"Brasov" a Brasov Travel Page by Fam_Stoica

Situated at the crossroads of the main trade routes which go over the Carpathians, Brasov has been throughout history one of the most important cities of Transylvania, considered an Eastern bulwarh of European culture and civilization.
Its geographical position in the Tara Barsei depression offer the favourable habitate conditions, so that the oldest traces discovered until now date from the Late Neolithic.
Starting with the first millennium b.C., the settlements bear the features of the Dacian civilisation, while the Roman period enriches with new fortresses the architecture of the region.
Starting with the 11th century, Transylvania was gradually incorporated in the Hungarian kingdom, but maintained its authonomy. In 1211 Andrew II donates Tara Barsei to the Teutonic Knights, who were obliged to defend the Eastern frontier of the kingdom, which was exposed to Asian invasions. As with the traditions, the Germans built, along with other citadels, the fortress on the Tampa mountain.
The first documentary certification of Brasov is an inscription stored inside the Black Church : 1213. In "Catalogus Ninivensis" (1235) the city is mentioned as Corona, in 1252 - Baraso and in 1288 - Braso.
After the Tartar invasion from 1241 which distroys the city, it is rebuilt in the Cistercian style; the St. Bartholomew Church is the oldest historical monument preserved in Brasov.
In 1292 is certified the St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in the centre of Scheii Brasovului Romanian district.
Between 1383-1477 in the fortress is raised in late Gothic style the St. Mary Church, known after the fire in 1689 as the Black Church. In 1395 is concluded in Brasov the Ottoman alliance between Mircea the Older and Sigismund de Luxemburg, the king of Hungary, the future Roman-German emperor.
In the 14th century it starts the raising of the impressive fortification system of the medieval fortress, with walls, bastions, portals, easily flooded ditch and isolated guarding towers, finished in 1641 with the construction of the Goldsmith's Bastion.
In 1495 starts the building in stone of the St. Nicholas Church from Schei, nearby the First Romanian School, rebuilt in 1597 and 1761.
In the first part of the 16th century, the Lutheran priest Johannes Honterus (1498-1549) transforms Brasov in the first important centre of humanism in Transylvania; in 1539 he installed the first printing works, in 1546 takes place the founding of the papermill, the first in Romania and in 1547 it is built the School Library which stored the biggest book collection in Transylvania.
In 1556-1588 Deacon Coresi, the biggest Romanian printer of the 16th century print the first Romanian books.
In 1600 Michael the Brave enters in Brasov as ruler of Valachia, Transylvania and Moldova.
In 1689, related with the entering of the royal Austrian army in Transylvania, a big fire devastated the Gothic and Renaissance appearance of the city, the buildings being reshuffled during the 18th century. By 1744 all the traces of the fire were entirely removed.
The first factory in Brasov was founded in 1823 - the cloth factory Wilhelm Scherg & Co.
The first issue of the local newspaper "The Transylvanian Gazzette" appeared in 1838, edited by George Baritiu. In 1851 was founded the first gymnasium in Brasov, today the National College Andrei Saguna. In 1848, the poet Andrei Muresianu composes on an older Romanian melody the verses of the present national anthem.
In 1873 takes place the the inauguration of the Brasov Station, together with the first railway Brasov-Sighisoara and the first telephone lines started functioning in 1892. In 1898 was finished the building of the Finance Palace - the present residence of the City Hall.
On December, 7th 1918, after the proclamation of the Great Unification, dr. Ernst Karl Schnell, the German Mayor, along with representants of the local nationalities, welcomed the entering in Brasov of the Romanian army.