The Fortified Church of Mesendorf (Meschendorf), Brasov County

January 28, 2023October 5, 2023 Koen 0 Comments

This destination guide covers a visit to the Transylvanian village of Mesendorf (Meschendorf) and its Saxon fortified church.

A visit to Mesendorf

Having visited the Saxon fortified church in Cloasterf, I headed back into my car for the short ride south to see two more fortified churches in this part of Transylvania.

If you take the main DN13 road and drive from Mureș County into Brașov County, there are two beautiful villages with a fortified church almost immediately after you pass the county line.

When driving south, you will see a turn-off on your right-hand side which leads to the villages of Criț and Meșendorf, both of which have a Saxon fortified church.

I decided to drive towards the end of the road to Mesendorf first and to visit Criț afterwards when driving back to the DN13.

Again, it was a short but lovely drive through the verdant rolling hills of Transylvania, which looked glorious on this lovely autumn day.

mesendorf road transylvania — *On the road to Mesendorf. ©Paliparan*

road transylvania — *View from the road. ©Paliparan*

Walking through the village

I parked my car at the entrance of the village right next to the Romanian Orthodox Church.

Although you can already see a road sign here with the Romanian words “Biserica Evanghelică Fortificată” denoting the Saxon fortified church, it’s clear that there aren’t that many visitors who make the journey to Mesendorf.

Indeed, while walking through the village I didn’t spot any other tourist at all.

With there not being any sign of a fortified church on the main road, you have to know about the existence of the village in advance.

Besides, with there being so many other, better-known Saxon fortified churches in the direct surroundings such as Viscri, it’s not a surprise that Mesendorf doesn’t receive the same number of visitors.

It’s all the better for you as Mesendorf really felt like an undiscovered little gem.

mesendorf fortified church — *The entrance to the village of Mesendorf. ©Paliparan*

tractor village — *Tractor riding through the village. ©Paliparan*

mesendorf meschendorf saxon fortified church — *The main road running through Mesendorf. ©Paliparan*

mesendorf transylvania romania — *Typical Transylvanian houses in Mesendorf. ©Paliparan*

meschendorf — *Walking through Mesendorf. ©Paliparan*

houses mesendorf meschendorf — *Village houses. ©Paliparan*

old school building — *Old school building. ©Paliparan*

village houses — *Houses in the village. ©Paliparan*

Autumn colours

Meșendorf (known in German as Meschendorf) quickly turned out to be one of the most delightful of all the Transylvanian Saxon villages I had visited so far.

The village felt quiet, authentic and had plenty of pretty Saxon farmhouses and even an old school building.

What I also liked about Mesendorf were the many trees throughout the village and on the surrounding hills, making it feel like you are in the middle of nature.

On this beautiful day, there autumn foliage and the colourful leaves on the ground made for an enormously pretty backdrop.

Just like many of the other traditional Saxon towns, there aren’t actually that many Transylvanian Saxons remaining in Mesendorf.

According to the census of 2002, 199 of the 344 inhabitants of the village were Romanian, followed by 124 Roma, 10 Hungarians and only 7 Germans (Transylvanian Saxons).

It’s a big population change when you compare the statistics with the year 1941 when 70,6% of the town population of 782 was ethnic German.

transylvania sunny autumn day — *It was a gorgeous sunny autumn day in Transylvania. ©Paliparan*

mesendorf meschendorf fortified church autumn colours foliage — *Beautiful autumn colours in Mesendorf. ©Paliparan*

mesendorf romania — *I loved the green character of the village. ©Paliparan*

Mesendorf fortified church

At the end of the main village street you will find the Saxon fortified church of Mesendorf.

The church was built between the 14th and 16 century, first in Romanesque style while it was later restored in Gothic style.

The fortifications feature a so-called “zwinger”, a narrow space between two outer defensive walls which featured as a kill zone in which an attacking force could be trapped.

Originally, the fortifications featured three defensive towers, although only two remain.

Sadly, the fortified church was closed when I visited and I couldn’t reach the key holder by phone.

I therefore have to return another time to Mesendorf in order to see the interior of the fortified church, which is reportedly decorated with baroque paintings.

mesendorf meschendorf fortified church — *Mesendorf fortified church. ©Paliparan*

Back to the car

Even though the fortified church was closed, I still tremendously enjoyed my visit to Mesendorf.

On my way back to the car, quite a few locals whom I came across warmly greeted me.

Mesendorf really felt like a peaceful place and a nice little countryside retreat away from the main road.

mesendorf meschendorf transylania romania — *Walking along the main village road back to my car. ©Paliparan*

village street — *Village road. ©Paliparan*

orthodox church — *The Orthodox Church in Mesendorf. ©Paliparan*

Conclusion

I really enjoyed my visit to the beautiful and peaceful village of Mesendorf.

Although the Saxon fortified church of Mesendorf was closed when I visited, it should be an interesting place to explore if you can get in contact with the key holder.

Even when the church is closed, Mesendorf is still a great place to visit.

As Mesendorf is beautifully located between forested hills, it is one of the most picturesque Saxon Transylvanian villages to explore and I certainly loved how quiet and authentic it felt.

Trip report index

This article is part of the ‘Visiting the Saxon Fortified Churches of Transylvania‘ trip report, which consists of the following chapters:

Koen

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