Preserving the Saxon sub-culture in Romania

The Transylvanian Saxons are are a people of German ethnicity who settled in Transylvania (German: Siebenbürgen) from the 12th century onwards. Until the end of WWI they benefited from an elevated status and developed a thriving community. However, since the beginning of the 20th century their numbers have been dwindling, most of them having emigrated to Germany; nowadays there are less than a quarter Saxons compared to the end of the 19th century.

This exodus is threatening the culture, traditions and heritage of the Transylvanian Saxons. Their fortified churches have fallen into disrepair. The beautiful medieval buildings are slowly degrading. The traditional crafts and the secret knowledge of the land are in danger of being lost forever.

To prevent these, the Mihai Eminescu Trust has a multitude of projects and initiatives. Their approach is to empower the local communities, preserve the villages’ fabric, remedy their loss of income and revive their sense of community.

In selected neighbourhoods the Trust helps the inhabitants to develop new sources of revenue and to restore their houses with sympathetic use of traditional materials. Confidence is growing that the villages can be brought back to life. Already over 1,000 Saxons have returned, and the incoming Romanian and gypsy population is being integrated into the communities. These successes are influencing regional conservation policy and serving as a model for threatened communities elsewhere. The village of Viscri, under the leadership of councillor Caroline Fernolend, has attracted international attention as an example of historic preservation combined with economic regeneration.

The Saxons are famous for weaving, lace-making, embroidery and wood-carving. These traditional crafts are in danger of being lost or forgotten, but present an enormous, yet largely untapped, source of employment and income. There are numerous opportunities, especially for women, for exploiting traditional crafts and skills and the marketing of these to both domestic and foreign markets.

The Trust is also working to repair and preserve fortified churches, other medieval buildings and the beautiful wooden houses of maramures, decorated with hand carvings.