The smell of mulled wine and pre-Christmas sounds sweetened the frosty temperatures on Saturday, 16 December 2023, when the CEPIT association hosted the fifth edition of the Christmas market in Holzmengen. The Advent event in the fortified church is becoming a tradition and is now setting an example for Christmas […]
Yearly Archives: 2023
25 posts
Even many connoisseurs of the fortified church landscape are hardly familiar with the hidden village of Toarcla, although the ensemble harbours exciting cultural and historical treasures. Many therefore refer to it as a “gem near Fogarasch”. This autumn, the Fortified Churches Foundation took on the task of preserving this architectural […]
One of the most picturesque fortified churches in Transylvania is located in Meșendorf. Situated between the upper reaches of the Hârtibaciu River and national road no. 13, the monumental building was part of an EU-funded renovation project ten years ago. What could not be completed at the time has now […]
The fortified church of Măgheruș, picturesquely situated in the region between the two Târnava Rivers in the Sighișoara church district, has been the focus of our monument conservators for several years. In addition to the maintenance programme started in 2022 with the ARCUS Association from Filitelnic (see report), work was […]
“Fortified Churches in Romania – a photo exhibition‟ has its opening on Friday, November 10, 2023, from 16:00 hrs., at the Romanian Cultural Institute in Stockholm headquarters, in the presence of H.E. Mr. Daniel Ioniță, Ambassador of Romania to the Kingdom of Sweden. The event will be attended by Philipp […]
Not even ten years ago, the prospects and chances for the Ormeniș fortified church did not look very promising: Extensive renovation work was last carried out in 1937 and the ravages of time had taken their toll on the venerable little church. The roof in particular was crying out for […]
During a visit to Romania lasting several days, the Vice-President of the German Bundestag, Katrin Göring-Eckardt, made several stops in the landscape of fortified churches. The programme included meetings in Câlnic, Sibiu and Gușterița. On Saturday afternoon, 30 September, the politician stopped in the Sebeș region after visiting this year’s […]
The travelling exhibition The Transylvanian Landscape of Fortified Churches – A European Cultural Heritage of the Fortified Churches Foundation can be seen in the Franconian metropolis of Nuremberg until the end of this month. On 8 September 2023, the vernissage took place in the town hall of Bavaria’s second largest […]
As part of the funding programme for adaptive reuse, the Fortified Churches Foundation was able to carry out longer-planned building work on the fortified church of Movile in June this year. The south tower now has a stage for cultural events. In the community of Movile, where the association Churchfortress […]
From 18 to 20 August 2023, the ninth edition of the Holzstock Festival will take place at the fortified church of Hosman! The event combines entertainment with heritage protection in a unique way and has become a fixed part of the Romanian festival calendar in recent years. This year, the […]
Natalie Pawlik (SPD), the Federal Government Commissioner for Matters Related to Ethnic German Resettlers and National Minorities, visited Transylvania from 7 to 9 August 2023. In addition to meetings with representatives of the German Democratic Forum in Romania (DFDR), a visit to the Hărman fortified church was also on the […]
With the fourth edition of HANDS ON CONSERVATION in Apold, the organizers have turned a successful concept into a tradition! Ten participants from Romania and Germany built the second part of a wooden extension within the ring wall of the fortified church. For the duration of two weeks, the fourth […]
A heavy storm has hit parts of the Hârtibaciu Valley, causing serious damage. It is already the second severe weather event to affect the southern Transylvanian region this year. Clean-up and repairs are still underway after the floods, but Movile cannot come to rest. A heavy storm has uprooted trees […]
A seven-member delegation from the Evangelical Church of Westphalia (EKvW), led by Annette Kurschus, EKD Council President and President of the EKvW, toured Sibiu and its surroundings in early July 2023. During the trip, the delegation also paid a visit to the fortified church of Hosman. Ruth István, tourism advisor […]
A few days ago a strong storm raged in the Hârtibaciu Valley and caused floods with great damage. In Movile the storm surge unfortunately also hit the association house of our friends from Churchfortress e.V. – Friends of Hundertbücheln/Movile. We admire the great ideas and great projects that the association […]
“No, not directly,” explains Philipp Harfmann, Managing Director of the Fortified Churches Foundation: “But there are special challenges in Transylvania that have to be faced to prevent them from not going at all in the long run.” Since last year, an expert from Germany has been dealing with the solution […]
The Fortified Churches Foundation and the Västergötlands Museum have signed a cooperation agreement to expand and deepen their collaboration. The agreement focuses on the cultural heritage of Transylvanian Saxon fortified churches. The Västergötlands Museum from Skara, Sweden, has entered into an official cooperation with the Fortified Churches Foundation. The cooperation […]
During his official visit to Romania, Germany’s Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD) also paid a visit to the Evangelical Church A. C. in Romania and the Fortified Churches Foundation, of which he is a patron together with Romania’s President Klaus Johannis. It was the first presidential visit since 2016, when […]
Detailed information and documents for registrations can be found here (Romanian)!
On May 15th, 2023, at 17:00 ath the Cultural History Museum of Åland (Ålands kulturhistoriska museum), HE Maria Ligor, the ambassador of Romania to Finland, and HE Konrad Arz von Straussenburg, the ambassador of Germany, will jointly open the itinerant exhibition “Fortified Churchs – Defense and Protection – An exhibition […]
The graduate students of the Master’s program Protection of European Cultural Heritage of the European University Viadrina from Frankfurt/Oder went on a one-week trip throughout the landscape of fortified churches at the end of April 2023. It was the eighth educational trip to date that SEK students have taken through […]
It is well known that there are often magnificent treasures under the roofs of churches. But in addition to altars, baptismal fonts or wall paintings, Transylvania’s fortified churches often offer ancient and spectacular carpentry works. Experts from home and abroad are now researching these medieval masterpieces. Robin Gullbrandsson, the commissioner […]
At the last meeting of the Superior Consistory of the Evangelic Church A. C. in Romania, among other things, a new member was elected to the board of the Fortified Churches Foundation. In the future, Dr. Konrad Gündisch will be playing a leading role in the management of the monument […]
At the beginning of February 2023, a delegation of vocational teachers from Kassel, Germany visited Transylvania and the Fortified Churches Foundation. During excursions and working discussions with the Foundation’s team, the German teachers decided to extend their commitment to the fortified churches, which began years ago. The Arnold Bode School […]
For years, the Fortified Churches Foundation has been working intensively on concepts for expanding the use of historic churches and fortresses in order to open them up for the future. This year, the foundation’s first “own” project is to be implemented: a project to use the fortified church of Curciu […]