Brasov has always been an important city, connecting Transylvania with Bucharest even today. Therefore, it is rich in attractions.
Once a major center of the Transylvanian Saxons, it is the capital of Brasov County. Located in the southeast part of Transylvania, in the Carpathian bend.
Brasov was surrounded by a protective wall, parts of which still remain intact today. These define the city’s image. The city wall originally had thirty-two towers and bastions, most of which still stand today.
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Brasov attractions
Black Church
Romania’s largest church, it is also a significant creation of Eastern European Gothic architecture. Located in Honterus Courtyard, southwest of the Main Square.
Built between 1383 and 1477 on the site of the Saint Catherine Church, destroyed during the Tatar invasion, it became the parish church of Brasov. It acquired its current form in the 18th century.
The three-nave Gothic hall church is 89 meters long, 38 meters wide, the nave is 42 meters high, and the tower is 65 meters high. The name ‘Black’ refers to its color, which turned black due to environmental effects.
The church houses Europe’s largest collection of Anatolian carpets outside Turkey. The 119 carpets, made between the 16th and 18th centuries, were purchased and donated by Transylvanian Saxon traders traveling to Turkey. Today, they adorn the interior of the church.
A statue of the great reformer, Johannes Honterus, stands beside the church. His tomb is located inside the church.
Council House
Another well-known attraction in the city, located in the Main Square. It is the oldest town hall in historical Hungary that is still intact.
Built in the 15th century on the site of a watchtower, it gained its current form during the reconstruction between 1776-1778. Since 1949, the Brasov State Museum has been operating in the building, which showcases the history of the city and the Barcaság region.
The height of its tower is 49 meters, and its bell still rings every hour. From its balcony, three trumpeters play Romanian, Hungarian, and Saxon tunes at 12 and 18 o’clock on weekends.
Catherine’s Gate
It was one of Brasov’s and for a long time the only southwestern city gate. For nearly three centuries, it was the only passage through the double city wall separating the city fortress from Bolgárszeg.
The tower is the only remnant of Brasov’s original city gates. Between 1971 and 1973, it was beautifully restored under the direction of Günter Schuller, and a park was created in front of it. According to the architect, it is the only Renaissance gate tower in Transylvania.
Șchei Gate
Also known as the Orphanage Street Gate, it is an open gate that remains from the old fortifications.
Neoclassical in style, its form resembles a triumphal arch, resting on four strong pillars. It consists of three arches: two smaller ones for pedestrians and a large one for vehicles.
Citadel
Located north of the historical center, atop a wooded area, the fort was built to prevent the shelling of the Brasov city fortress from the surrounding heights.
The complex’s floor area is approximately 80 x 100 meters, its layout is a slightly irregular quadrangle, with four bastions pointing towards the four cardinal directions. Its central core, and oldest part, is a horseshoe-shaped tower.
Due to legal disputes, it is uncertain when it will be open for visiting, but there is a beautiful view of Brasov from the front of the fort.
Black Tower
It owes its name to a lightning strike in 1559, after which it remained black in color for several hundred years due to soot.
Currently, it can be approached by a footpath from Várkert Promenade or the White Tower, and its balcony offers an excellent view of the historical center.
Graft Bastion
Considered the most beautiful part of the medieval fortification system.
It served a dual purpose: one, to oversee the road along the northwestern city wall, and the other, to establish a connection between the castle and the White Tower. Today, a museum exhibition can be viewed inside.
White Tower
Located above the Graft Bastion, this former watchtower got its name from the color of its walls.
The tower is visible from almost every point in the downtown area, and from its balcony, the entire city fortress, Bolonya, Bolgárszeg, Cenk, and even parts of the new city districts can be seen.
Weavers’ Bastion
The southern corner bastion of the Brasov city fortification.
Built by the weavers’ guild at the beginning of the 15th century, it acquired its current form in the 16th century. It is one of the best-preserved bastions of the city fortress, still maintaining its 16th-century form. Concerts are also held in the courtyard of the bastion due to its excellent acoustics.
Its irregular, 36-40 meter side length hexagonal shape encloses a courtyard of 1616 m². Its height is 12-17 meters, built from stone and brick.
The building in the courtyard houses the permanent exhibition of the Brasov County Historical Museum.
City wall bastions
As part of the long city wall on Aleea Tiberiu Brediceanu, additional bastions can be admired.
Heading northeast from the Weavers’ Bastion, the following named bastions stand: Potters’ Tower, Rope Makers’ Bastion, Hunters’ Tower, Carpenters’ Tower, Cloth Makers’ Tower.
Saint Nicholas Church
This distinctive church is located in the Bolgárszeg area of Brasov.
Its current exterior is defined by 18th-century Baroque transformations. Thus, its overall image is determined by the multitude of towers and high, pointed tower helmets.
„The First Romanian School” Museum
The building in the courtyard of the Saint Nicholas Church was the first Romanian educational institution in the territory of today’s Romania, where teaching was conducted in Romanian.
Founded no later than the end of the 15th century, the building acquired its present form in 1761. It is currently a museum, exhibiting old Romanian books and text relics.
Folk Art Museum
Brasov’s and the surrounding area’s most significant museum is located in the former headquarters of the Saxon Industrial Association.
The museum presents the 17th-20th century life of four ethnographic regions of Brasov county (Barcaság, Fogaras Basin, Kőhalom region, Törcsvár region). Its aim is to research and preserve the traditions and values of southeastern Transylvania.
Permanent exhibitions showcasing traditional textiles and Romanian rural traditions, as well as temporary exhibitions, are on display here. In the textile industry room, various raw materials, work processes, methods of fabric decoration, the structure of the loom, folk weavings, Barcaság costumes, the history of the Wilhelm Scherg woolen mill, the Daniel Jasch tailor’s workshop in Alcina are displayed. The room showcasing Romanian traditions displays folk costumes, decorated eggs, instruments, and video recordings.
All information can be found here!
Tâmpa
This 960-meter-high mountain massif rises in the southern part of Brasov’s downtown. Be sure to go up to the top for a great panorama.
If you’re up for a hike, you can go up the red triangle trail. A serpentine hiking trail with 25 bends leads near the summit.
You can also go up by cable car from the foot of the mountain: it takes 2 minutes and 20 seconds to complete the journey. Information on the schedule and ticket prices can be found here!
