The land of Bârsa occupies geographically approximately the same area as today's Brașov County, an important part of its history being related to the Order of the Teutonic Knights, which ruled it from 1210 to 1225. When these lands were given to them by to the King of Hungary and… taken back when their claims increased beyond measure and they wanted to form a state independent of royal jurisdiction.

Some historians say too little time for their name to be linked to so many fortresses and fortifications built in Ţara Bârsei, some of them still standing now - Feldioara, Prejmer, Hărman, Sânpetru, Codlea, Bran, Râșnov others only ruins - Orăția, Brașovia, Cetatea Neagră near Codlea, etc.

It is clear that some were completed during that period, others only started and completed later by the Saxon communities living around them. You can learn about the history and histories of the Teutonic Knights on these lands from two interesting articles here and here . Normally, the development of these fortified fortresses and churches took place over hundreds of years, some of which were rebuilt from the stage of ruin today, such as the Feldioara Fortress.

Clearly, what the Teutonic Knights began, ended with the working people of the local communities. And despite the passage of time and times, some of them are still standing, so they can be visited by tourists curious or passionate about history and histories.

And their presence in these lands, although short-lived, is used mainly for tourism, the reputation of their Teutons being preserved to this day.

And this is what a tourist map looks like with just a few of the most important fortresses and fortified churches in Ţara Bârsei.

We see represented Bran Castle, Râșnov fortress, Brașov, Prejmer fortress, Feldioara fortress as well as the fortified churches from Hărman, Halchiu, SânPetru, Codlea, Hălchiu, Ghimbav, Rotbav and Măieruș. I would say enough for the tourist who loves history and culture, although I don't know how many are open to visit.

To be honest, we left for Brașov early in the morning with the idea of ​​taking a tour of the hills near Moieciu de Sus. But as it was dripping outside and the mountains were in a thick fog, I changed the route and went to the Feldioara Fortress, newly rebuilt and which I had planned for some time.

Feldioara Fortress, completely rebuilt

We were the first tourists at the Feldioara Fortress that morning. It was dripping lightly, the fog had not yet risen completely, but that did not discourage us. I paid the entrance tickets (15 Lei for an adult) and I entered the cobbled alley that leads to the main gate of the Citadel.

The name Feldioare comes from the Hungarian "Föld-Vár", meaning "land fortress", as found by Hungarian settlers. It was rebuilt in stone by the Teutonic Knights after 1210, becoming their most important fortress in the country of Bârsa. It was destroyed several times, by the Turks or by the armies of Vlad Țepeș and Petru Rareș. The Teutons called it Marienburg, the Citadel of the Virgin Mary, which was the protector of this chivalric order.

Basically, in 2012 it was a ruin, so everything we see today there are new constructions, according to the plans of the fortifications from the 17th century. The works took place from 2013 to 2017.

The defense walls and towers of the north, south, east, west, as well as the Zwinger wall are now visible. Also, the plans of the church and of the Cistercian monastery are outlined, this monastic order taking over most of the Teutonic monasteries after their expulsion.

Also, during the restoration works, the fountain with a depth of almost 70 meters was discovered.

During our visit to the Feldioara Fortress, we climbed the defense towers, where various exhibitions are arranged with Dacian artifacts discovered there, others with objects and memories of the local community but also with information about the former chivalric order and its new faction, returned from I understood in Romania.

We also climbed the defense walls with a thickness of 1.5m and equipped with firing holes, as in the past. From there, from above, I looked at the mists over Ţara Bârsei…

When other visitors appeared who neglected to wear masks, as was recommended, I left.

Go there when the Medieval Festival takes place, on the first weekend of September.

Harman Fortified Church or Harman Fortress, the most beautiful of all

We liked the fortress in Hărman the most, maybe because it is really seen and felt that those who take care of it put their soul there. Honestly, at Harman I felt like a tourist fortress in Austria, Bavaria or Alsace. A real pleasure to spend a few hours there, unhurriedly overlooking all its corners.

Like Feldioara, Hărman is another locality closely related to the arrival of the Teutonic Knights but also of the settlers of German origin. And, as in Feldioara, the Citadel of Hărman was given to the Cistercian monastic order in 1240.

Ever since we entered, we were pleasantly surprised by its inner courtyard, with outbuildings built on the inside of the defense wall, some for living, others as warehouses or warehouses.

