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THE GATES OF BRASOV Originally, the old fortification of Brasov had 3 entrance gates. They were, at the same time, massive bastions, built to keep invaders outside the city walls. To these, two more were added. Only two of the five survive to tell the story of medieval Brasov: Ecaterina's Gate and Schei Gate. Both of them are on the south-west part of the fortress. The others, mainly located on the northern side of the walls were demolished in the 19th century, just like the wall itself, mainly because they came in the way of traffic. Ecaterina's Gate was built in 1559 for defensive purposes. It is the only original city gate to have survived from medieval times. In fact the fairy-tale looking tower is only a part of the original gate; documents talk about the existence of a wooden structure which was demolished in 1827. The original structure can be seen at the Weaver's Bastion where the large model of Brasov in 1600 is displayed. The other remaining gate of the town is the Schei Gate, located next to Ecaterina's gate. The structure that we can see today was built in 1827, in Baroque style. It replaced the old Schei Gate which was heavily damaged by fire. The gate looks like a triumphal arch with three openings. Above the small arches on both sides of the gate there are inscriptions in Latin.
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REPUBLICII STREET Republicii Street is Brasov's main pedestrian thoroughfare, leading away from the Council Square towards B-dl Eroilor. No cars are allowed here, which makes it a popular place for strolling. The street is lined with shops, cafes, and restaurants. It is a heavily crowded part of Brasov, but is very lovely during the summer.
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PIATA SFATULUI The Council Square (Piata Sfatului), known to the Saxon population as the Marktplatz, is the heart of the old medieval Brasov. Lined with beautiful red-roofed merchant houses, the square is one of the finest in the country. The buildings recall the region's German heritage. Around the square you'll find some of the smaller landmarks: the Renaissance style Hirscher House or Merchant's House (now the "Cerbul carpatin" restaurant), the beautiful entrance to the Orthodox cathedral or the museum dedicated to the Muresianu family out of which came the first editor of "Gazeta de Transilvania", a political newspaper published in the 19th century. One of the square's corners is dominated by the town's most famous landmark, the Black Church. Piata Sfatului is a nice place to rest, and soak in the beautiful scenery. In the summer outdoor cafes line the square and the place is lively. The spring fountain, right in the middle of the square, cools the air. Every year the "Golden Stag" (Cerbul de Aur) music festival takes place here.
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THE COUNCIL HOUSE In the center of the square lies the Council House, built in 1420 The tower, called the Trumpets Tower, is in fact much older, and was once a watchtower for approaching barbarians before being incorporated into the main building. It was the place where an alarm was sounded when danger menaced the city. What you see today is largely the result of an 81-year renovation after the great fire of 1689. Then, the pile was restored and completed with the Renaissance loggia dominated by the baroque facade bearing the coats of arms of the town. The tower is 58 meters high. The Counsel House was the decision-making center of the important businesses of the city, where outstanding notables of the time were welcomed. Nowadays the building hosts the History Museum of Brasov with rare exhibits and collections.
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THE BLACK CHURCH Brasov's most important landmark, the Black Church, the largest Gothic church between Vienna and Istanbul, towers over Piata Sfatului and the old town. Originally dedicated to Virgin Marry the church was Roman-Catholic for more than a century and a half and later with the reformation sweeping across Europe it became a Lutheran one. Service is still held today for the small German community from Brasov on Sundays. The church is built of friable grit stones and andesite arranged in cubic shape. That's the reason why the statues placed on the exteriors couldn't survive the time and had to be replaced by new ones. The oldest statue still standing belongs to Saint Peter and it is to be seen on the Southern part of the church. The Black Church exhibits the heaviest mobile bell in Romania, murals in the Italian Renaissance style and an organ, with 4,000 pipes, 7 scales and 4 key boards. It was built in 1838-1839 by the organ creator Buchholz from Berlin and it ranks among the biggest organs in the South-Eastern Europe. It is the only organ of the Buchholz's firm which has preserved its original form. The organ recitals held here are very famous and many tourists attend them.
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MURESENILOR HOUSE Quirky and charming would well describe this unusual family museum situated across from Brasov's central square. It was set up in 1968 as a result of the Muresianu family descendants donation. It exhibits letters, photographs, newspapers, rare books, paintings, sculptures, furniture from the 19th century, heirlooms and keepsakes of the musical and literary members and in-laws of the Muresianu's.
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AVANTGARDE Home of the death metal band Code Red, Avantgarde is a modernized after-hours nightclub. From 10pm to 6am you can enjoy a variety of live music, from metal and rock bands to house and trance. Heavy metal and rock is generally played live on wednesday, friday, saturday, and sunday, whereas trance and other club music is played on monday, tuesday, and thursday. People as young as fourteen have been allowed into Romanian clubs, however, you must be at the legal drinking age of eighteen years to be allowed into Avantgarde. If you do not have any identification to prove your age, you will be asked to leave.
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BISTRO DE L'ARTE Bistro de l’Arte is one of the many hidden jewels of the medieval Brasov. Here you may enjoy fine cuisine, drinks and wines, an art gallery, and even live music. The cafe is not nearly as large as the nightclub, Avantgarde, but it is situated on the entire first floor of a building that was once a Romanian pub. Bistro de l'Arte is located in Enescu Square in the city of Brasov.
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THE FORTRESS Strategically overlooking the town and the plains to the North, this citadel is part of Brasov's outer fortification system. At first some wooden protective walls were erected here, later, in 1529, destroyed by Petru Rares. On the same spot they built a stone citadel called Cetatuia in 1553, which unfortunately was destroyed by fire in 1618 and re-built in 1625. For protective purposes the inhabitants added to the initial building four massive stone bastions in 1630. The citadel was abandoned later, after technological innovations made cannons stronger than the building. It served as a prison for a while. Nowadays the citadel was turned into a restaurant called Cetate. If you visit the restaurant remember to take a tour and admire the collection of medieval weapons hanging upon the walls and to drop a penny in the well for good luck. In the center of the citadel is a narrow courtyard displaying shields, lances, a cannon and coat of arms. In Romanian, the fortress or citadel is called Cetate, pronounced chetatay, which is the name one should use if they wish to ask the locals for information about it. Most Romanians don't know the English name of the place, but it is not difficult to be found, as it is at the top of the hill across from the Central Park.
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MOUNT TAMPA Brasov is often referred to as "the city at the foot of Mount Tampa". Tampa is the natural landmark of Brasov and it can be seen from every corner of the city. It is 900m above see level high and it has a large TV transmitter antenna on top. It is actually in the middle of Brasov, making a clear division between the old medieval part of the city and the new one, made up of concrete blocks of flats. You can have the best view of Brasov from the top of Mount Tampa. You can reach it by cable car (called Telecabina) or walking up one of the few paths twisting up the hill. Walking to the top takes about an hour from the cable car station from Brediceanu Alley. The hiking trail is low difficulty level nonetheless, but it is recommended in snowless seasons only. You'll clearly be able to make out the different parts of Brasov: the German part of town has hundreds of red roofs crammed between straight streets surrounding Piata Sfatului, while the Romanian Schei district to the south is a spaghetti of small streets, jumbled houses and cemeteries, petering out towards the hills. On the plain are the later additions to Brasov: the 18th and 19th century expansions and of course the flats and huge factories from the last 50 years. The top of Tampa also provides a stunning view of the surrounding mountains. From here, it's very tempting to walk across the crests of the hills to Poiana Brasov, a very attractive ski resort located 12km from Brasov in the Prahova Valley.
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