The unknown villages of Transylvania with stories that are yet to be discovered

t was a cold November morning and I was hesitating if I should leave the warmth of the house or not. But curiosity won and off I was on my way to Transylvania. Today`s destination…lesser known Transylvanian villages from Brasov county. Stranded snowflakes were accompanying me in my travel and it felt like Winter. The road was winding through the hills covered by tall trees battling to keep their remaining leaves. I surprised myself wanting to explore the valleys hidden between the hills wandering what would I found if I will do it. Word of advice, if you decide to visit Transylvania, avoid the big cities, even those who appear on TripAdvisor, take a car and wander from village to village crossing the hills. Stop and admire de archaic nature, the cow grazing on the meadows, the proud sound of the rooster and embrace the let it go feeling, Transylvania has this effect on people.

Homorod is one of those villages you cant find if you stick to the main roads. It is 50 km north from Brasov and it was established by German-speaking colonists from Flanders brought in by the Hungarian king Geza the ll nd. At that time the name of the village was Petersdorf because the patron of the Catholic church they built the 13 th century was Saint Peter.  Later on, it was transformed into a Lutheran church with a new nave added and the old frescoes were covered with white paint. The 13 century was a turbulent one with frequent Mongol raids so towers and two defensive walls were built around the church. This was the church was not only a place of worship but also a place where the villagers could stay safe from the attacks. Although suffered numerous attacks it was never conquered. This kind of fortified churches can be found especially in the zones where it used to live large communities of  Saxons and Hungarians. Nowadays, there are only a few Saxon left in the village. Part of it because after World War ll some were deported to Siberia by the Russian. Only a few of them returned because either they died or went to Democratic Germany. After 1990 when the Communist regime ended the remaining few emigrate to Germany. Today in the village are only seven ethnic Germans and they are all over 60 years old.

These fortified churches are part of the history of Transylvania and when you look at the calmness around you will never imagine that this enchanting land had such a tumultuous past. Probably this is what I love the most about Transylvania, you may never know what you might find after the corner and what story will soon be told….And I am a sucker for a good story….