Transylvania: Alba Iulia & Câlnik castle

Travelling through Transylvania, we visited the star-shaped Romanian fortress in Alba Iulia and the tiny castle of Câlnik, but again there was so much to see while driving through the country.

Beautiful houses, once property of the Transylvanian Saxons – a German-speaking minority in Rumania, are now abandoned as most of them left the country since the 1970s.

Orthodox church and cemetery
In smaller villages, tarmac ends when you leave the main roads

The little castle of Câlnik (Killing in German) was built as a noble’s residence. In 1430, it was bought by the German community and fortified. It consists of a large court surrounded by walls and some buildings adjacent to the walls. In the middle of the court there is a large keep as well as a chapel. It is well-preserved and a lovely complex where you easily can imagine how people lived here once.

The keep in the middle of the courtyard 
Watch Tower over the entrance
Climbing the tower needed some trust in the construction
… but the view was great
We also stopped at Alba Iulia (Karlsburg in German) to visit the huge star shaped citadel called Alba Carolina. It was built between 1715 and 1738 during the Habsburg rule in Transylvania in the style of Vauban.

The highlights inside the citadel are the Romanian Orthodox Cathedral from the early 20th century and on the right the Roman Catholic Cathedral. Its tower dates from the 17th century.

Funny construction
Flowers of the Day
Camping at Cisnadioara (Michelsberg in German)

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