Ghimbav: Reassertion of the past
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Ghimbav (called Wedjebich, Vedjembiχ in the Saxon dialect, Weidenbach, Wiedenbach in German and Vidombák in Hungarian) is a town located in the county of Brasov, Romania. It became famous thanks to ?St. Peter? Saxons` Fortified Church. This is an evangelical church typical for the region of Brasov, surrounded by massive walls. It was erected to defend the villagers against attacks. The walls` foundation dates back from the 15th century and the fortification has a circular shape. The access was formerly made on a mobile bridge. The historical centre and the church have now become sightseeing sites and the investments made in historical furniture worth being admired.
Historical sites
Besides ?St. Peter? Saxons` Fortified Church, tourists may also visit the new Orthodox Church, with its golden roof, like no other in Romania. It is situated on the way to Cristian village. Another monument worth mentioning is the obelisk type Romanian Heroes Monument from World Wars I and II located in the cemetery of the Orthodox Church. The monument was uncovered in 1920.
Nowadays, tourists are interested in ?St. Peter? Saxons` Fortified Church and the chronicles according to which a part of the hostages taken by the Tatars were ransomed by the people from Brasov, others were sold under the walls of Sibiu. 65 of them fled and escaped and the rest of them were killed. It was passed on by word of mouth until present day that a child of 2-3 years old cost four horseshoes.
Turning the patrimony to account
?All that proves the historical richness of our town, that we should carry with us in the same way our predecessors knew how to preserve traditions and customs, transmitting them to the future generations as the most valuable heritage. This is way, we seek through any event to promote customs and traditions and to invest in folk dance and song groups. The young and adult dancers` costumes were bought by the Town Hall of Ghimbav. This year, the Days of Ghimbav were also an occasion to raise funds to help the Romanians remained homeless because of floods,? said Mr. Tome Dorel, Mayor of Ghimbav town.
The Locals` Holiday
The Days of Ghimbav event takes place each year at the beginning of summer. The purpose is to promote the town, its customs and traditions passed on from father to son and to boost young talents. This year, on the stage performed the folk group ?Doruletul? from Ghimbav, ?Florile Codlei?, and the brass band from Vulcan, folk music interpreters and artistic bands, of which we would like to mention Compact. The show was opened by an airplane demonstration followed by several artistic and sports events and ended with fireworks.
