Transylwania (historical name of Transylvania) is often associated with gloomy castles, ghosts, werewolves and vampires. Actually – The 14th-century castles in Risnov and Bran look like ready-made decorations for a movie about Dracula, especially if you add the medieval buildings of Sighisoara in the background, the castle in Hunedoara gives the impression of "alive” transferred from the world of knights clad in heavy armor. Lovers of medieval art and history will find here well-preserved souvenirs from this period.
Transylvania, however, is not only a land of mysterious strongholds. Transylvanian high mountains, excellent hiking and skiing routes and dozens of picturesque villages, which has changed little since the 18th century, they are unmatched in Romania, and possibly throughout Central and Eastern Europe.
Travelers who love these parts are especially delighted with Sighisoara and Brasov, Without denying the charm of Sibiu and numerous small towns hidden away from the usual tourist routes.
HISTORY
Protected from the east and south by the natural barrier of the Carpathians, Transylvania, to some extent, avoided invasions, which destroyed other Romanian lands or changed their national composition. The Romans stormed here from the southwest, but they did not venture too deep into inhospitable lands. The descendants of the Roman settlers and the Daks they conquered lived in mountain or forest backwoods, engaged in pastoralism and agriculture.
W X w. the tribe of the Magyar Szeklers settled in a place they called Erdely (“Behind the forest”, hence from Latin. the name of Transilvania). W XII w. Hungarian rulers, concerned about the threat posed by the Tatars, they offered these lands to Saxon settlers in return for guarding the eastern border of their country. So knights and merchants from Saxony came here. They built fortresses and churches in their own fashion, and most of all they founded seven castles – Bistrita, Brasov, Closed, Medias, Sebes, Sybin and Sighisoarę. It is from these seven cities that the name of Transylvania comes. The descendants of those Saxons remained faithful to their tradition – they spoke german, they professed Protestantism and preserved their native culture in the field of art, as well as everyday life. Do 1989 r. there were approx. 370 000 people of German origin, mainly residing in Transylvania. After the revolution, Romanian Germans emigrated en masse to West Germany, so that in 1992 r. there were only them now 119 000, a w 1995 – ok. 60 000. Dozens of villages remain in the area of Sibiu and Sighisoara, looking like this, as if someone had brought them here straight from 19th century Germany.
In the Middle Ages, Transylvania was an autonomous province ruled by a prince under the authority of the king of Hungary. The indigenous Romanians were only the peasants assigned to the land, the existence of which the chronicles noted only on the occasion of rebellions. After Turkey defeated Hungary (1526) Transylvania has become semi-independent, although he recognized the sovereignty of the Turks and paid them tribute. This status was maintained until the mid-17th century. thanks to skilful diplomacy addressing this to the Ottoman Sultan, it's to the Habsburg Emperor.
W 1683 r. The Turks were smashed at Vienna by a fan of III Sobieski, and four years later Transylvania was taken over by the Habsburgs. The governors of the Catholic emperor ruled, favoring first Hungarian and Saxon Protestants, and then the Orthodox Romanians, who in 1848 r., when the Hungarians started an anti-Habsburg uprising, they sided with the Austrians. (It was then that General Józef Bem, who recruited the insurgents, called the Szeklers his sons; history does not mention, did he somehow define the Romanian population of these parties). After 1867 r. Transylvania was completely incorporated into Hungary, which caused an uproar among the increasingly nationalist Romanian population. W 1918 r. at a rally in Alba Iulia, a union of Transylvania and Romania was demanded.
Hungary never recognized the annexation of Transylvania to Romania and in the years 1940-1944, as allies of Nazi Germany, they occupied a large part of it. There was no room for nationalist sentiments in the post-war period, a communist state, but from 1989 r. right-wing politicians in Hungary are systematically trying to win votes, drawing a vision of Greater Hungary in front of them. Romanian nationalist activists are speaking with equal enthusiasm, and the Transylvania issue still hampers the establishment of friendly relations between the two countries. Spring 1996 r. their leaders met, to negotiate a landmark "Basic Treaty”, concerning trade, border crossings and counting rights 1,8 million of the Hungarian minority in Transylvania. The calls were on hold, Budapest has accused Bucharest of having a "shockingly rigid stance."”, the latter accused the other party of making "undemocratic demands”. The stalemate was very difficult to overcome.
When making judgments and asking questions on sensitive topics, concerning national conflicts and nationality of these lands, be especially careful, so as not to offend anyone's feelings and not to make enemies unnecessarily. It's better to be silent and listen, than giving categorical opinions.