In western Romania, between the city of Cluj and the town of Ciucea, is an area of gentle hills and winding roads, of sunflowers and storks, quaint villages and ancient churches. Called Calata in Romanian, it’s known as Kalotaszeg to the ethnic Hungarians who form the majority of the population, and who continue to practice […]
The Szekely area of Romania is unique and unpredictable, in terms of both its population and its natural environment. It’s the most densely populated Hungarian-speaking part of the Transylvania region, despite being the furthest away from today’s Hungary. It’s also a volcanic area full of springs, bubbling mud, and mineral deposits. The Szekelys are a […]
You don’t have to read a book to learn what an important trading center Targu Secuiesc, Romania once was. You can just read the architecture of this town of 20,000 people (largely of Hungarian ancestry) located in eastern Transylvania. All around the central square, you can see weird open gateways that carve into the buildings and open […]
Welcome to Cluj, Romania: a city that for centuries has embodied the religious diversity typical of its region, Transylvania. Survey downtown Cluj, Romania, from atop the citadel hill to its north, and you can see churches of six denominations. Scanning left to right, you first see the tall domed tower of the Romanian Orthodox church, […]
I hurried along the dusty, cobbled streets of Sighisoara, Romania trying to find my way back to the empty hotel near the train tracks. Around every corner, I had to dodge open graves and the leers from men standing inside them holding shovels. The story raced through my mind about a 15th century prince who […]