PREJMER FORTIFIED CHURCH ROMANIA

PREJMER FORTIFIED CHURCH

ROMANIA
Old Fortified Church Dating Back To 1218
A UNESCO World Heritage Site

Prejmer was a side trip from Brasov and well worth the effort and probably better than Dracula's Castle which from all reports was tacky and crowded. Finding the right bus for the 18 kilometre ride was fun but go to the private bus station opposite the railway station and ask and with some luck you will find someone who will point you to the correct bus, The driver was helpful and indicated which stop to get off (the second last).

We stayed in Brasov at a charming boutique hotel called

VILA KATHARINA 

BRASOV

It was close to the main square and just at the back of the Black church. A great place and location if in Brasov

The fortified church  was built in 1218 by German Teutonic knights and was initially Roan Catholic although it shifted to Lutheran at some time. It is quite  a fascinating place that has been well preserved  and you go back in time as you walk inside and along the upper areas  of the fortification.

VILA KATHARINA BRASOV

SIBIU ROMANIA

SIBIU ROMANIA

Sibiu was chosen as the entry point into Romania  it has an airport with services from Vienna and a train system, although old provided access to places like Brasov. There are a number of hotel options  of varying quality and we chose the 

RAMADA HOTEL 

on the edge of the old town which provided somewhat old-fashioned services but they were clean and probably as good as anywhere else.

The view of Sibiu from the 

Ramada Hotel

 Sibiu was an interesting old town  with interesting architecture  and old style European squares , small streets and winding stairs down to the lower level. There were some interesting restaurants although none were outstanding and most were catering for the locals and tourist trade. Some of the streets and old houses at the lower level away from the tourist area were particularly interesting and showed how people really lived. 

Sibiu was once part of Austria-Hungary and after this was dissolved at the end of W.W.1 Sibiu became part of Romania with a majority of German and Austrian, some Romanian and Hungarian people. In the 1990's most of the Germans left for Germany and Australia. Sibiu had a definite Eastern European feel to it and few in the restaurants ever smiled.It was safe and a good place to visit. 

Vila Katharina -Boutique Hotel in Brasov

Vlad Dracula's Girlfriend

From The Hotel's Website

Vila Katharina is a great small boutique hotel located at str. Poarta Schei nr. 20, in Brasov old town which a few hundred meters from the main square and just at the rear of the Black Church. The location is excellent and the room was top class with everything that was needed and decorated extremely well. The staff were very pleasant and helpful and they provided and excellent breakfast as well as describing the history of why the place was named after Katharina. You probably cannot do much better than Vila Katharina in Brasov. The place was named after Vlad Dracula's girlfriend so the story goes.

 Use this link to book Vila Katharina  

Use This Link For Other Accommodation In Brasov

Take a look at how it is furnished,

The Bedroom

The Bathroom

The Entrance

The Main Square Just Down The Road

Brasov-Romania

Brasov in Central Romania is some 160 kilometres north of the capital Bucharest. Although it does not have an airport we elected to fly to Sibiu to the east and catch the train to Brasov, a popular stepping off point for the Transylvania region and Dracula’s Castle. Brasov is a city of some quarter of a million people, mostly Romanian’s with a large Hungarian population. During the communist area between 1950 to 1960 Brasov was called Orasul Stalin or Stalin City and although communism has long past there still remains a ‘communist ‘ feel the place  with few people smiling and not what one might call a service oriented focus although there were many exceptions. It was an interesting medieval town architecturally with an interesting main square, a dark and sombre cathedral known correctly as the Black Church, and some interesting Jewish remnants such as beautiful Synagogue and some fairly average restaurants. 

The town has a small mountain at its rear and a chair lift to the top which was popular but not worth the effort. The town is ringed by a wall in various stages of decline and the streets were an interesting place to walk. The city seemed safe and there were no issues. 

There were hotels around the city in the newer areas although we selected a charming small B & B called Villa Katharina, Strada Poarta Schei 20, which provided great accommodation in elegant surroundings with excellent service and a smile. Rather than visit Dracula’s Castle we elected to go to a walled church, of which there were many outside of Brasov. The local bus system that took us there was interesting which will be covered in a separate post. If travelling by train from Sibiu select first class but do not expect luxury or high speed. To select possible accommodation in Brasov use this link

 The Central Square in Brasov

A Typical Street Scene in Brasov

A View From The Hill Of The Black Church and the Town

Villa Katharina -The Bedroom

Villa Katharina From The Street

The Bathroom