some Western European countries did not seem to be an issue. Credit cards are not accepted in many places in Romania including Brasov. You typically have to pay using cash. However, ATM machines take American ATM cards and I found it to be easy to take out cash from the "Bancomata". Another thing to remember is that you have to change your Lei back to dollars before you leave Romania. You can do that at the airport, but you get better rates in Banks or on the street. It easy to change money in Romania, however, outside of Romania the Romanian currency "Leu" (Lei is plural) is not traded. Romania is inexpensive compared to the rest of Europe and compared to the United States.
Traffic is pretty bad, and Romanian drivers are quite aggressive and do not drive well. Romania also has problems with pick pockets so you need to hold on to your wallet. It is not a good idea to forget wallets and passports here and there, at least not in Romania. I should add that the front desk staff at most hotels spoke English; however, typical Romanians did not speak English well, and this could be an issue at stores and restaurants.
If you want to check out my (our) photos from Romania you can do that here. I am not on the front page (I was the photographer) but you can find me in some pictures.
http://www.texaswikmans.com/Romania2008/default.html
Conclusion and final recommendation
There are many fascinating places to visit in Romania and Brasov is one of them. Bucharest is a beautiful city. Bucharest is called the Paris of the East for a reason. However, if you only stay in Bucharest you are missing out on most of what there is to see in Romania. In addition to Bucharest you should visit Brasov, Sibiu and Sighisoara. I suggest that you at least visit Brasov.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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Epinions.com ID:
texas-swede
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Member: Thomas Wikman
Location: Dallas, TX, USA
Reviews written: 368
Trusted by: 108 members
About Me:
The photo is of my daughter and a Beluga Whale, Sea World, San Antonio
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