Mălâncrav

The Village of Mălâncrav

The Mălâncrav village came into being in the year 1305; to this day, it has a larger Saxon population than any other Transylvanian village. In 1340, the settlement and land around it became the property of the Apafi family, a family which ruled Transylvania up until the 17^th century.  During the 18^th century, the village was transferred to the  Hungarian royalty, having been granted to them by decree of the king. The last owner of the village was the countess Susanne Haller.

During this time, there was only one brick house outside the noble residency, the rest of the houses being wood or clay. This led to the destruction of more than two-thirds of the village in a terrible fire, forcing the people to rebuild their houses out of bricks.

The Mălâncrav Romanesque church, conceived as a three-naved basilica, was built at the beginning of the 14^th century. The twenty-meter fresco in the central nave is the largest and most thematically complete Gothic fresco in Transylvania. Fifty-three images are grouped in four rows and in the spaces between the arched passageways.

Presently, the evangelistic community in Mălâncrav has 150 members who preserve the old Saxon traditions. Despite their small number, there are weekly gatherings of all ages, and the community remains an active one.

The Apafi mansion is a history-filled guest house situated above the village, beside the church and orchard. In the 18th century, when the Apafi family line came to an end, the mansion was taken over by the Bethlen family, rulers of Transylvania during that era.

In 1920, the mansion became the property of the community; it was transformed into a cultural center, then it was confiscated by the Communist regime in 1949. The Mihai Eminescu Trust took over the mansion in 2000; after five years of restoration it was returned to its former beauty.

The Apafi mansion is now a unique guest house with five spacious rooms, a balcony, a library, a magnificent central drawing room, and a restored garden with a fountain – whose tumbling waters echo sounds of a distant era, memories from long ago.

The Mălâncrav Orchards

In Mălâncrav there is a centuries-old tradition of fruit-growing. The Hungarian name of the village, Almakerek, literally translates as “round apple.” This orchard was taken over by the state during the Communist era – and then was abandoned. In 2002, the MET took over – turning the orchard into an ecologically certified plantation. Today, the orchard grows heirloom apple varieties, unique to this area – including the Parmen Auriu (“Golden Parmen”), Gustav Durabil (“Durable Gustav”), and Frumos de Boscop (“The Boscop Beauty”) – which give a distinct flavor to the apple juice and local delicacies that are produced in Mălâncrav.

In addition to apples, the Mălâncrav orchards produce plums, pears, and walnuts. The local culinary specialty, as you might guess, is an apple-based soup.