The coat of arms of Burzenland
The
Burzenland (; ; ) is a historic and ethnographic area in southeastern
Transylvania,
Romania with a mixed population (
German,
Romanian,
Hungarian).
Since the
exodus of most of the German-speaking
Transylvanian Saxons in the 20th century, this region has been predominantly inhabited by Romanians.
Geography
The Burzenland lies within the
Carpathian Mountains, bordered approximately by
Apaţa in the north,
Bran in the southwest and
Prejmer in the east. Its most important city is
Braşov. Burzenland is named after the
stream Bârsa (
Barca,
Burzen, 1231:
Borza),
which flows into the
Olt river. The
Romanian word
bârsă is supposedly of
Dacian origin (
see List of Romanian words of possible Dacian origin).
History
Middle Ages
Based on archaeological evidence, it seems German colonization of the region started in the middle of 12th century during the reign of King
Géza II of Hungary.
The German colonists from this region are attested in documents as early as 1192 when
terra Bozza is mentioned as being settled by Germans (
Theutonici).
In 1211 the region was given to the
Teutonic Knights by King
Andrew II of Hungary in return for guarding the southeastern border of the
Kingdom of Hungary against the
Cumans. While the king retained his right to mint currency and claims on gold or silver deposits that would be uncovered, he granted the Teutonic Order the right to establish markets and administer justice. The crusaders were also free from taxes and tolls.
The Teutonic Knights began building wood-and-earth forts in the area and they had constructed five castles (
quinque castra fortia):
,
Schwarzenburg,
Rosenau, Kreuzburg, and
Kronstadt,
some of which were made of stone.
The
military order was successful in reducing the threat of the nomadic Cumans.
German already in Transylvania and volunteer settlers from the
Holy Roman Empire developed farms and villages nearby to support the forts and settle the land.
Whether the territory was already populated at the time is disputed. Some medieval sources indicate it was uninhabited, a view challenged by some scholars invoking archaeological
and documentary evidence.
[ The diplomas from 1222 speak of people inhabiting these lands at the time when the donation was made.] Bountiful agricultural yields led to further colonization by German immigrants.
The Teutonic Knights disregarded the rights of the local bishopric, however, and angered Hungarian nobility which had claims on the region. Led by
Béla, the heir to the throne, the nobility pressed the need to expel the knights upon King Andrew II after his return from the
Fifth Crusade.
Grand Master Hermann von Salza attempted to loosen the Order's ties to the Hungarian crown by drawing closer to the
Papacy.
Andrew subsequently evicted the Order with his army in 1225, although
Pope Honorius III protested to no effect.
The confusing status of the Teutonic Knights within the Kingdom of Hungary led Hermann von Salza to insist upon autonomy before committing the military order to
Prussia.
Along with Germans, the kings of Hungary also settled
Szeklers and
Pechenegs in the region during the 12th and 13th centuries.
Archaeological evidence for the same period also suggests a Romanian population inhabiting the villages later known as
Şcheii Braşovului,
Satulung,
Baciu,
Cernatu, and
Turcheş (the former is today part of Braşov, while the latter four are today part of
Săcele).
In the second half of the 13th century the Romanian population is attested in two documents: in the region of Bran (1252) and
Tohan (1294),
while in the second half of the 15th century out of nine villages from the domain of
Bran seven were Romanian (
villae valachicales, Bleschdörfer) and only two German.
At the Conference of
Lutsk in 1429,
Sigismund,
Holy Roman Emperor and King of Hungary, suggested that the Teutonic Knights defend the region during the
Ottoman wars in Europe. Led by Claus von Redewitz, a detachment of knights from
Prussia was stationed in the Burzenland until half were killed during an Ottoman campaign in 1432.
20th century
Transylvanian Saxons remained in the Burzenland until the 20th century. Beginning in 1976, most of these Germans began to immigrate to
West Germany with the approval of the
Communist Romanian regime.
[. Introduction available on web: ]Towns
In each case, the modern
Romanian name is given first, followed by the historic
German and
Hungarian names.
- Bod (Brenndorf, Botfalva)
- Bran (Törzburg, Törcsvár)
- Hărman (Honigberg, Szászhermány)
- Râşnov (Rosenau, Barcarozsnyó)
- Rotbav (Rotbach, Szászveresmart)
- Săcele (Siebendörfer, Szecseleváros / Négyfalu)
- Vulcan (Wolkendorf, Szászvolkány)
