The debate within the framework of the seminar organized by the Fortified Churches Foundation on the topic of “Open Fortified Churches: transparency, innovation and awareness” brought to light a number of perspectives and >>
The Fortified Churches Foundation, the leading and coordinating office of the Evangelical Church A. C. in Romania (ECR) for the preservation and sustainable use of the fortified church landscape, receives a special grant >>
The church building in Apoș near Agnita suffered for years from a lack of use and care after the migration of the German-speaking Protestant population. Only recently, the private association “Villa Abbatis” of >>
Eleven participants and two trainers met from 19 to 30 August in the church castle of Pelișor for the summer school HANDS ON CONSERVATION II. The Fortified Churches Foundation together with the association >>
700 years: Hosman is celebrating! In 1319 the Harbachtal municipality of Hosman/Holzmengen was first mentioned in a document under the name “Holzmenia”. On the occasion of the 700th anniversary, a large celebration will >>
The structural damage that occurred above the west gallery of the Protestant church in Copșa Mare (church district of Mediaș) could be secured. As part of an emergency intervention by the Fortified Churches Foundation, not only was >>
A castle under reconstruction Filitelnic is a small village in the district of Mureș – it lies in the southern side valley of the Târnava Mică River, approximately 20 km from Sighișoara. The >>
For one week, the students and professors of the joint course of studies “Digital Monument Technologies” of the University of Bamberg and the University of Coburg travelled throughout the Transylvanian landscape of fortified >>
An Art historical jewel Tătârlaua (Taterloch) lies in the district of Alba about 15 kilometers northwest of Mediaş (Mediasch). The first documentary mention of the village dates back to 1332. The Gothic hall >>
HANDS ON CONSERVATION II is a workshop for traditional carpentry, focussing on introducing and training the participants in traditional crafts techniques and materials, at the fortified church of Pelisor, Sibiu county. The Fortified >>
Small and fine castle The small fortified church is a little off the beaten track in a left side valley of the river (Große Kokel). If one takes in this side valley the >>
In the five days from 1 April, the HOG Holzmengen (community of emigrated Saxons) was very hard-working – some important measures were taken in and around the fortified church. The results are really >>
Monika Grütters, Commissioner of the German Federal Government for Culture and the Media (BKM), visited the Evangelical Church A. B. in Romania and the Transylvanian fortified church landscape on 15 April. The visit >>
Castle on the hill Şoala lies about six kilometres east of Arbegen on the right side of the Weißbach river. The village consists of only two streets – the fortified church rises on >>
Reges Publikumsinteresse löste die Ankündigung der Stiftung Kirchenburgen aus, erstmals eine Veranstaltung aus der Reihe KirchenburgenGespräche im Ausland zu organisieren. Die knapp 150 Besucher erlebten am 8. März 2019 in den Räumlichkeiten der >>
Church Castle near the Ghost Forest The village of Măieruș is the northernmost municipality in the Burzenland, 30 kilometres from Kronstadt between the so-called Ghost Forest and the old river. Măieruș was first >>
Church in the Mureș Valley Romos is located east of Oraștie in the district of Hunedoara, on the left tributary of the Mureș River. The village is one of the oldest settlements of >>
At the beginning of February, the so very urgent and important securing work could be carried out at the fortified church in Dobârca. After many discussions and site visits with local actors and >>
The Fortified Churches Foundation is also dependent on donations to secure its long-term work, i.e. on donations to expand its capital stock. From Wiesbaden came now energetic support for it. When Michael Sauter >>
On 19 January the annual general meeting of the German Support Association of the Fortified Churches Foundation took place in Berlin. The Executive Board reported on its work in 2018, which was primarily >>
The church castle takes the floor Ladies and gentlemen, dear fellow castles, I must tell you that it is already a curious thing what one experiences as a church castle: For centuries one >>
The fortified faith – church castles in Transylvania Sometimes a project starts on a detour, so that even its authors seem to be surprised about its origin. Jürgen van Buer’s interest in >>
A look of the altar of Bogeschdorf Bogeschdorf is situated in the Zwischenkokel area and north of Mediasch – in the 14th century the village belonged to the Mediasch chair as a free >>
From 10 to 14 September, the Fortified Churches Foundation welcomed two experts from the architectural office of Dr. Krekeler to Transylvania. The aim of the visit was to strategically and conceptually process the >>
Fortified church in the shadow of the Galter Berg The fortified church is located on the right bank, 60 kilometres from Kronstadt/Braşov in the south-east of Reps. The village was first mentioned in >>
Two new faces will enrich the child and youth work of the Foundation Kirchenburgen from now on. The illustrator Joy Katzmarzik from Mainz designed it on behalf of the foundation. The two figures >>
The leaning tower of Transylvania Between Stolzenburg and Marktschelken lies the small village of Reußen. On the way from Mediasch to Sibiu you can admire the leaning tower of Transylvania from the National >>
Two eventful and successful workshop weeks ended on Friday – happy participants and trainers, as well as some vivid results and a lot of learned handicraft techniques were the result of the project >>
On Sunday, July 8, 2018, the ceremonial opening of the exhibition of photographer Thomas Duffé (Hamburg, Germany) took place in Hamba. The pictures could be admired for the first time in the fortified >>
„This treasury must be preserved“ Interview with the Fortified Church keeper Dana Crişan from Kirtsch/Curciu Teacher Dana Crişan has not been on holiday for three years, the restless keeper of Kirtsch values the >>
The German landscape planner Jonas Arndt, founding member and chairperson of the churchfortress e. V. Friends of Hundertbücheln-Movile association, was a guest on 3 July, presenting the topic “Fortified churches and their open >>
