Biertan

Biertan (German: Birthälm, Romani: Biyertan, Hungarian: Berethalom) is a commune in Transylvania, Romania, in the north of the Sibiu County, 80 km north of Sibiu and 29 km east of Mediaș. Biertan is one of the most important Saxon villages with fortified churches in Transylvania, having been on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1993. The Biertan fortified church was the see of the Lutheran Evangelical Bishop in Transylvania between 1572 and 1867.

For the river in Sibiu County, see Biertan (river).
Biertan
Commune
Location in Sibiu County
Biertan
Location in Romania
Coordinates: 46°8′23″N 24°31′25″E
Country Romania
CountySibiu
Established1224 (first official record)
Government
 • MayorMircea Dragomir (PNL)
Area
97.26 km2 (37.55 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[1]
2,590
 • Density27/km2 (69/sq mi)
Time zoneEET/EEST (UTC+2/+3)
Postal code
557045
Vehicle reg.SB
Websitewww.comunabiertan.ro

The commune is composed of three villages: Biertan, Copșa Mare (Gross-Kopisch; Nagykapus) and Richiș (Reichesdorf; Riomfalva), each of which has a fortified church.

History

The first documentary testimony about the village dates from 1283 in a document about the taxes paid by the inhabitants of 7 villages and so it is believed to have been founded sometime between 1224 and 1283 by Transylvanian Saxons. The village settlement quickly developed into an important market town and by 1510 Biertan supported a population of about 5,000 people. Between 1468 and the 16th century a small fortified church (die Kirchenburg) was constructed and developed. After the medieval period the town declined in importance with the rise of neighbouring Sighișoara (or Schäßburg in German), Sibiu (Hermannstadt), and Mediaș (Mediasch).

In the census of 1930 Biertan had 2,331 inhabitants, of whom 1228 were Transylvanian Saxons. During World War II many men were conscripted into the Romanian army and later the Waffen-SS. After the war many Transylvanian Saxons were expelled from the region. Following the collapse of Communism in 1990 many more left for Germany.

Today the whole commune has a population of about 2,500 and the village of Biertan alone has about 1,600 people. It is one of the most visited villages in Transylvania, being the historically important place of the annual reunion of the Transylvanian Saxons, many of whom now live in Germany.

Festivals

The "Luna Plină" ("Full Moon") Horror and Fantasy Film Festival takes place in Biertan. It is the only film festival in Romania focused exclusively on fantasy movies.[2]

  • Lock on a wooden door in the church at Biertan. The lock contains 19 locks in one. It won first prize at the Paris World Expo in 1900.
  • Biertan in 1881, digitized copy from the British Library
  • Ensemble of the Evangelical fortified church
  • Indoor fortified enclosure with three towers, bastion and gate tower
  • Biertan Donarium
  • Biertan fortified church

Famous people
The former home of Sara Römischer, in the old Kirchgasse of Biertan
  • Nicolae Popoviciu
  • Sara Römischer. Although she was not famous in the traditional sense, her story is representative of that experienced by many Transylvanian Saxons in Biertan following the Second World War. Sara was deported to Siberia in January 1945. She survived and after five years returned to her hometown of Biertan to bring up her family through many further hardships. Read an English translation[3] of her harrowing story, or for the original German text[4] in Siebenbürgische Zeitung).

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, Romanians made up 73.8% of the population, Roma made up 17.9%, Germans made up 4.6%, and Hungarians made up 3.6%.[5]

Biertan fortified church

See also

References
  1. "Populaţia stabilă pe judeţe, municipii, oraşe şi localităti componenete la RPL_2011" (in Romanian). National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
  2. "About Festival". tiff.ro. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2014-07-02.
  3. "Story of a Transylvanian Saxon from Biertan" (PDF). www.transylvaniadreaming.eu.
  4. "SbZ - Der Hunger tut weh - Informationen zu Siebenbürgen und Rumänien". Siebenbuerger.de. Retrieved 2013-03-24.
  5. "Tabelul 2" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2013-03-24.
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