Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov • Vol. 3 (52) - 2010 Series VII: Social Sciences • Law

THE STRUCTURE OF THE MEDIEVAL TOWN OF RUPEA

Mariana BORCOMAN1

Abstract: The town of Rupea, set up at the beginning of the 12th century, was the capital of the county of Rupea between 1337 and 1876. Its urban structure and organization prove that it belonged to group of ’s German medieval towns. Here, alongside with the German (established in the central area), lived in the outskirts. This structure was preserved until the early 1800s, and even until nowadays although the initial ethnical composition has altered.

Key words: town, urban structures, Germans, Romanians.

1. Introduction Carpathian region. The Hungarian royalty’s intentions were clear from the Rupea is located at the confluence of very beginning: to set up new towns and to Hartibaciului plateau and Tarnavelor area. develop crafts and commerce. Also, they It was one of the first German colonies in aimed at instilling Catholicism in the Transylvania, and drew the attention of the region. young Hungarian kingdom nearby. In Transylvania, the Germans settled Hungarian kings such as Geza the 2nd and down between Orastie in the west and Andrew the 2nd focused on attracting the Drauseni in the east. German population towards the Hungarian The colonists enjoyed the privileges territories. granted by the Hungarian royalty, that is, Due to severe noblemen’s persecutions, autonomous administration and economic high taxation, and lack of trade freedom, freedom. The territory had not been vacant, small tradesmen from Flanders and eastern as Diploma Andreeanum mentions, but Rhine and Saxony answered the Hungarian was inhabited by Romanians. kings’ invitation, and left their original The Germans cohabitation with the territories. Romanians was harmonious, although the The Germans’ invitation was made under new-comers settled down in the best areas, the supervision of a local authority called and enjoyed commercial privileges. greav. He is the one who will sign the In towns, the urban structure was clearly contract with the Hungarian royalty – the distinguished, whereas the villages were location agreement. The German relatively homogeneous. population came in successive waves, The present study focuses on a town that, between the 12th and the 13th centuries, and in the Middle Ages, was neighbored by they settled in wide areas: in southern other similar settlements such as Sebes, Hungary (the Danube basin), and the inter- , and Miercurea Sibiului.

1 Department of Social Assistance and Communication, Transilvania University of Braşov. 246 Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov • Vol. 3 (52) - 2010 • Series VII

