Cisnădie (; ;

Transylvanian Saxon dialect Transylvanian Saxon is the native German dialects, German dialect of the Transylvanian Saxons, an ethnic Germans of Romania, German minority group from Transylvania in central Romania, and is also one of the three oldest ethnic German and Geog ...

: ''De Hielt''; ) is a town in

Sibiu County Sibiu County () is a county () of Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania. Its county seat () is the namesake town of Sibiu (). Name In Hungarian, it is known as ''Szeben megye'', and in German as ''Kreis Hermannstadt''. Under the ...

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

, central

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

, approximately south of

Sibiu Sibiu ( , , , Hungarian: ''Nagyszeben'', , Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'' or ''Hermestatt'') is a city in central Romania, situated in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles th ...

(). It comprises the main town of Cisnădie and one village, Cisnădioara (; ). Located along the Cisnădie River, at the foothills of the Cindrel Mountains, the town is known for its Transylvanian Saxon heritage, as well as for the communist-era carpet factories.

History

Cisnădie was mentioned for the first time in a document from the year 1204 under the name "Rivetel". In the 12th century

Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

colonists settled here and in 1323 the German name ''Heltau'' is mentioned. The town flourished, particularly the guilds of blacksmiths and wool weavers (

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...

remained the traditional occupation of the town population until the 20th century, when large textile factories were built). Cisnădie shared most of Transylvania's eventful history. The town suffered several raids, starting with the 1241 raid of the

Mongols Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China ( Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family o ...

and continuing with Ottoman attacks. The plague did not spare the town, neither did the fire nor various political agitations throughout the passing of time. In 1806, under Emperor Franz of Austria, Cisnădie/Heltau renewed its market rights, thus enabling it to prosper. In 1945, large parts of the German population were deported to the Soviet Union. In 1948, all factories were nationalized by the communist regime. After its downfall in 1989, most of the factories collapsed. Since the 2000s onwards, the economic situation has been ameliorating. In 2007, in the northern part of the town, which borders Sibiu, a new neighborhood began to develop, called the Architects' Quarter. It occupies an area of over 90 hectares and has a population of approximately 5,200 people.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, there was a total population of 14,282 people living in the town. Of these, 97.1% were ethnic

Romanians Romanians (, ; dated Endonym and exonym, exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group and nation native to Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Sharing a Culture of Romania, ...

, 1.5% ethnic

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

(more specifically

Transylvanian Saxons The Transylvanian Saxons (; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjer Såksen'' or simply ''Soxen'', singularly ''Sox'' or ''Soax''; Transylvanian Landler dialect, Transylvanian Landler: ''Soxn'' or ''Soxisch''; ; seldom ''sa ...

), 0.7%

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...

, and 0.3% Romani. At the

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

census, Cisnădie had 22,277 inhabitants, of which 83.5% were Romanians and 14.8% of unknown ethnicity.

Administration and local politics

Town council

In 2024, Mircea Orlățan of the United Right Alliance (ADU) party was elected mayor. The town's current local council has the following multi-party political composition, based on the results of the votes cast at the 2024 Romanian local elections.

Natives

* Teodora Albon (born 1977), football referee * Lazăr Baroga (1937–2000), Olympic weightlifter * Gáspár Heltai (–1574), writer and printer * (1830–1896), singer, teacher, and the presumed author of

Deșteaptă-te, române! "" (; ) is the national anthem of Romania. It originated from a poem written during the Wallachian Revolution of 1848. The lyrics were composed by Andrei Mureșanu and published during the Wallachian Revolution of 1848, 1848 revolution, initiall ...

Economy

In Cisnădie, there is the SC Pralin SRL, the chocolate factory of Florin Bălan.

