Feldioara (german: Marienburg, ; hu, Földvár or ''Barcaföldvár'') is a commune in

Brașov County Brașov County () is a county ( județ) of Romania, in Transylvania. Its capital city is Brașov. The county incorporates within its boundaries most of the Medieval "lands" (''țări'') Burzenland and Făgăraș. Name In Hungarian, it is known ...

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

, about 15 kilometres from the city of

Brașov Brașov (, , ; german: Kronstadt; hu, Brassó; la, Corona; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the administrative centre of Brașov County. According to the latest Romanian census (2011), Brașov has a popu ...

. It is composed of three villages: Colonia Reconstrucția (''Bohntelep''), Feldioara and Rotbav (''Rothbach''; ''Szászveresmart''). The commune is located in the east-central part of the county, in the northern reaches of the

Burzenland Țara Bârsei, Burzenland () or Barcaság is a historic and ethnographic area in southeastern Transylvania, Romania with a mixed population of Romanians, Germans, and Hungarians. Geography The Burzenland lies within the Southern Carpathians m ...

. It is situated on the left bank of the

Olt River The Olt (Romanian and Hungarian; german: Alt; la, Aluta or ', tr, Oltu, grc, Ἄλυτος ''Alytos'') is a river in Romania. It is long, and its basin area is . It is the longest river flowing exclusively through Romania. Its average disch ...

, which mostly follows the border with

Covasna County Covasna County (, hu, Kovászna megye, ) is a county ( județ) of Romania, in eastern Transylvania, with the county seat at Sfântu Gheorghe. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 210,177, making it the second least populous of Romania' ...

. The Bârsa River discharges into the Olt near Feldioara. At the 2011 census, 88.8% of inhabitants were

Romanians The Romanians ( ro, români, ; dated exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group. Sharing a common Culture of Romania, Romanian culture and Cultural heritage, ancestry, and speaking the Romanian language, they l ...

, 6.9%

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Urali ...

and 3.5%

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

. Feldioara has a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

fortress long believed to have been built by the

Teutonic Knights The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians on ...

. However, more recent studies show that the Fortress in Feldioara was actually constructed by the local community. The name of the village comes from the Hungarian word ''földvár'', which means "the clay fortress". The ruins of the fortress can still be seen today. The German name Marienburg means "fortress of the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

". File:CetateFeldioara.jpg, Feldioara fortress File:Marienburg Kirche.jpg, Feldioara

fortified church A fortified church is a church that is built to serve a defensive role in times of war. Such churches were specially designed to incorporate military features, such as thick walls, battlements, and embrasures. Others, such as the Ávila Cathedra ...

File:Rotbav Fortified Church.jpg, Rotbav fortified church

History

Between 1211 and 1225, Feldioara was the Teutonic Knights’ quarter, which will later become a peasant stronghold. A 1439 document states that the civilians of Feldioara built this fortress “with great financial and physical expenses” in order to protect their families and possessions. The fortress withstood the

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

invasion of 1421, but it was severely damaged by a second invasion in 1432. It took until 1457 to restore it. RO BV Feldioara 1612 Saxon students monument 02

RO BV Feldioara 1612 Saxon students monument 02

During the battles of 1612, the armies led by Prince

Gabriel Báthori In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብር� ...

conquered the fortress, and in September the Brașovian armies had Feldioara under siege for three days. On September 16, 1612 a battle was fought between the Hungarians, led by Báthori, and the Brașovians, led by mayor

Michael Weiss Michael Weiss may refer to: Sports * Michael Weiss (figure skater) (born 1976), American former figure skater * Michael Weiss (swimmer) (born 1991), American swimmer * Michael Weiss (triathlete) (born 1981), Austrian triathlete and cyclist * Mich ...

. The Brașovians lost the fight, and Weiss was killed on the battlefield. The fortress – long out use for its original purpose – was used as a granary until 1838, when a major earthquake damaged it. After this event, even the fortress guardian left the building. Since then the fortress has lain in ruins.

Natives

Edith Soterius von Sachsenheim Edith Jeanette Soterius von Sachsenheim (1887–1970) was a Transylvanian Saxon painter, who spent part of her career in England and elsewhere in Europe. Biography Early life von Sachsenheim was born on 26 December 1887, in Marienburg (present-d ...

References

{{Authority control Communes in Brașov County Localities in Transylvania Castles of the Teutonic Knights Burzenland

History

Natives

See also

References