Flowers everywhere, huge nuts from which the nuts fell, green lawn, a welcoming atmosphere that immediately attracted us. Just look… and you'll be convinced

As can be seen, there are areas where the rooms and outbuildings are located on two floors.

After giving the wheel to the inner courtyard, I climbed up, on the defensive wall, arranged in its current form sometime in the 15th century, with walls 3-4 meters thick, 12 meters high and covered by a patrol. Normally, holes and holes are not missing.

About three-quarters of the aisle of the defensive wall is still functional, as it once was. So we walked relentlessly along it, from one end to the other.

It should be mentioned that in some of the rooms there are exhibitions with old, traditional objects, but also a classroom.

Then we went to the church of St. Nicholas, which preserves in its eastern part the appearance of the old basilica from the 15th century. XIII. Inside I saw the baroque altar from 1787, as well as the organ dating from 1888.

Then I climbed the bell tower with a height of 56 meters, being the tallest in Ţara Bârsei. It is quite difficult to reach the top of the bell, next to which it would be better not to be when it rings (every 15 minutes). Its construction began in 1300 and the last changes were made in 1794.

Narrow elliptical stone stairs or steeper wooden stairs. Honestly, it was harder to go down, not up.

But how beautiful the Harman and the surroundings up there looked…

From the tower, directly and in the yard, our favorite place. Where I discovered the chapel tower, an integral part of the defense structures and with murals dating from the century. XV.

From what I understand, murals describe the path to eternal salvation.

After exploring almost everything we were interested in, we went out of the Harman Fortress and gave it a wheel, immortalizing it from all possible angles.

Beautiful there, very beautiful.

PREJMER FORTRESS, THE LARGEST AND MOST FORTIFIED OF ALL

From Hărman we landed directly at Prejmer, where we wanted to see the largest fortress of its kind in Ţara Bârsei. And our expectations were not deceived, on the contrary.

As in the case of the other two fortresses presented before, the construction of the fortress at Prejmer was begun by the Teutonic Knights in 1218, and after their explosion was completed by the Cistercian monks.

At present it seems to be one of the best preserved fortifications in Europe, it was not destroyed at all by the communists, on the contrary, during their time it was restored between 1960 and 1973.

The 14-meter-high, up to 6-meter-thick defensive wall was built in the 15th century by the Saxon community to protect itself from Turkish invasions. It seems that the fortress was attacked almost 50 times by the invaders and never conquered by battle. Only once, out of cunning, when they entered the city as friends and then changed the page.

As you enter the inner courtyard, the rooms and outbuildings on 3 levels impress, each door being numbered. There are 274 small rooms, each belonging to a family from the village, who lived at the same number. In times of hardship they retired to the citadel and had a place to live. I've never met this kind of organization anywhere before.

Normally, after inspecting the inner courtyard, I walked the guard, functional along the entire circular length of the defensive wall. I think it took us about 10 minutes to ride our wheels on it. It is 10 meters high and has a length of 800 meters!

In some parts it is so wide that it can fit a car. There is no lack of firing holes and holes through which hot pitchers are thrown at the attackers. But also the "organ of death", a plaque on which sat five rifles that fired in bursts.

Also, in some of the rooms there are exhibitions with various objects of local heritage, and even a school classroom. The first teachers are mentioned in 1460 and 1556, and this school class functioned until 1853, when a school was built in the center of the commune.

Then I entered the church, simply decorated. I first admired the triptych altar, the oldest piece of its kind in the country, painted on both sides between 1450-1460 in Transylvania.

I also noticed a memorial in honor of the Austrian or German soldiers who fell in the First World War.

To be honest, it was as if I wanted more information on the spot, a brochure to read during the visit. We paid for the tickets and were left alone, with no information available.

Of course, I gave him the wheel outside, to take some pictures from a distance.

The fortified fortress of Codlea

We had not reached three cities, so we went to Codlea. On the way we saw signs to other fortified churches, we passed them but they did not seem to be able to be visited, so we did not stop.

But in Codlea we found the fortress and the museum closed for visiting on Saturday, unfortunately. So we set out to come back another time.

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So, if the weather is good for hiking in nature, you can spend wonderful and interesting moments visiting the Fortified Cities and Churches in Ţara Bârsei. This way you will find details and information about the history and histories of these places and about those who lived here, who worked and defended them.

And autumn is one of the best seasons to visit such tourist attractions.