The Black Church
The Black Church (Die Schwarze Kirche in German) is the parish church of the Evangelical Lutheran community in Brașov, located in the centre of Brașov city. The gothic building was partially destroyed in the fire that followed the temporary invasion of the Turks in 1689, when its walls blackened and became known under its current name. The popular name after the fire, the “Black
Church”, was officially accepted in the XIXth century.
The Council Square
The Council Square used to be, during the Middle Ages, the place where, in Brașov, markets were held, not only by Hungarian and Saxons of Transylvania, but also by merchants from Romania. The entrance to the square was done through Vămii street (current Mureșenilor), and goods were cleared along the street.
The Council House in the centre of the square was the place where each merchant had to place his goods and the civil servants of the city made sure that these were respected.
Among the buildings in the square we should mention the Council House, the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, the Merchants’ House, the Filstich-Plecke House, Mureșenilor House, the Museum of Urban Civilization Brașov. The Black Church is located near the square.
The Council Square is probably the best well-known and most visited place in Brașov, where various artistic and cultural events, outdoor concerts, such as the Golden Stag Festival, etc. are organized.
The Weavers’ Bastion
Located in the south-west corner of Brașov Fortress, the Weavers’ Bastion stretches on a 1.616 sqm area. Its walls have a thickness between 4 m at the base and 1 m at the fourth level of the construction. Built by the weavers’ guild on four levels, with embrasures, loopholes for pouring tar, and two watch towers, the bastion has a unique architecture unique in south-east Europe. Spared from the great fire of 1689, it has preserved its original form. The first construction works took place between 1421 and 1436, with the construction of the first two levels. It was first documented in 1522. Between 1570 and 1573, the third level was built, and between 1750 and 1910, major restauration works were carried out, following the partial collapse of the bastion in 1701. In 1908, after serving as warehouse for a long time, the bastion acquired the neighbouring building (the guild’s headquarters) and it has been increasingly housing parties and, especially, opera concerts, due to the exceptional acoustic qualities it offers. In 1950, inside the bastion walls was set up the Burzenland Museum, where the scale model of the old fortress of Brașov and Șchei is exhibited, as it looked at the end of the XVIIth century, as well as weapons and items made by the weavers’ guild-
St. Nicholas Church
Dating as establishment from 1292, St. Nicholas Church dominates, through its impressive size, Șcheii Brașovului. The church was built in stone, starting with the year 1495, by the locals, with the help of Neagoe Basarab, Prince of Wallachia.
The Romanian village here, centred around the place of worship, seems to have been a powerful Orthodox centre, since, in 1399, Pope Boniface IX demanded in a Papal bull the conversion of the “schismatics” of Corona. The Orthodox church and the Romanian school, built near it, have been an important spiritual and cultural centre for Romanians in the Burzenland, their actions influencing Romanians in the entire Romanian space, especially after the arrival of Deacon Coresi, who began printing here religious books in Romanian. Numerous rulers and their families have made donations to the church in Șchei. Even Elizabeth, Empress of Russia, sent expensive gifts consisting of money, holy priestly and hierarchical items, ritualistic objects of precious metal. The church was initially built in the Gothic style, then suffered various transformations in the Baroque style. In the church cemetery, important personalities from national and local history are buried, such as Nicolae Titulescu, doctor Aurel Popovici, priest Vasile Saftu, doctor Ioan Meșotă.