2. The Setting up of the Town and fortress, and the title of Rupea captain and Fortress of Rupea subordinate of Hungary”. [10] This is the first attestation of the fortress. As a result, The exact date of the Rupea fortress the fortress of Rupea will be sieged and setting up is not known until first conquered by the troops led by Henning of mentioned in documents from the 14th Petresti. century, which makes it difficult to put it Meanwhile, Carl Robert rushes to into a certain class of fortresses. Stefan Transylvania and asks for Toma’s support. Pascu argues that it is “a feudal fortress The citadel is surrounded by Toma’s which became a royal fortress with its own soldiers in late August 1324. “The citadel nobleman” [8]. Initially, it must have been was well fortified, but water shortage erected by the local community (probably caused problems. It had to be brought at Romanians), and then fortified in order to night, by carts, from a well or from the shelter the Rupea nobleman’s garrison. valley… The Germans attacked the ruler in Starting with the 14th century we have the field, and Henning was killed as the more information regarding the fortress of attackers outnumbered the rioters”[11]. Rupea: during Ludwig the Great’s time it Thus, the fortress was used as a trade was a royal fortress, as “the king tells the object between the royalty and the castle men of Deva, Tarnava and Rupea to nobleman. cease collecting the church taxes, and in For approximately 200 years, between 1380 the Rupea Castle man is told to send the 12th and the 14th century, there were the tax to the catholic bishop of Alba numerous conflicts between the local Iulia”[10]. The fortress was located on a noblemen, the Rupea castle men, and the basalt column, which sustained the Germans to gain control over the territory. settlement. The upper part of the citadel In 1332, Johann, the son of Peter of was occupied in 1324 by German Henning Kohalm, is mentioned in documents, of Petresti, the head of the riot, and thus whereas in 1340 “the priests of Rupea send the German control started. a letter to the bishop of Alba Iulia asking In 1289 “the capital of Rupea was to be exempted from taxes due to attested on the valley of Kohalm- significant damages. They will receive Rupea”[6]. The 14th century is richer in from the bishop 3 golden coins, and will be events and attestations. In 1309, “the forbidden to collect taxes”[11]. The capital Kosd is mentioned in connection taxation right was disputed over a long with a trial between the bishop of Alba and period of time by the castle men of Rupea several German deans”[11]. The fights for and the catholic bishop of Alba Iulia. the Hungary’s throne affects Transylvania, The following century brings the and the crowning of Carl Robert of Anjou German control over the territory, and the in 1310 did not calm down the situation. fortress of Kods is mentioned to have been People such as Paul of Lodomosz, under German ruling. Nikolaus of Talmaciu, and Solomon of The German control took a while to be Brasov claim authority over the territory. accepted. The name of the fortress and of In order to control the Germans, the king the settlement appears under different appoints Toma, his subordinate, “a ruthless forms: RUPES from the Latin “rock”, and and greedy man whom people hated”[6] as KOSD from the Hungarian “rock”. In a territorial ruler, which leads to the 1324, it appears as KUHOLOM, in 1375 Germans’ upheaval. Toma issues an edict as KOBOZ, in 1437 as RUCKPASS, in that “gives Ladislaw of Saint Martin the BORCOMAN, M.: The structure of the medieval town of Rupea 247

1572 as RUPPES, in 1615 as RAPES, and merchants, and aristocrats. They had solid in 1670 as REPS. houses and large gardens. Also, here one Nowadays, the fortress is in a severe could find the main shops: bakery, condition due to the local authorities’ butchery, construction materials and measures taken between 1950-1985, when general stores. It was not until the year there was no protection of the monument, 1800 that rich Romanians could buy and wall stones were used for various houses in this area, following an edict of buildings. For the last years, there have the emperor Joseph the 2nd of Austria. been initiatives in order to include the a) The Lutheran-Evangelic Fortified citadel in the cultural programs of the Church of St. Jacob region. Also, European funding will be Placed in the town center next to the old invested in the next two years for its major market, it was built in the 15th century in a overhaul. Gothic style. It has a large structure as a fortified church, and its courtyard hosts the 3. The Urban Structure of the Town parochial house, the school, and the clock tower. Most of the initial wall is now Rupea is granted the right of a yearly fair destroyed, and so is the building itself. in 1509, and in 1589 “king Sigismund Being a Gothic building, the west portal Bathory renews the right of a yearly and seems to be best preserved. The church has weekly fair” [5]. The fair takes place in large windows with stone frames. On the summer, on St. Jacob or St. Ilie, between southern wall there are some pre-Reform 22 – 25 July. Also, four other fairs were frescoes revealed after the painting was held every year, one of which in January. removed and representing “some odd When the German population came to compositions with natural size characters Rupea in the early 12th century, the in various positions and moves similar to Romanians lived in the east, on a hill. The far-east paintings, but naively made. There Germans settled down in the future center is no connection between the two artistic of the town, at the foot of the fortress. But manifestations” [7]. The vault erection this was an area prone to flooding. It took works were completed in the 17th century, several years to drain the area in order to according to the county records. Repair make it inhabitable. Until the 14th century works were performed in the 18th century, several buildings appeared, as well as a as well as between 1930-1931. main street. What gives this church special elegance Downtown the city hall was erected, and is an impressive collection of oriental in front of it the fairs were held. After carpets, some of them in a very good 1930, a park was to be arranged there. condition and exposed afterwards in the Next to the city hall a pharmacy and a Black Church of Brasov. coffee shop owned by Zerbers were The church shrine was built in 1709 with situated. This was the town’s walking part four columns delineating three entrances. or the promenade, and on Sunday In the center there is a representation of afternoons a band played there. After 1900, Jesus Christ’s crucifixion between the because of the severe flooding affecting pictures of the apostles Peter and Paul. In the Kohalm valley every spring, the the upper part there is a representation of German authorities decided to dam the God and the evangelists. valley. Another special element is the stone Along the main street the affluent grave of Emeretia Weichrauch, David Germans lived, that is, the tradesmen, Weichrauch’s widow, dead in 1631. 248 Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov • Vol. 3 (52) - 2010 • Series VII

