View source for Bunești, Brașov

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{{Infobox Romanian subdivision
|type               = commune
|county             = Brașov
|population_total   = auto
|name               = Bunești
|image_map          = Bunesti jud Brasov.jpg
|map_caption        =
|image_skyline      = RO BV Bunesti fortified church 1.jpg
|image_caption      = Fortified Lutheran church in Bunești
|leader_name        = Mircea Pălășan<ref>{{cite web |url=https://prezenta.roaep.ro/locale27092020/romania-pv-final |title=Results of the 2020 local elections |publisher=Central Electoral Bureau |access-date=9 June 2021 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>
|term               = 2020&ndash;2024
|leader_party       = PNL
|coordinates        = {{coord|46|06|26|N|25|03|39|E|region:RO|display=it}}
|elevation          = 496
|elevation_min      =
|elevation_max      =
|area_total         = 149.10
|population_as_of   =
|population_footnotes =
|postal_code        = 507035
|area_code          =
|website            = {{url|https://www.primariabunesti.ro/|primariabunesti.ro}}
}}
'''Bunești''' (formerly ''Bundorf''; {{langx|de|Bodendorf|link=no}}; {{langx|hu|Szászbuda|link=no}}) is a commune in [[Brașov County]], [[Transylvania]], [[Romania]]. It is composed of five villages: Bunești, Criț, Meșendorf, Roadeș, and Viscri. Each of these has a [[Villages with fortified churches in Transylvania|fortified church]]. The route of the [[Via Transilvanica]] [[long-distance trail]] passes through the villages Roadeș and Criț.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Terra Saxonum {{!}} Via Transilvanica |url=https://www.viatransilvanica.com/ro/tinuturi/terra-saxonum/ |access-date=2023-08-14 |website=www.viatransilvanica.com |language=ro}}</ref>
The commune is located in the northern part of the county, on the border with [[Mureș County]]. It is {{convert|82.7|km|mi|abbr=on}} from [[Brașov]], {{convert|57.4|km|mi|abbr=on}} from [[Făgăraș]], and {{convert|34.6|km|mi|abbr=on}} from [[Sighișoara]]. The commune is at the [[Drainage divide|watershed]] between the [[drainage basin]]s of the [[Olt (river)|Olt River]] and [[Târnava Mare|Târnava Mare River]]. The [[Gorgan (river)|Gorgan River]] flows southeast through Viscri, towards the [[Cozd|Cozd River]], while the [[Scroafa|Scroafa River]] flows northeast through the Bunești and Criț villages, eventually discharging into the Târnava Mare.
== Villages ==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! In Romanian
! In German
! In Hungarian
|-
| Bunești
| Bodendorf
| Szászbuda
|-
| Criț
| Deutsch-Kreuz
| Szászkeresztúr
|-
| Meșendorf
| Meschendorf
| Mese
|-
| Roadeș
| Radenthal or Radeln
| Rádos
|-
| Viscri
| Deutschweißkirch/Deutsch-Weisskirch<br>Weißkirch/Weisskirch
| Szászfehéregyháza
|}
=== Viscri/Weisskirch ===
[[File:Zeichnung der Kirchenburg.jpg|thumb|left|The Transylvanian Saxon Evangelical Lutheran fortified church of Viscri/Weisskirch (or Deutsch-Weisskirch) by Hermann and Alida Fabini (sketch published in 1991).]]
Viscri's population is of [[Roma in Romania|Roma]] majority, with a few [[Romanians]], and about 20 [[Germans of Romania|Germans]] (namely [[Transylvanian Saxons]]) still left. It lies northwest of [[Rupea]] and can be reached through [[Jibert|Dacia]] on a {{convert|7|km|mi|abbr=on}} unpaved road. The village is best known for the highly fortified [[Viscri fortified church]], originally built around 1100. It is part of the [[Saxon villages with fortified churches in Transylvania|villages with fortified churches in Transylvania]], designated in 1993 as a [[World Heritage Site]] by [[UNESCO]]. The first documentation of Viscri is a record of church taxes dated around 1400, in which the village is referred to as being part of the Rupea parish. Its inhabitants consisted of 51 farmers, 1 school master, 3 shepherds and 2 paupers.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mihaieminescutrust.org/content/nd_village.asp?n=102# |title=The Mihai Eminescu Trust |access-date=2009-02-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081018211031/http://www.mihaieminescutrust.org/content/nd_village.asp?n=102# |archive-date=2008-10-18 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
[[File:Viscri Fortified Church Video File.webm|thumb|right|A brief footage of the fortified church of Viscri/Weisskirch, as seen from above.]]
The origins of the fortified church date from 1100 when the [[Székelys]] built a small church with a single hall and semicircular [[apse]]. Around 1185 the church was taken over by [[Transylvanian Saxons|Saxon]] colonists, and the Székelys were forced to settle further north. In the 14th century the eastern part of the church was rebuilt and in 1525, the first fortifications with towers were added. In the 18th century the church was surrounded by a second defense wall. After 1743 a covered corridor for the storage of corn was built. A century later, two chambers in the defense corridor of the bastion were turned into school rooms. The classic 19th-century altar has as centerpiece "the Blessing of the Children" by the painter J. Paukratz from Rupea. The font was made from a capital of the 13th-century church. To this day, the church is surrounded by a cemetery with gravestones dating back to the "[[Bijelo Brdo culture]]".
In 2006, the [[Charles, Prince of Wales|Prince of Wales]] bought and restored two 18th century Saxon houses in the Transylvanian villages of [[Mălâncrav (village)|Mălâncrav]] and Viscri to help protect the unique way of life that has existed for hundreds of years and promote [[sustainable tourism]]. The buildings have been sensitively restored and converted into guesthouses for tourists. They remain in keeping with the surrounding architecture and feature a number of Transylvanian antiques but with modern facilities where possible. The renovation of these buildings has helped provide a sustainable future for the people of rural Transylvania while also enabling residents to maintain their traditional way of life.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.greenpearls.com/hotels/hrh-prince-charles-guesthouse/|title=HRH Prince Charles Guesthouse, Romania – Green Pearls|website=Green Pearls – the future of traveling}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53984239|title=Romanian tourists swamp village loved by Prince Charles|publisher=[[BBC]]|date=September 5, 2020}}</ref>
== See also ==
* [[List of castles and fortresses in Romania]]
* [[Tourism in Romania]]
* [[Villages with fortified churches in Transylvania]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*{{official|https://www.primariabunesti.ro/}}
*[https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/596 World Heritage Site]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081018211031/http://www.mihaieminescutrust.org/content/nd_village.asp?n=102 Mihai Eminescu Trust site]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20111006181027/http://www.viscri44.ro/ Viscri. Another World] {{in lang|en}}
{{Brașov County}}
{{World Heritage Sites in Romania}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bunesti, Brasov}}
[[Category:Communes in Brașov County]]
[[Category:Localities in Transylvania]]
[[Category:Medieval architecture]]