C & C globetrotting around the world…

The name Transylvania comes from Medieval Latin when it was called “ultra silvam”, meaning “beyond the forest”. The German name Siebenbürgen means “seven fortresses”, after the seven (ethnic German) Transylvanian Saxons’ cities in the region.

Transylvania has been dominated by several different peoples and countries throughout its history. It was once the nucleus of the Kingdom of Dacia (82 BC–106 AD). In 106 AD the Roman Empire conquered the territory, systematically exploiting its resources. After the Roman legions withdrew in 271 AD, it was overrun by a succession of various tribes. The Hungarians conquered much of Central Europe at the end of the 9th century. The Habsburgs acquired the territory shortly after the Battle of Vienna in 1683. The Principality of Transylvania was abolished in 1687 and its territory was absorbed into the Hungarian part of the newly established Austro-Hungarian Empire. Following defeat in World War I, Austria-Hungary disintegrated. The ethnic Romanian majority in Transylvania elected representatives, who then proclaimed Union with Romania on December 1, 1918. Two years later the Treaty of Trianon established a new border between Romania and Hungary, leaving the whole of Transylvania within the Romanian state. Hungary protested against the new border, as over 1,600,000 Hungarian people were living on the Romanian side of the border. In August 1940, in the midst of World War II, Hungary gained about 40% of Transylvania with the aid of Germany and Italy. That territory was assigned back to Romania in 1945 and this was confirmed in the 1947 Paris Peace Treaties. This is why to this day Transylvania has a mixed population of Hungarians and Romanians.

The train ride from Brasov to Cluj was nice. Transylvania’s landscape is beautiful and we saw many pretty towns and villages. We passed Rupea, Sighisoara and Mediasch, all old medieval towns.