Braşov
Black Church in Brasov
April 4, 2004
Brasov is a very communist looking town on the outskirts and is much larger than
I had thought. It was about a 45 minute walk from the station to downtown and our
hostel. We checked in and immediately left to see the town.
The downtown square is said to be the best in Romania and I don’t doubt it. The
buildings are all red roofed, the area surrounded by mountains and on the corner
of the square a huge gothic church, said to be the biggest between Vienna and Istanbul.
It’s known as the black church and is impressive more because of it's size than
detail work.
The city feels like a novel set in medieval times, but this feeling was quickly
forgotten in the mist the tourists, modern cafes, roadside shops, and the knowledge
that just five minutes away is a plethora of communist block apartment buildings.
Brasov has a reputation as being a great tourist location and while I enjoyed it,
it is perhaps over-rated.
After dinner we went back to the hostel to find everyone there just sitting and
watching Planet of the Apes. To avoid stigmatization and due to a lack of anything
to do, we joined. Being absolutely exhausted I went to bed early, but most people
stayed out all night because Easter is the biggest party of the year (Orthodoxy
requires fasting so Easter is a lot of eating and drinking) that begins at midnight.
At midnight there’s a big procession followed by lots of partying. We walked around
the night streets for awhile but returned to the hostel, where I met a guy from
Madison, who knows a few of my friends there, small world.
Brasov's Town Square
Brasov's Town Square
Cemetery in Brasov
Town Square in Brasov
Entrance to the Black Church in Brasov
Graveyard from WW I & II in Brasov