The organ is placed on the northern wall the Strajii hill (opposite the fortress). Some (there may have been no other possibility), of them were taken to Bruckental Museum and it is a normal, manual, ten-pedal one. of Sibiu, but many of them were lost. The It was purchased between 1726-1727 first information regarding the Romanians’ during the royal judge Andreas Helwig’s presence is late, after 1600, and is recorded time. Inside the church there is also a flag because the Germans wanted to prove that of the shoemakers’ guild dated 1868. The the county capital was intensely populated. ornaments are typical German. The Romanian community lived in the The bell tower was built in 1730 in the eastern part of the settlement, in areas western part of the church, was square, and called Romanians’ hill, Hudisa, Parau, and showed the town’s “right to judge” [4] as a Deal (today’s 15 November and Cetatii royal court. In 1765 it was demolished and streets). These were dwelled by replaced in 1782 with a new Jesuit one. Romanians, and after 1920 Romanians Two bells were used: the older one dated were allowed to buy land in the areas were 1488 contained a Latin inscription and an the Germans grew cabbage and in the back Arab date, and the newer one from the 18th street (German name being Gusgas) – century until the Second World War. today’s 1 December 1918 street. The clock tower, built near the entrance Here numerous houses were built, and gate, is mentioned in 1639 in the county the Romanians’ area expanded to the side documents, when a clock master was also streets, that is, Targului valley and Intre mentioned. Gradini. In the church courtyard the German Until 1750-1800 a large Romanian school functioned, with primary and community was established around two secondary classes. churches: an old orthodox wooden one The central structure is a rectangle: on built on the Greek merchants’ expense, and one side, there are the fortified church and a Greek Catholic one, built by the Greek the clock tower, on another side there are Catholic population, who would erect a the shops, on the third side there is the city large brick church. Romanians gradually hall, and in the center there was the river grew in number, and so a census of 1800 area, where the fairs were organized. mentioned an equal number of Romanians Despite being a small town, the German and Germans. settlement of Rupea had a vivid life. C) The Hungarian Population of Rupea Starting with the 14th century, more than settled down in small 20 guilds are mentioned here as governing numbers in Rupea after 1850. They came all the other guilds of the county of Rupea. from the neighboring villages of areas such b) The Romanian Inhabitants’ Area of as Odorhei and Trei Scaune. First, Rupea intellectuals came in: doctors, lawyers, and The Rupea Romanians’ origin is difficult also tradesmen. They will come in larger to demonstrate. The family names numbers after 1900, encouraged by the encountered in the area – Repede, Spornic, politics of the Austrian-Hungarian Borcoman, Danciu, Costea, Haizea – may kingdom. Religion-wise they were Roman have Cuman or even Ottoman roots. Fact is Catholics, and religious ceremonies and that they were present here upon the masses were held in the small Dominican Germans’ arrival in the 12th century. Also, church at the foot of the hill. Here, a public they were the labor force of the latter. school will function until 1918, and no Possibly a proto-Dacian settlement, some taxes were paid, therefore Romanian archeological artifacts were unearthed on children attended the courses of the BORCOMAN, M.: The structure of the medieval town of Rupea 249

