Viscri Saxon Village and The Fortified Church

Viscri Saxon Village from Transylvania is perhaps the most famous village of Romania. Much of the fame of this Saxon village is due to King Charles of Great Britain and, less, to the very long history of the place.

Viscri Saxon Village was established by the Saxon settlers more than 800 years ago. The Saxons are the ones who founded the settlement and the Fortified Church which dominated the village for centuries.
The Fortified Church concept means that the church was built first, and only after the defensive wall due to the frequent invasions of the Turks, Tatars, Mongols and others. The fortification is impressive with four defense towers. One of the towers had another purpose: it was the place where the villagers stored the meat. The tower, therefore, served as a refrigerator for the locals, who took care to stamp the meat with the number of the house in which they lived. The main defense tower had the role of observing the surroundings in case of invasion. Today, the tower offers superb views over the village.

Viscri Saxon Village is a top attraction in Transylvania and, thanks to its isolation, has kept its old appearance. The village was included in the Unesco World Heritage.
In the 90s, after the fall of communism, Prince Charles at that time, now the King of Great Britain, got involved in a Foundation whose aim was to save and preserve the Saxon villages. In the mid-90s, Prince Charles came to Romania for the first time and fell in love with Transylvania. He decided to buy an old Saxon house in the village of Viscri. Then, almost every summer, the Prince of Wales came to Viscri for a few days and stayed at his house in the village. Now, the house of the King of Great Britain can be visited by tourists.