Yearly Archives: 2023

18 posts

Repair works in Movile

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 […]

Holzstock rocks the landscape of fortified churches

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 […]

HANDS ON CONSERVATION IV – Summer School 2023

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 […]

Storm damages again!

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 […]

Important visitors from the German Church (EKD)

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 […]

Call for Donations for Movile

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 […]

Do the clocks work differently in Transylvania?

“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 […]

Partnership agreement between the Fortified Churches Foundation and Västergötlands Museum

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 […]

State visit to the Landscape of Fortified Churches

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 […]

SEK, the 8th edition

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 […]

Focus on Roof Carpentry

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 […]

Historian Konrad Gündisch is new board member

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 […]

Vocational school extends commitment in Transylvania

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 […]

Kick-off of construction works in Curciu

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 […]