Romania - Eastern Europe - page 522

Bird's-Eye View Tips

Locals like to take romantic strolls along the promenade above the long sec-
tion of defensive walls that still remains on the eastern edge of the city, at
the foot of Mount Tâmpa. Midway along the promenade is the Telecabina
Tâmpa, a cable car that delivers passengers to the top of the mountain,
995m (295 ft.) up, in 140 seconds (Mon noon-5pm, Tues-Fri 9:30am-6pm,
Sat-Sun 9:30am-8pm; last ticket sold 30 min. before closing; L7/$2.50/£1.35
return). Ignore the restaurant (expensive and soulless) and take the path to
the right and walk for around 10 minutes to the recently built Terasa
Belvedere lookout point.

10am-6pm; last tickets 5:30pm; admission L3.05/$1.10/60p; photography
L19/$6.70/£3.55). The tower includes a pretty drab medieval display; ignore this and
take the steps leading to the top levels; the view from the top of the Black Tower
is spectacular (you can happily pass on the White Tower). Take the pathway behind
the Black Tower up to Promenade Warthe for more great city views. And if you're
still not satisfied, organize a helicopter tour with Brextrans (Str. Dealul Spirii 53;
& 0268/44-3666 ).
Biserica Neagrâ The 90m-long (295 ft.) and 21m-high (69-ft.) “Black
Church” is the biggest Gothic cathedral between Istanbul and Vienna. Work started
in 1383, but the building was destroyed during the Ottoman invasion of 1421 before
it could be completed. It was finally finished in 1480, although there was more
destruction between 1530 and 1630, when a total of 40 earthquakes hit the region.
Originally a Catholic church, it became Lutheran during the Reformation. When a
tragic fire swept through Bra @ ov on April 21, 1689, the charred remains of the church
(the baptismal font at the front of the church is one of the few thing that survived)
afforded it its ghoulish name; today there is nothing dark about it, although the exterior
is slightly ominous, even haunting. Inside, however, the church is overwhelmingly
white and now horribly illuminated by awful modern light fittings. The 180 rugs you
see hanging from the balconies—given to the church by merchants who returned after
successful trade missions in the Middle East—make up the second-largest collection
of its kind in the world; the bell in the clock tower is also the largest in Romania,
weighing in at 6 tons. If you are a fan of church or choral music, look out for sum-
mer concerts (select evenings mid-June through Aug); this will be the best opportu-
nity to hear the colossal 4,000-pipe organ and much-vaunted acoustics in action.
Biserica Neagrâ. Admission L4 ($1.45/75p). Mon-Sat 10am-6pm. Mass is held on Sun 10am.
Schei District Follow Strada Porta Schei south and pass through the Schei
Gate (1828), an archway leading to Bra @ ov's oldest area, the neighborhood where the
subservient Romanian community was sequestered during the racist rule of the Sax-
ons. The neighborhood retains much of its historical character, defined by narrow
streets and unimposing buildings; one of the loveliest is the Orthodox Cathedral of
St. Nicholas (Pia $ a Unirii; Mon-Sat 8am-6pm, Sun 9am-6pm), an eclectic merging
of Gothic, Renaissance and baroque elements. Established by the voivodes (landowners)