Michelsberg (Romania)
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Cisnădioara Michelsberg Kisdisznód |
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| Basic data | |||||
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| State : |
 Romania
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| Historical region : | Transylvania | ||||
| Circle : | Sibiu | ||||
| Municipality : | Cisnădie | ||||
| Coordinates : | 45 ° 42 ' N , 24 ° 7' E | ||||
| Time zone : | EET ( UTC +2) | ||||
| Height : | 525 m | ||||
| Residents : | 434 (1992) | ||||
| Postal code : | 555301 | ||||
| Telephone code : | (+40) 02 69 | ||||
| License plate : | SB | ||||
| Structure and administration | |||||
| Community type : | Village | ||||
Michelsberg ( Romanian Cisnădioara , Hungarian Kisdisznód ) is a village in the Transylvania region in Romania .
location
Michelsberg is 12 kilometers south of Hermannstadt (Sibiu) . The place is embedded in the Silberbachtal between the Götzenberg and the hill Katharinenwald. The mountains are the northern foothills of the Southern Carpathians . Michelsberg is a district of Cisnădie (Heltau) . The Southern Carpathians begin to the southwest of the village, the Făgăraș Mountains are in the southeast. A scenic feature is the almost circular mountain cone in the village, the Michelsberg, on which one of the oldest churches in Transylvania stands. It is built in the Romanesque style. The road 106 D leads through Michelsberg, which connects the town to Sibiu via Cisnădie or the Young Forest (Romanian Dumbrava ).
history
Michelberg's beginnings go back to the 12th century. In the course of the reclamation of the area, Germans immigrated from areas on the left bank of the Rhine and also settled in the Silberbachtal.
The golden charter of King Andrew II gave the Transylvanian Saxons extensive freedoms on which the upswing of this region was based at that time.
Michelsberg, however, was a monastery community for a long time. Originally the village and basilica belonged to the possessions of the Sibiu Propstei, founded between 1188 and 1191, which was probably also involved in the construction of the basilica and exchanged it for the area of Probstdorf near Agnetheln to King Andreas II, who gave it to his favorite, Magister Gocelinus . Gocelinus, on the other hand, awarded them "for the salvation of his soul" ... "montem sankti Michaelis cum ecclesia terra sibi pertante ..." (the St. Michaels-Berg with the church and the grounds belonging to it) - as stated in the deed of donation issued in 1223 , to the Kerzer Cistercian Abbey , which owned the castle and village until the abbey was dissolved.
The abbot appointed both pastors and judges and set the taxes that were to be paid to the monastery. The possibility of oppression and blackmail was thus given and was also used depending on the character of the respective abbot and external circumstances.
It was obvious that the Michelsbergers were at a disadvantage compared to the other Transylvanian Saxons, against which they also protested and achieved that the Hungarian kings issued them several times with letters of protection in which their rights were to be aligned with those of the Golden Charter. In daily life, however, they were still at the mercy of the Kerzer abbot.
Border disputes with the neighboring town of Heltau continued to make life difficult for the residents of Michelsberg. The boundaries of the places and the pastures were crossed many times and repeatedly gave rise to trials.
In addition, disputes flared up again and again because of the church on the Michelsberg. Although the fortified church was not built by Heltauern, the pastors of Heltau were entrusted with the administration and exercise of the worship service. Thus they received tithe and the offerings of churchgoers.
Despite the increased stress on the village, the Michelsbergers did a lot of handicrafts and trade, especially since the agriculture could not be profitable, because the lands of Michelsberg belonged to Heltau.
In the 15th century the monastery at Kerz was destroyed several times during the Turkish invasions. Despite the subsequent attempts to rebuild the monastery, the moral breakdown and corruption in the monastery did their part to contribute to the final breakdown and dissolution in 1477.
The ten monastic communities, including Michelsberg, were subordinated to the Transylvanian local administration and the respective pastors and now enjoyed the rights of charter.
Even today the language and z. Sometimes the culture of the Transylvanian Saxons is alive.
Church on the Michelsberg
Although the fortified church was assigned to the parish of Heltau by court ruling in the 15th century, the Michelsbergers retained the right to withdraw to the fortified church in case of defense.
From this a custom developed that was practiced until the 19th century. Every young man who took a wife had to carry a round stone up the mountain the night before the wedding, where it was then stored on the fortification wall so that it could be rolled down on the enemy in the event of a defense.
architecture
The Church bears a silent testimony of times past. The architecture itself is exceptional when you consider the landscape. The east-west axis of the building was given for religious reasons, although it represented the less favorable orientation. Thus, the nave was shortened and instead of a tower in front of it, two smaller towers were placed next to the nave. The interior of the church is kept simple.
The portal is carefully designed, and the wall around the defensive system in front of the portal is extended so that it comes into its own.
The wall itself is a work of art, with numerous gaps and strategically placed entrances. The remains of the pastor's parlor can be seen above the main entrance. There are also remains of cisterns and passages in the walls.
coat of arms
This embroidery is on the back of a flag that hangs in the village church. In the middle you can see the mountain with the castle, including a wine press. (Wine used to be grown on the slopes around the village, see: Viticulture in Romania ) An angel protectively spreads his wings over the coat of arms. The coat of arms is decorated with cherry branches. That is probably an indication of the agricultural changes. More recently, Michelsberg was famous for its cherries.
The cherry picking was a big event. The hand-woven baskets, lined with nut leaves and filled with cherries, were impatiently awaited at the market. Selling cherries must have been one of the main sources of income. The Michelsbergers boasted for a long time that they were the first to pay their taxes in the region, because the cherry harvest fell early in the summer.
Attractions
- Village church
- Fortified church
- Museum (above the village church)
- Halberstein (primary rock in the Silberbachtal)
literature
- Arne Franke: The defensive Sachsenland. Fortified churches in southern Transylvania. With a historical introduction by Harald Roth. German Cultural Forum for Eastern Europe, Potsdam 2007, ISBN 978-3-936168-27-3 , pp. 113–117 ( online ).
Ludwig Reissenberger : The Church of St. Michael zu Michelsberg in Transylvania In: Communications of the kk Central Commission for the research and preservation of the monuments . Volume 2, 1857, ZDB -ID 220003-x , pp. 63–68, (category with associated images on Commons )
- Wolfgang Knape : In Transylvania. Bacon in the tower or stories from the history of the Transylvanian Saxons . 2nd revised edition. VEB FA Brockhaus Verlag, Leipzig 1987, ISBN 3-325-00019-3 , p. 99-109 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Official German-language name according to Romanian government resolution 1415 of December 6, 2002 ( Official Journal ( Memento of September 5, 2018 in the Internet Archive ))