Within the framework of the cooperation between the Patrimonium Saxonicum Foundation and the Fortified Churches Foundation, important protective and preventive measures are carried out at selected fortified churches. This initiative is intended to >>
Between Codlea and Feldioara lies Hălchiu – in the year 1377 the village was first mentioned in a royal privilege. It is one of the free villages that belonged to the judicial and >>
The Fortified Churches Foundation started the project Hands on Conservation, with the financial support from the Administratia Fondului Cultural National. Hands on Conservation is a multidisciplinary workshop, focussing on introducing and training the >>
The fortified church of Marpod lies northeast of Sibiu – in the Harbach valley it stands out cautiously and well hidden behind trees and scrub. The Romanesque basilica, of which only a few >>
On sixth of April the class of the master’s degree “Strategies for European Cultural Heritage” of the European University Viadrina traveled to Romania to get to know the world of fortified churches and >>
On 28 February 2018, eleven students from the 3rd year of the “Coservation and Restoration” course at the University of Architecture and Urbanism Ion Mincu presented their proposals for the use of the >>
From 11th to 13th January the Fortified Church Foundation was represented at the trade fair Monumento in Salzburg/Austria. Its opening marks the beginning of the European Cultural Heritage Year that will provide a >>
Thanks to the support of the US-American Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation the project planning and some repair works to the worth of almost 60.000 US-Dollars will be carried out in three fortified >>
The work on the fortified church in Șoarș (near Fog.), which began on 21 August, is becoming increasingly visible: the “back” of the historic dovetail and plain tile with the partial use of >>
The 49 tombstones, which were knocked over and devastated by vandalism at the end of 2016, were erected and secured again in July. Thanks to the generous donation of an emigrated Saxon from >>
The Fortified Churches Foundation has been monitoring the endangered architectural situation of the fortified church in Copșa Mare with concern for some time. Sebastian Bethge, the representative of the Foundation for the Preservation >>
On 3 May 2017 the first emergency measures were carried out at the fortified church of Pelișor. It is located 22km south of Mediaș, in a side valley. For a long time no >>
U.S. Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation 2016/2017: “Safeguarding three Transylvanian-Saxon fortified churches: best practice for traditional crafts and community building” The U.S. Embassy is pleased to announce that Ambassador Hans Klemm is donating >>
The Fortified Churches Foundation has repaired the bell tower of the Protestant church in Idiciu with an emergency measure as part of the roof programme. This was preceded in spring by the collapsing >>
As every year the International Tourism Fair (ITB) in Berlin was an important date for more than 100,000 tourism professionals and around 60,000 thousand visitors. The Fortified Churches Foundation presented the landscape of >>
The Fortified Churches Foundation is proud to present the new pocket-sized booklet titled „Churches and Fortifications in Transylvania“. It was published in the first weeks of 2017 and can now be obtained in >>
The curriculum of Romanian 7th-grade history class includes the subject of “Romanian minorities”. The topics of history and traditions of the German minority in Transylvania are studied quite profoundly – very tangible topics >>
In November 2016, the church of Ormeniș was hit by burglary and vandalism and has been severely affected: window panes destroyed, locks and doors broken open and parts of the organ damaged. Pastor >>
From 9 to 11 November the European association “Future for Religious Heritage” invited it’s members and other participants to the 2016 Biennial Conference titled: “Tourists, Travellers & Pilgrims – Encountering Religious Heritage in >>
It is dark in the bacon chamber of the fortified church in Agârbiciu. Bacon has not been stored here for a while but the numbered hooks on the ceiling timbers are still witnesses >>
The Fortified Churches Foundation is currently producing a travelling exhibition titled: “The Transylvanian Landscape of Fortified Churches. A European Cultural Heritage”. The concept and production were developed and organized in cooperation with the >>
German Federal President Joachim Gauck, who was on a state visit in Romania and Bulgaria in the middle of June, visited Transylavania on 21 June, accompanied by his Romanian colleague, President Klaus Werner >>
On 25 July 2016, the fortified churches of Felmer and Șoarș (near Fog.) were full of activity: people between cameras on tripods, ladders on the walls, papers, sketches and drawings. Preparations for care >>
In Tătârlaua, district Alba Iulia, well-preserved and artistically valuable wall paintings were discovered in the course of a plaster study in the choir. The restorer Lorand Kiss led the preliminary investigations. This art >>
At the end of June, 6 students of the conservation and restoration course at the HAWK (University of Applied Sciences and Art) travelled from Hildesheim under the direction of Dipl.-Rest. Ralf Buchholz, Prof. >>
…Movile – a small, inconspicuous, remote place in the upper Harbach valley. Here you will find everything: movement and awakening, relaxation and return, outlook and hope, tradition and innovation, encounter and salvation. The >>
From 6 to 12 April the master-graduates of the course of study “protection of European cultural heritage” at the Europe-University Viadrina in Frankfurt/Oder visited the landscape of fortified churches. The 13 participants spent >>
Es war eine ereignisreiche Woche für die Mitarbeiter der Stiftung Kirchenburgen, die in Berlin zum sechsten Mal in Folge an der weltweit größten Reisemesse Internationale Tourismusbörse (ITB) teilnahmen.
The monument conservator and art historian Arne Franke visited Transylvania between 22 and 28 February. The reason for his trip was to continue his research work for a large travelling exhibition on the >>
On 17 Feburary the initial meeting of the executive board of the Fortified Churches Foundation took place. Participants were Prof. Dr. Paul Niedermaier and Friedrich Gunesch as members of the board, Philipp Harfmann >>
