BRASOV

ROMANIA

”Learning about heroes through legends”Comenius Project

Local legends

Local traditional stories

CLASA a III-a D

The dragon on the mountain

Once upon a time there was a dragon that was eating the town leaders’ children. One day, a butcher took a calf’s skin, put a limestone inside it and brought it to the dragon’s cave. Because the water reacted with the lime, the legend says the dragon blew up.

For some people Tampa hill represents evidence that the dragon really existed, and if you look at it from the distance, it looks like a dragon’s back.

The Black Church is the heart of Brasov

More than 500 years old The Black Church is the most outstanding historical monument in Brasov, the biggest Gothic church in Transilvania and the biggest religious building between Viena and Istanbul. More than this there is one of the biggest organs from Europe inside it and the biggest collection of old carpets from the Small Asia.

We also can see an uncommon statue for a religious house on the abutment of the northern part of the Black Church. It’s about a child who is about to fall down.

The legend says that a very skilful apprentice in masonry worked for the master mason to build the church. Realizing that the young man will overtake him and could take his place, the master became envy. So he decided to kill him. He asked the boy to take something on the cornice and when this one bowed, the master pushed him away. They say that the statue had been raised by the other bricklayers in their fellow’s memory.

The apprentice’s death brought peace to the master mason for a while. He learnt from the other apprentices that the boy had appreciated very much and told everybody how skilful was his master.

Full of remorse the master thought to purify himself and he raised a statue which represented a bent boy even in the place where everything had happened. In the end he didn’t endure anymore and exposed himself being sentenced to death.

Black Church

The nun`s cavern

The legend says that a nun was living in a cavern on Tampa hill. One day, when she was walking through the forest, she found a dragon cub. She took care of it, but when it grew up it ate her. And so the cavern was called “The nun’s cavern” in her memory.

The lake under the hill

We don’t know if dragons really existed, but some say there is a very big lake under Tampa hill and a possible overflow would flood Brasov, and it would also prevent the building of a tunnel underneath the hill.

Another story says that there is an aproximati vely 100 meter deep well on Tampa mountain that would lead to a big pool of fresh water. Today the well is blocked ad there are no giants to dig it out so we can find out the truth.

The banch in the stone

If you walk on the path at the foot of Tampa hill you’ll notice a little rustic stone bench. One of the legends says that two lovers were walking on that path one day, when suddenly a big stone fell down from the top of the hill and killed them both. Later on, a bench was made from that stone in the memory of the two lovers. The falling of the stone is confirmed by documents from 1817, along with the dead girl’s name (Ana Maria).

 

Solomon’s Stones When we get out of Scheii Brasov (a district

from Brasov) in the western side of the town there is a very picturesque place called Solomon’s Stones and we can reach there on a metalled road of about 2 km. It is a depression surrounded by two rocky mountains with parts whom the mountaineers climb them up. Here they can even make sporting climbing, more lines being arranged. The landscape is spectacular and the river which passes through the valley completes the scenery of a real touristic attraction. In the valley between the two mountains people often go to a picnic enjoying the gorgeous landscape. One of the well known legend of these mountains is that of the Hungarian King Solomon.

Once upon a time there was a Hungarian King Solomon who was chased by his mother because he had killed his brother and was cursed to die as soon as he would see common people. A very severe curse…

SOLOMON` S STONES

Because he wanted to save his life, Solomon runs away on horseback and succeeds to get near Brasov without being seen. Being on a mountain at the outskirts of Brasov he sees a shepherd with his sheep.

Being afraid not to be seen by this one because he was to die, suddenly he turns back. But the horse is scared and falls down in the abyss. That moment the mountain split forming Solomon’s Stones which we see them today and before dying, Solomon laid down his crown at the roots of a tree considering himself unworthy to wear it.

Otherwise we can see the crown with roots on the arms of Brasov and Solomon in the memory of the inhabitants of the town through the stones reminding us his name and wisdom even if the last moment…

Drawings

Solomon damned by his mother

Emblem of our city

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.