{"id":20893,"date":"2025-05-27T06:43:25","date_gmt":"2025-05-27T06:43:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kirchenburgen.org\/?p=20893"},"modified":"2025-05-27T06:43:25","modified_gmt":"2025-05-27T06:43:25","slug":"transylvanian-brunch-in-bassen-fine-cuisine-and-culture-at-its-best","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kirchenburgen.org\/en\/transylvanian-brunch-in-bassen-fine-cuisine-and-culture-at-its-best\/","title":{"rendered":"Transylvanian Brunch in Bassen: Fine Cuisine and Culture at Its Best"},"content":{"rendered":"

In many ways, it was like always \u2013 and yet there are always surprises. Cristian Cismaru, the manager of the Fortified Churches Foundation, invited guests for the third time this year to a day filled with delicious food, relaxation, information, and culture. A well-balanced program that offered something for everyone \u2013 including children \u2013 delighted the approximately 50 participants, some of whom had traveled long distances to attend.<\/p>\n

The goal of the project is to raise awareness among the local population \u2013 and beyond \u2013 about cultural monuments and the traditions of the Transylvanian Saxons, perhaps even to spark enthusiasm. The hope is that more and more people will recognize their value and, ideally, get involved in preserving these monuments and using them sustainably.<\/p>\n

As early as 9 a.m., the first volunteers arrived at \u201cPensiunea Bazna\u201d (as it’s called) to prepare sandwiches, slice bread, set up tables, and more \u2013 so that by 11 a.m., when the guests arrived, everything was beautifully arranged. Cornel Pozea, the host of the guesthouse, had everything under control. He ensured that a delicious meal \u2013 made almost entirely from local products \u2013 delighted not only the palate but also the eye. Each dish was labeled, and Cornel had something to say about each one. His experience, enthusiasm, and strong belief that only authenticity and quality make a lasting impression were evident.<\/p>\n

The program began with the generous buffet. The guests didn\u2019t need much encouragement and helped themselves to the rich selection. Vegetarians were well catered for too. The drinks \u2013 of course \u2013 were homemade: syrup, elderflower fizz, kombucha, and coffee.<\/p>\n

After the meal, the group walked to the village church, which is in very good condition. The HOG (the homeland community of former residents) is exemplary in its commitment to maintaining the church, both through donations and hands-on work. The HOG chairperson, Christel Hermann, regularly travels from Germany to take care of essential tasks and welcome visitors.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a lot of work \u2013 all done on a voluntary basis \u2013 but carried out with the good feeling that the effort is worthwhile, at least for now. What the future holds is only partially within our control. Christel doesn\u2019t subscribe to the attitude \u201cIt\u2019s all over anyway, the Saxons are gone, so why bother?\u201d Fortunately \u2013 and this is a real stroke of luck \u2013 she is still relatively young and full of energy.<\/p>\n

Cristian shared the history of the church and pointed out some unique features, together with Eduard Grigori, who emigrated many years ago but keeps returning to his birthplace.<\/p>\n

A highlight of the day was the organ concert, performed by Burkhard Wenzel, an organ builder from Rostock who has settled in Transylvania. He also shared insights about this special instrument, which has been making music in Bassen since the 17th century. His passion for the instrument and organ music was evident.<\/p>\n

Finally, from the hilltop cemetery, we enjoyed a panoramic view of the village and the former vineyards. Back at the old Saxon courtyard, now a guesthouse, guests could continue eating, chatting, relaxing, or playing. There was a nice children\u2019s program too.<\/p>\n

All the guests were open and friendly, leading to many conversations and reunions \u2013 as there is already a group of loyal fans who try to attend every time.<\/p>\n

People left with a good feeling \u2013 not only having eaten well and learned a lot but also knowing that their contribution (5 euros out of the 30-euro participation fee go toward maintenance work) helps continue the story.<\/p>\n

The next Transylvanian Brunch events will take place on June 21 in Toarcla and on July 5 in Me\u0219endorf.<\/p>\n

Annette K\u00f6niges<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

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In many ways, it was like always \u2013 and yet there are always surprises. Cristian Cismaru, the manager of the Fortified Churches Foundation, invited guests for the third time this year to a day filled with delicious food, relaxation, information, and culture. A well-balanced program that offered something for everyone \u2013 including children \u2013 delighted […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":20889,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-20893","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-events","8":"czr-hentry"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kirchenburgen.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20893","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kirchenburgen.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kirchenburgen.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kirchenburgen.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kirchenburgen.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20893"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kirchenburgen.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20893\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20894,"href":"https:\/\/kirchenburgen.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20893\/revisions\/20894"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kirchenburgen.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20889"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kirchenburgen.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kirchenburgen.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kirchenburgen.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}