Brasov Things to Do

The Honterus School was the first wschool in Brasov to be governed by proper school regulations. The regulations were written by Johanes Honterus. The teachers of the school, built in 1541, as well as its pupils came from the country and from abroad. The graduates worked as priests, doctors, musicians and teachers.

Between 1544 and 1548 there were 126 students at the school, 25 of whom went on to study abroad. On the initiative of Honterus in 1547 a library was also founded. Following the 1689 fire and the 1783 earthquake the main school building had to be torn down. They started to rebuild it the following year. It gained its present shape in 1834. During WWI the building was used as gunpowder storage, and later on as a maternity ward.

The orginal school library building, dating from 1547, is still standing.

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Biserica Neagră , The Black Church, is Brasov's celebrated Gothic cathedral. The building dates from 1477, when it replaced an older church, demolished around 1385. The church belongs to the final stages of Gothic architecture.The result was a three-nave basilica, all the same height, as was preferred during the 15th and 16th centuries in the German lands, where most of the architects and stonemasons originated. The church acquired its name after being blackened by smoke from the great fire of 1689.

Biserica Neagră is 89 m long and 38 m wide. It measures 65 m from the floor level to the highest point of its only bell tower. The Black Church has a six-ton bell, the biggest in Romania, and an impressive organ built in 1839 by Carl August Buchholz, which with 3,993 pipes, is said to be the largest in south-eastern Europe.The Black Church also houses the richest collection of Anatolian carpets in all Europe

Originally a Roman Catholic church, it became Lutheran Protestant during the Reformation. A Lutheran service is still held each Sunday for Brasov's small German community.

Opening hours:

15 June - 15 September 10.00-17.00

16 September - 14 June 10.00-15.30

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Casa Muresenilor first opened as a museum in 1961. Quirky and charming would well describe this unusual family museum situated across from Brasov's central square. The Casa Muresenilor is a memorial to the talented family of Jacob Muresan, a teacher who married into money and in 1838 became founding editor of the Gazeta Transilvaniei. The museum is housed in the family home, and features letters, photographs, and heirlooms of the musical, literary and military members of the Muresan family.

It has one of the best historical archives in Transylvania, with more than 25,000 documents.

Open 09:00 - 15:00. Closed Sun.

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Braşov's synagogue is one of the grander synagogues I have seen in my travels. For security reasons, they generally tend to be modest and unobtrusive. This one is quite elegant, but hidden away behind locked gates.

Walk from Schei gate along Grigoros Dinicu and you will see it set back from the road, on the right, just before Strada Sforii (Rope Street).

Jews have lived in Braşov since 1807, when Aron Ben Jehuda was given permission to live in the city, a privilege until then granted only to Saxons. The Jewish Community of Braşov was officially founded 19 years later, followed by the first Jewish school in 1864, and the building of the synagogue in 1901. The Jewish population of Braşov was 67 in 1850, but it expanded rapidly to 1,280 people in 1910, and 4,000 in 1940. Today the Jewish community has about 230 members, after many families left for Israel between World War II and 1989.

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The Black Tower, or Turnul Negru, dates back to the fourteenth century. It was struck by lightning in 1559 and caught on fire, leaving it blackened. It has since been cleaned up, however, and doesn't look much darker today than the neighbouring White Tower.

Today it houses a small weapons museum and its appearance is somewhat spoiled by a modern glass roof.

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Piaţa Safatalui is the old town square and my favourite part of Brasov. It's surrounded by medieval buildings , many of which now house bars, cafes and restaurants. The centre of the square is dominated by the fifteenth century Casa Sfatalui, the old town hall, which now houses the local history museum and the tourist information office. On the west side of the square is Muresenilor House while the sixteenth century Hirscher House stands on the east side. The Orthodox church is on the north side while the Black Church stands behind the buildings at the southern end of the square.

The last public burning of a witch in Europe took place here.

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Beside the official synagogue in Brasov we have found a hidden one that is on the street below the mountain and is going to be turned into a library. We saw it when we were on the top of the mountain but wouldn't have found it but for some people who showed it and that is because the synagogue is inside a yard and has gates so it is completely hidden away. However we were impressed as it is very beautiful as you can see in the photo.

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Brasov is a great city to explore by foot, so make sure you take your time, walk on the narrow streets and have your camera handy. You never know when you will need to take that perfect picture you have been looking for!