|
| |
|
BRASOV |
| |
|
|
| |
The medieval Saxons, with an eye for trade and invasion routes,
sited their largest settlements within a day's journey of the Carpathian
passes. BRASOV (Kronstadt to the Saxons and Brassó to the Hungarians)
was one of the best placed and grew prosperous and fortified as a result,
and for many centuries the Saxons there constituted an elite whose
economic power long outlasted its feudal privileges. During the 1960s,
the Communist regime attempted to create its own skilled working class
in the city, and to this end it brought thousands of Moldavian villagers
to Brasov, where they were drafted into the new factories and given
modern housing. When the economy began collapsing in the 1980s, raised
production quotas and cuts in pay at the Red Flag and Tractorul
factories led to the riots of November 15, 1987 , during which the Party
offices were ransacked and a Militia officer was reportedly killed.
Order was restored, but local pride in the rebellion survived, and in
December 1989 there was again fighting here. Bullet holes remain as a
memorial all over the facade of the university buildings at the east end
of Strada Republicii, opposite the graves of some of those killed in the
revolution. It seems that most of the casualties here were the victims
of "friendly fire".
There are two parts to Brasov: the largely Baroque old town coiled
beneath Mount Tâmpa and Mount Postavaru, and the surrounding sprawl of
apartment blocks and factories. Old Brasov - whose Schei quarter, Black
Church and medieval ramparts provide a backdrop for the town's colourful
Pageant of the Juni - is well worth a day's exploration; and the town's
proximity to the alpine resort of Poiana Brasov , the fortified Saxon
churches of Harman and Prejmer, and "Dracula's Castle" at Bran, make
Brasov an excellent base.
The best views of the old town are from the forested heights of Mount
Tâmpa (967m) to the south, accessible by cable car (Tues-Sun 9.30am-9pm)
or by the various paths which wind up to the summit.
The Town
The bus from the train station will set you down either at Parc Central
, on the edge of the old town, or on Piata Sfatului , at the heart of a
Baroque townscape that is quintessentially Germanic. The hub of Brasov's
social and commercial life is the pedestrianized Strada Republicii (
Purzengasse ) leading from the main square towards the new town and the
train station. It's a popular place for a stroll at lunch time and in
the early evening - at its northeastern end are a department store,
theatre and market , from where you can catch bus #4 back to the train
station.
|
| |
|