Sights

The most important architectural sight of Cisnădie is the fortified complex located in the town centre. Originally built in the 12th century as a Romanesque basilica, the church was fortified during the 15th century, after the 1493 Turkish invasion, to protect the local population of Saxons against repeated Ottoman raids. The fortification process included the construction of fortified towers over the two side entrances and the choir, the building of a double structure of defence walls, a moat and several defensive towers along the walls. Simultaneously to the fortification work the church itself suffered a gothicization process. The altar inside the

Lutheran church Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 15 ...

, which forms the centre of this complex, is a wing altar/triptych from 1520, realised by the school of Veit Stoss Jr. The complex is very well preserved and besides being a medieval architectural place of interest, it offers a variety of theme exhibitions: * The "Cisnădie/Heltau throughout 12 centuries" Museum located over the old

ossuary An ossuary is a chest, box, building, well, or site made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains. They are frequently used where burial space is scarce. A body is first buried in a temporary grave, then after some years th ...

. * The Museum of Medieval Defensive Structures located in the northern side tower. * The Museum of the History of the Communist Era. * Some alternating art expositions.

Cisnădioara village

Cisnădioara (; ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect: ''Mächelsbärch'') is a village located west of Cisnădie. Initially, it was listed as one of the ten possessions of the Cistercian abbey at Cârța. The fortified church, dedicated to

Saint Michael Michael, also called Saint Michael the Archangel, Archangel Michael and Saint Michael the Taxiarch is an archangel and the warrior of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in third- and second- ...

and built entirely of stone, was first referred to in a document dated 20 November 1223, which mentioned its donation to the abbey. The oldest

Romanesque style Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...

church in Romania, it stands atop a high hill, surrounded by circular fortifications, with a defensive turret above the entrance. Some of the original walls have been preserved to this day. The layout of the church, composed of a small

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

with three

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

s, as well as the decoration of the carved western entrance portal, dating from 1260, attest to the strong influence of

Rhineland The Rhineland ( ; ; ; ) is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly Middle Rhine, its middle section. It is the main industrial heartland of Germany because of its many factories, and it has historic ties to the Holy ...

architecture. Another church in the valley, dedicated to

Saint Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

, was first mentioned in 1428 as a Gothic style church, but it was rebuilt in the 18th century in the

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

style.

Image gallery

File:Biserica Evanghelica Fortificata SB-II-m-A-12355.01 (1).jpg, The road to the medieval Evangelical Lutheran fortified church of the local Transylvanian Saxon community in Cisnădie File:Ansamblul bisericii evanghelice fortificate Cisnadie.JPG, The inner courtyard of the medieval Evangelical Lutheran fortified church of the local Transylvanian Saxon community in Cisnădie File:Cisnadie, primaria.jpg, Cisnădie town hall File:Cisnădie-Heltau, urbodomo, 1.jpeg, Cisnădie town hall File:Biserica fortificata Cisnadie-Vedere aeriana 1.jpg, Aerial view of Cisnădie File:Cisnadie, strada principala.jpg, Main street in Cisnădie File:Cisnadie fortified church.jpg, The fortified church File:Cisnadie Centrul istoric.jpg, Historical centre of Cisnădie File:Michelsberg Kirchenburg 3515a.jpg, The Romanesque church of Cisnădioara, built in the second half of the 12th century File:Panorama-cisnadioara.jpg, Panorama of Cisnădioara village File:Biserica evanghelică Cisnădioara 02.jpg, The medieval Evangelical Lutheran church of the local Transylvanian Saxon community in Cisnădioara File:Biserica fortificată Cisnădioara (și o parte din localitatea cu acelasi nume), iarna. Ianuarie 2020.jpg, Panoramic view of Cisnădioara

Bibliography

* Augustin Ioan, Hanna Derer. ''The Fortified Churches of the Transylvanian Saxons''. Noi Media Print, 2004

References

External links

* *
Tur virtual 360 Cetatea Cisnădioara
*
Website of the Lutheran Parish - contains history of the fortified complex and description of the expositions
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cisnadie Towns in Romania Populated places in Sibiu County Localities in Transylvania