Hungarian school. They lived in houses year, in August, when they have a reunion. which they could buy in the central area or However, those who left Rupea at a young in Cetatii street. age are no longer bound to these places Hungarians never represented more than and rarely return here. 10% of the Rupea population. Ins county of Rupea between 133 and 1876. Its urban structure and organization 4. Conclusions prove that it belonged to group of Transylvania’s German medieval towns. Many architectural elements make us Here, alongside with the German position the settlement into a certain (established in the central area), framework or pattern. Thus, Rupea follows Romanians lived in the outskirts. This the western urban pattern. The German structure was preserved until the early population has brought with it these 1800s, and even until nowadays although patterns, which concentrated political, the initial ethnical composition has altered. administrative, and religious power of the The urban structure of downtown Rupea town. Between the city hall and the has remained unchanged for centuries. The evangelical church there was a vacant area central part marks the administrative and where the fair was organized. The economic aspects of the town: the city hall, settlement was located on the valley of the main banks, the park, and the post Kohalm, where the soil was saturated with office. The old German shops have been salt and sulfur. Also, the Germans used the replaced by new ones. However, the ethnic sulfurous water in order to build a spa structure has changed and is now mainly called Belvedere. The town was crossed by Romanian. The things reminding of the a main street along which homes and shops history of Rupea are the evangelical were aligned in an orderly manner. There fortified church (well preserved nowadays) were also two other parallel streets, where and the local German yearly reunion. the dwellings were strictly delineated.

Germans and Romanians lived here Other information may be obtained from together, and the relations between the two the address: [email protected]. populations were economically driven.

There were no mixed marriages, and the References ethnic criterion in this respect was th thoroughly followed until the 20 century. This structure was broadly maintained 1. Binder, P.: Die Koklerburger Komitat. until 1950, when the communist regime Veesuche eienes historisches Potraits. ordered the demolition of the German in ,,Sociologie, historische und houses and gardens and built blocks of Sprache wissenschaftliche Beitrage“, apartments instead. However, the central Kőln Verlag, 2000. structure is still present, although other 2. Ernst, W.: Baraolt und Terra Daraus. buildings accompany it. Zur Ostgrenze an Andreanischen The German’ demographic presence in Rechtgeschichte. in ,, Siebenbürhen the region decreased particularly after Archiv“, vol. 8, 1977. 1990, when most of them emigrated to 3. Mathias, M.: Reps vor 50 Jahre und Germany. Their houses were either given jetzt. in ,,Srchives Vereins“, 1873, to the state (as they used to be during the pp. 537-538. communist regime) or looked after by the 4. Melas, H.: ,,Grosskokler Bote”, 4II neighbors. The Germans come back once a 1934. 250 Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov • Vol. 3 (52) - 2010 • Series VII

5. Müller, G. E.: Stühle und Distrikte als 8. Pascu, S.: The kingdom of Unterteilungen der Siebenbürghisch- Transylvania. vol. II, Dacia publishing Deutschen Nationuniversität 1141- house, 1979, p. 218. 1976. Hermammstadt. Kraft und 9. Teobalt, W.: Die Repser Burg. in ,, Die Drotleff publishing house, 1941, p. 22. siebenbürghische Volksfreund“, 1886, 6. Müller, H.: Die Repser Burg, in pp. 279-281. Kommision bei Franz Michaelis. 10. Teutsch, F.: Die Geschichte von Reps. Hermmmanstadt. 1900, pp. 4, 46. în ,,arhiv des Vereins”, Hermmanstadt. 7. Oprescu, G.: The Germans’ fortified 1876, pp. 46, 157. churches of Transylvania. Academiei 11. Zimmerman, F., Werner, K.: RPR publishing house, Bucharest. Urkundenbuch zur Geschichte der 1957, p. 202. Deutscher in Siebenbürgen. vol. I, Hermmanstadt, 1892, pp. 165-232, 392, 480.