Prejmer
Settled in 1240, this pretty Saxon town a few miles northeast of Brasov has a 15th-century citadel and 13th-century Gothic evangelical church. The inner fortification wall contains 272 small cells that would house locals during sieges. Some of the cells are open for viewing, and visitors can also walk the circumference of the fortress along a narrow walkway inside the wall.
Clock Tower
Piata Muzeului, Sighisoara
Built in 1648, this 210-foot structure was the main entrance to the fortified part of town. It now houses a history museum with a fine collection of medieval artifacts and Renaissance furniture; the top floor of the tower offers a view of its clock workings and a crow's view of the city. Adults $1.30. (Most historic sites in Transylvania charge visitors an entry fee of $1-$1.50, more if a camera or video camera is used.)
Biertan
About 15 miles southwest of Sighisoara, 13th-century Biertan was the seat of Lutheran bishops from 1572 to 1867. Within the majestic fortification is a small room said to have been used by church leaders to reconcile couples seeking a divorce; locked up together for two weeks, the estranged couple supposedly would either come to realize their folly or, in rare cases, take their own lives.
Museum of Traditional FolkCivilization
Calea Rasinari, Sibiu
011-40-269-242-599
www.muzeulastra.ro
Some 300 traditional Romanian buildings and rural houses are reassembled here in a 200-acre open-air ethnographic museum, many furnished with textiles, pottery, carved wood, and metal implements. Folk technology is illustrated in various mills, presses, and distilleries in a park-like setting. Adults about $2.20.
Where to stay
Coroana Hotel
62 Republicii St., Brasov
011-40-268-477-448
www.aro-palace.ro/coroana.html
In the historical center of Brasov, this Baroque-style hotel is one of the oldest in the city and has elegant, spacious rooms. Rooms about $53-$70.
Casa Wagner
7 Piata Cetatii, Sighisoara
011-40-265-506-014
www.casa-wagner.com
