Right next to the Black Church from Brasov, there is the building of the Sciences School, the Vicarage, "Honterus" High School and the Preachers` House, all of them seen as valuable pieces of medieval architecture of the Transylvanian Saxons, making up the "Black Church Courtyard", also known as the "Johannes Honterus Courtyard" or the "Latin Neighbourhood", as it used to be called anciently. The Black Church was built in 1835, on the spot of an ancient church and it is considered the most important historical monument. It stands out due to its construction massiveness, its history and the treasures inside.
The Statue of Johannes Honterus
The statue of Johannes Honterus, creation of sculptor Harro Magnussen from Berlin, is 2.5 meters of height, it is cast in bronze and fixed on a 2.6 meters granite pedestal. Honterus was born in Brasov (1498) and he is considered to be one of the first humanists of Transylvania. He founded the first typography in town and, from 1535 to 1549, he printed 36 books in Latin, Greek and German. He was a great education pioneer.
Honterus School
Honterus School is inside "Honterus Courtyard" and it represents the old German school. The college owned a printing house where school books used to be printed. Honterus School can be compared to the big institutions functioning in Strasbourg, Nurnberg, Krakow and Wien. It used to have an impressive library available for students.
Close by, on Ulita Neagra (the Black Alley), nowadays called Nicolae Balcescu Street, there is the Honterus House. The great humanist used to live here, after returning to Brasov from his journey across Europe. There is an old stone engraving on this house, reminding of the presence of Honterus in this building.
Historical Testimony
Inside the Black Church, the old pipe organ made up of 4000 pipes, which was built in 1839, is still working. Nowadays, organ concerts are organised, filling up the Black Church with lots of people.
Another attraction is the oriental carpet collection, donated by traders or visitors. The oldest carpet is a donation from 1681.
A permanent exhibition in relation with the Black Church history and the community members predominantly belonging to the minority of Transylvanian Saxons from Romania was organised inside.
