The Fortified Church of Hosman (Holzmengen), Sibiu County

I did however realise that I would still have enough time to visit one more fortified church on my way from Biertan to Avrig.

However, I couldn’t resist the temptation to make a quick stop in the centre and take a brief 5-minute look around.

Country roads

Driving further south, some beautiful country roads brought me through towns and villages with names like Bârghiș, Alțâna and Nocrich.

The roads were surprisingly devoid of traffic, which made for a pleasant drive.

A few miles outside of Hosman, the breathtaking silhouette of the Carpathian Mountains began to emerge on the horizon.

Hosman

Although the Carpathian foothills are still some 35 kilometres further away to the south across the River Olt, these mountains form a spectacular backdrop to the town of Hosman on a clear day.

The visibility on this autumn day was excellent, allowing me to clearly spot both the fortified church of Hosman and some of the Carpathian peaks in the distance.

Hosman fortified church

The small town of Hosman, which is called Holzmengen in German, has just under 800 inhabitants.

Hosman’s fortified church is believed to have been built in the late 13th century on a hill overlooking the village.

Around the year 1500 the bell tower was increased in height and equipped with battlements.

The fortified church of Hosman has two layers of defensive walls, which were also built in the early 16th century.

These walls are connected to a gate tower through which you can enter the complex.

A look inside the church

Although originally built in Romanesque style, Hosman’s fortified church was converted into a Baroque hall church in the late 18th century.

The west portal does however still contain some of the old Romanesque reliefs depicting the baptism of Christ in the River Jordan.

Sadly, I couldn’t see any of this as the doors of the church were firmly shut.

I was able to contact the keyholder by phone, but unfortunately, she was too busy to come and open the doors to give me a short tour of the church.

From Hosman to Avrig

From Hosman, it was a relatively short ride to my overnight accommodation in Avrig.

However, the drive took much longer than I had anticipated, as I couldn’t resist making several picture stops along the way due to the breathtaking scenery.

Already on the main road towards Cornățel the views are pretty, but they become even more beautiful once you turn off onto the 104G road towards Săcădate and Avrig.

River Olt

About halfway between Cornățel and Săcădate, the road descends into the picturesque valley of the River Olt.

The views from this road are simply breathtaking as on a clear day you can see for miles across in the distance.

Once again, the majestic Carpathian Mountains, or to be precise the Făgăraș Mountains as this subchain of the Carpathians is called, create a formidable backdrop.

Due to the presence of multiple dams along its course, which have created large reservoirs, the River Olt often looks more like a canal rather than a natural river.

After crossing the river, I finally arrived in the town of Avrig, where I had planned to spend the night at the charming Brukenthal Palace.