Mentioned for the first time in 1270 and named for hundreds of years Cruce (German: Kreuz), both names meaning The Cross, because it appears that the settlement formed around a large cross thrust into a promontory, Criţ is a village in the Târnavelor Plateau, at a few km from Viscri. Like any Transylvanian Saxon village is systematized after a staunch geometric line with parallel and perpendicular streets (a spinal layout, not grid-like). What is considered today Transylvanian Saxon architecture actually dates back from the 17th century, when the wooden houses were replaced by stone houses, much less exposed to fire.
The stately houses, proving welfare, with high gates, beyond which the gaze can't penetrate, seem small strongholds rather than welcoming homes. The practical sense defeated the artistic sense and the need for security has gained at the expense of hospitality. The gables, painted in yellow, pink, or green, usually have two windows with shutters, and two small openings in the garret, between which is applied an element of ornament. A tall and massive chimney amounts usually above the ridge. The access of the carts from the street in the narrow courtyard is made through a gate, and the entering in the house is made directly from the street.
About the stamp, issued in 2015 to celebrate Easter, I wrote here.
References
Criţ / Deutsch Kreutz - Official website
Arhitectura săsească (rom) - Naţiunea
Locuinţa populară săsească din Transilvania (rom), de Birthler Klaus
Sender: Roxana Ivănescu
Sent from Eforie Sud (Constanţa / Romania), on 15.08.2015
Photo: Mioritics
No comments:
Post a Comment