Brașov - a journey back in time unveiling the medieval charms of Romania
A bit of context
Brașov is one of the major cities in the Transilvania region of Romania, renowed for its natural landscapes, castles and historical villages. Eventhough the area has been continuously inhabited since the Neolithic period, the city of Brașov proper in thought to have been founded around the 13th Century as a colony of Saxons - the dominant Germanic people in Central Europe at the time.
Old Town Brașov was once a fortified city, in order to protect the peripheric border of the Hungarian land, but a great fire catastrophy in 1689 destroyed most of the constructions and the city had to be almost estirely rebuilt thereafter. Since its modern founding in 1235, Brașov was under Hungarian influence and territorial control until the end of the First World War, when it switched hands to Romania, ending almost 700 years of dominion from Hungary.
Translyslvania has always been a cultural melting pot in the centre of the border between Central Europe, Eastern Europe and the Balkans, keeping to this day an extensive mix of Romanian, Hungarian and Germanic populations.
Here is the link for my Flickr album from when I was in town, in case you want to get inspired for your trip!
