The elders tell us that underneath the mountain Tampa there is a very large cave, inside which there is a lake.

The opinions regarding the nature of this lake are devided.

Some people say that there is a salt lake, while others claim that there is a sweet water lake because of the many sweet water springs that used to be on the mountain, but which have dryed in time.

Witches Lake

When you get out of Brasov Citadel,through the gate at the end of Gate Street (Republicii-Modarom), there is belived to be a lake where the witches and women suspected of being witches wore called for the divine judgement.

The unfortunate women wore thrown in the water with weights tied of their feet. The crowd waited to see if they drown or not. It was belived that the witches wore Satans servants and they could not drown.

So, according to this belief, the woment who survived this treatment wore witches. Although, there is no certification that any women survived the water drowning.

The women which have risen above the water have been burned.

The lake was drained at the begining of the XIX-en century and today is crossed by Hero’s Bulevard.

Solomon’s Rocks

The channels of the river Solomon, situated in Brasov’s Scheii, are known as Solomons’ Rocks,

According to the legend, Solomon was a hungarian king, who jumped with his horse over the abyss between the rocks,while he was being chased by the pagans.

His chasers have fallen in the abyss and so the king escaped them. This legend has been well preserved in the romanian oral tradition.

The Confession Gate

All across the south-west portal of the Black Church,place called in the old days “The Confession Gate”, the tourist will discover some misterious notches in the stone.

According to the legend, this grooves came from the warriors weapons, who in the warrior time, after the confession befor the battle, wore rubbed against the church walls, in a ritual gesture.

The statue of the builder on the Black Church

On the north side of the Black Church there is an enigmatic statue featuring a yuong builder bendig over.

Beside this statue, all across the church nave, there wore also other statues, which have been sheltered inside the church because they wore very degraded.

The statue of this young builder was the only one that has been restored. This statue represents a tribute to the builder that has fallen over the church walls when the church was being built.

About this young builder the legend says that he was the most talented worker, exceeding even his master. Because he was afraid that his job will be taken away from him, his master pushed the builder over the wall one night when they wore checking the construction.

The master finally admited his crime and he was executed.

Rope Street

Rope Street is the most narrow street in the Brasov Citadel.

It is thought to be the narrowest in Europe and it was used as a channel of access for the firemens.

Though Dracula is a work of fiction, written by the Irishman Bram Stoker, its lead character was based in part on a real life figure: the Transylvanian-born Vlad III Dracula of Wallachia. Vlad ruled parts of Romania during the 1400s and remains a heroic historical character for Romanians due to his defence of the common people against foreign aggressors.

However, amongst the English speaking nations of the world, Vlad is most famed for his exceedingly cruel methods of punishment that he administered during his reign. Often referred to as ‘Vlad The Impaler’, as the name suggests, his preferred method of execution was impalement; victims would be forced on to oiled spikes or have stakes driven into them slowly, to cause an excruciating, prolonged death which could take several days.

Dracula has caused much interest in Romania and in Transylvania in particular, and it is possible to take part in a Dracula tour; but there is much more to this region than vampires. Transylvania is also now attracting tourists who are interested in visiting remote Transylvanian villages in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. The area is characterised by medieval villages that have remained the same for hundreds of years, and have avoided the blight of new development seen in other parts of Eastern Europe.

Winters are long in Transylvania, lasting from October till the beginning of April, and are known for being the most beautiful season to visit the region. Sports-minded visitors can ski at the Poiana Brasov resort, situated at 1900m, with 13 trails ranging in difficulty and served by 3 cable cars and 8 drag lifts. It also has an ice rink for slightly more sedate winter pursuits.

Animal lovers can indulge in tracking activities where a local wildlife guide will take you out and teach you how to identify various animal species from their tracks in the snow. The is also the option to go for a horse drawn sleigh ride, or if you’d prefer to do the walking, then there are plenty of snow shoeing trails that will allow you to the explore the enchanted forests of the area.

The entire Transylvania region is very picturesque, and often likened to a land of fairly tales, on account of the many turreted castles, and châteaus that dot the landscape. Plus of course the area will also satisfy history and culture enthusiasts, especially those interested in the medieval period. Accommodation varies from rustic holiday rentals to small hotels and guest houses and tends to be inexpensive.

Horror, Gothic and Vampire fans are likely to continue to be drawn to Transylvania as the blood thirst for Dracula shows little sign of slowing. However, the beautiful, largely untouched nature of the region is also attracting a growing legion of visitors, so if you want to see Vlad’s birth land before the crowds arrive, now is the time to take a trip to Transylvania.

‘Sighisoara is a picturesque town in central Romania, best known for its beautiful churches and being the birth place of Dracula. Early on a Saturday morning, courtesy of McLain Finlan Advertising who funded the trip, six Teaching & Projects Abroad volunteers and twelve children from a Brasov orphanage began a day trip to Sighisoara.

Sighisoara is about 2½ hours away by train. During the journey we played games and got to know the children better. When we arrived in Sighisoara, it became apparent why this location was so highly regarded. There were many traditional Romanian homes situated on the small hills with extravagantly decorated churches dotted around. We first went to see the museums and the churches. After the cultural visits we had lunch in a restaurant in town and in the afternoon we went to the park and played games like football and volleyball. In the late afternoon we went back to the train station and caught our train back to Brasov. We arrived back in the evening tired but a good time was had by all.

On this first trip the children were a bit shy and reluctant to put their names forward for the excursion. After the stories of the children who did come with us, for the next trip to Rasnov, there were many more children wanting to join us!

Two weeks later, we took our next trip with the children. The original plan was to stay in a cabin overnight but due to the cold weather we decided that that this was not sensible and took a day trip instead. When we arrived in Rasnov we went on a 45 minute hike to the top of the mountain where the town fortress is situated. The fortress dates back to the fourteenth century when it was built to protect the town’s people from invasion. We took some pictures and then proceeded down the mountain to begin the barbeque we had planned. We had our barbeque at the local tennis club. The barbeque took a while to prepare, so in the meantime we played some games and had a sing-song, with a guitar that a volunteer had brought along. After this we sat down and enjoyed the food prepared by the sports instructor and a couple of the children before catching the bus back to Brasov.

We now have a few more trips planned for the future, and I hope that they will be as fulfilling and enjoyable as our days in Sighisoara and Rasnov.’Find Out About Our Care Placements in Romaniawww.projects-abroad.co.uk