If in the previous article there was a Kleinschenk (small-tavern), so it was obvious that there is somewhere a Großschenk (big-tavern) as well (“Schenk” means tavern in German… and “cârciumă” in Romanian). So, here it is, the village of Großschenk, although everybody knows it as Cincu (in Romanian) or Nagysink (in Hungarian). And yes, today Cincu is a village, but in the old times it was an important town, actually the capital (or the seat) of an entire region called the Grossschenker Stuhl (Nagysink szék in Hungarian, Scaunul Cincului in Romanian). In the past, Transylvania used to be divided in several regions, following more or less the ethnical borders. Cincu was part of the German (Saxon) area called Königsboden (Pământul Crăiesc in Romanian), which is mainly in today’s Southern Transylvania. This Königsboden was divided into 7 seats or fortresses, known collectively as the Siebenbürgen (seven burgs or towns), which included Sibiu (the capital) and what we call nowadays Orăștie, Sebeș, Miercurea Sibiului, Sighișoara, Nocrich, Rupea and… Cincu. Now, if you try to translate the name “Transylvania” in the German language, you will get… Siebenbürgen. Why? Because the Germans of today still see Transylvania through the prism of these 7 ancient towns (burgs), although there is a never-ending discussion that the 7 towns would also include Cluj-Napoca, Brașov, Bistrița and sometimes Mediaș, all of them being also founded by the Germans. Regardless of the actual number of towns, it remains an indisputable truth that only the Germans have built towns made of stone that lasted for hundreds of years, hence bringing civilisation in this part of Europe. Cincu has now around 1300 inhabitants, a dramatic decrease in importance for the town that had (in 1374) the right to have a royal judge and (in 1448) its own coat of arms. So… how is Cincu doing now? And how it is nowadays its fortified church, classified in the list of historical monuments?

Oops!… Here is the historical complex, as seen from its garden, next to the entrance. On the house to the right there are some calligraphic German letters. And the state of the buildings… I guess you can see it by yourself. I believe it is important to show the situation as it is, without any makeup, as uncensored as possible, not because I enjoy what I see, but because an objective eye (or photo) is a way to connect with the “real” reality (and leave the imaginary, deceptive worlds where we enjoy spending our time). A historical monument should be – ought to be – in its prime, regardless of the moment of the year or the time of visit… Shall we look more to the left?

I do not know what that is… So, I’m going to tell you more about Cincu while walking through the garden… Cincu was first mentioned in a document in 1329 as simply Schenck. It was founded in the mid-12th century by some 30 families of German settlers from Rhineland. Now the Germans (as well as the local Hungarians) are at around 2% of the entire population, according to the last census, while the Romanians are at around 80%. However, in Romania, Cincu is not known for its unique fortified church, but for a completely different reason: the Cincu Military Training Center, bombastically known as the National Joint Training Center “Getica” (Centrul Național de Instruire Întrunită “Getica”). To put it simpler, there is a NATO army base to the north of the village. This base is rather old, it was first established in 1913 by the Austro-Hungarian Army. Then, the Romanians took control of it, and in 2022, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a multinational battlegroup was created here, with France as the lead nation. I remember that the military exercises in the area have sent shivers down the spines of many in Sibiu, when long rows of tanks and other military vehicles crossed the town and drove beneath my windows. So, on my way from Cincu to Agnita, I crossed that training area, only to find an indescribably dirty road and checkpoints along the road where – how should I put it so as not to offend anyone?! – instead of soldiers there were scarecrows (clothes stuffed with straw) placed in the soldiers’ booths, so as to “supervise” the traffic on the road… I couldn’t decide if it was a joke and the area was under surveillance with cameras, or if it was for real and nobody was watching, but it was of little comfort (and sense of security, not to mention the death-related psychoanalytical symbolism) to know that the place was guarded by scarecrows… So I guess we shall return to our church, shall we?!

The Church of Cincu was finished around year 1250, being built in the Romanesque style and being initially Catholic. Then it became Lutheran in 1544, following the Reform. It is one of the biggest churches from the lands of the Transylvanian Saxons and it has something unique in its positioning, as it is located on a hill that descends steeply on three sides, so that it did not have to be defended except for the western side. So, let’s visit it!

Closed! Again! A large padlock is in sight. And it appears that some works are ongoing, although there is nobody in sight. Everything is silent. I didn’t encounter a single soul…

The entrance is 10 lei (2 euros) per person. Given the value of the church, and what can be seen inside (the internet can show what), it should have been at least 30 lei, but… who am I to judge?! Want to see more? Let’s do some magic!

No, I didn’t teleport myself. And I didn’t jump the fence. I just photographed the church with my phone through the fence. It is as if I’m inside but I’m not… One last glance at this church and then I left, as the twilight neared. It is unlikely to visit this place any time soon, due to the bad condition of the roads. As I left, I couldn’t stop asking myself (rhetorically): How much time is left for the German heritage in this country?!… What do you think? Are the Romanians going to treasure their past, even if it belongs to a different civilization, language or ethnicity? Or they will let it become ruins and impassibly look at this vanishing legacy being erased by the passing of time? What do you think?