Castles & Fortresses in Transylvania: Brasov County (Castles and Fortresses in Transylvania Book 4)
Description
The following pages wish to constitute a monograph of the fortresses and castles situated in the County of Bra?ov, aiming to emphasize the historical and architectural significance of the monuments and to illustrate their role against the historical background of the geographical region they were placed in. By accomplishing this volume, the authors wish to stir the interest for the heritage of the buildings which due to its intrinsic value constitutes a real historical document, as well as a topic of research in the fields of history and arts, a source of inspiration for architects and artists alike.
We must confess that we faced certain major difficulties in the vast process of documentation, and these were generated by the very small number of written sources, at times even by the absence of such sources. This spurred us to look for interdisciplinary means and methods of research, though without giving up on the more traditional ones. The assessment of the chronology, interpretation of the historical facts, analysis of the stages in the building of the edifices, the investigations done in situ, the study of the location, the carrying out of surveys, the activities of digitization, the interpretation of the styles of architecture or the functional or esthetical evaluation of the edifices implied the appeal to disciplines other than history.
The elements belonging to the range of our research were based on historical, toponymical, archeological, linguistic, map-drawing sources, but also on visual documents – photos taken at the time, old drawings, reconstitutions, engravings and paintings. The identification, the obtaining and studying of most of the material published concerning the monuments of history and architecture in Bra?ov were laborious and the activity made harder by the mere fact that the information may only be found in very different sources, such as books, published works, articles which are sometimes accompanied by contradictory points of view. The absence of landmarks, of certain crucial works on the specific subject, whether historical or architectural, which should represent the foundation of any approach to this theme was again a major obstacle that hindered the rhythm of work and caused the duration of our work to be prolonged to over two years.
The diversity of the material testimonies of the past belonging to the geographical space of Bra?ov County is outstanding, while the explanation of certain frequently controversial or insufficiently clarified historical aspects made us approach these problems with caution and moderation, avoiding anything that might distort facts, states of things or situations. We could illustrate here the theme of the fortresses erected by the Order of Teutonic knights in the region of Bârsa (Burzenland), in the interval from 1211 to 1225, which sparked endless ample controversy in historiography. We thought it best to leave it up to the reader to evaluate the information and to draw the conclusions that will help him to form his own opinions.
This book represents a description of the monuments from the territory of Bra?ov County, which may be said to be brimming with history. Accompanied by photographs and expressive or telling drawings done in China ink, in which life appears to pulsate inside the walls of the buildings, the following pages may spur the interest of readers who nurture a passion either for history or architecture, of people who love to go on cultural trips or art lovers in general.
We must confess that we faced certain major difficulties in the vast process of documentation, and these were generated by the very small number of written sources, at times even by the absence of such sources. This spurred us to look for interdisciplinary means and methods of research, though without giving up on the more traditional ones. The assessment of the chronology, interpretation of the historical facts, analysis of the stages in the building of the edifices, the investigations done in situ, the study of the location, the carrying out of surveys, the activities of digitization, the interpretation of the styles of architecture or the functional or esthetical evaluation of the edifices implied the appeal to disciplines other than history.
The elements belonging to the range of our research were based on historical, toponymical, archeological, linguistic, map-drawing sources, but also on visual documents – photos taken at the time, old drawings, reconstitutions, engravings and paintings. The identification, the obtaining and studying of most of the material published concerning the monuments of history and architecture in Bra?ov were laborious and the activity made harder by the mere fact that the information may only be found in very different sources, such as books, published works, articles which are sometimes accompanied by contradictory points of view. The absence of landmarks, of certain crucial works on the specific subject, whether historical or architectural, which should represent the foundation of any approach to this theme was again a major obstacle that hindered the rhythm of work and caused the duration of our work to be prolonged to over two years.
The diversity of the material testimonies of the past belonging to the geographical space of Bra?ov County is outstanding, while the explanation of certain frequently controversial or insufficiently clarified historical aspects made us approach these problems with caution and moderation, avoiding anything that might distort facts, states of things or situations. We could illustrate here the theme of the fortresses erected by the Order of Teutonic knights in the region of Bârsa (Burzenland), in the interval from 1211 to 1225, which sparked endless ample controversy in historiography. We thought it best to leave it up to the reader to evaluate the information and to draw the conclusions that will help him to form his own opinions.
This book represents a description of the monuments from the territory of Bra?ov County, which may be said to be brimming with history. Accompanied by photographs and expressive or telling drawings done in China ink, in which life appears to pulsate inside the walls of the buildings, the following pages may spur the interest of readers who nurture a passion either for history or architecture, of people who love to go on cultural trips or art lovers in general.
