Ghimbav between mountain views and architectural history

Geographical location

From Ghimbav, there are views of the nearby mountain peaks Postăvarul, Măgura Codlei and Cristianul Mare, as well as, in the distance, the Bucegii, Piatra Craiului and the Făgăraș Mountains.

Getting there

Brașov–Ghimbav International Airport is located in the northern part of the city of Ghimbav. Railway line 200 (Curtici – Arad – Simeria – Sibiu – Brașov) passes through Ghimbav parallel to DN1; the city is served by a railway station.

Place name

The Ghimbășel River runs through Ghimbav and gave the city its Romanian name. The place name is therefore directly connected with the river that flows through the city.

Culture

The architectural history of the city includes the Evangelical fortified church of Ghimbav, a Gothic basilica that was created in the 15th century through the reconstruction of an earlier Romanesque building. Its present architectural form and the earlier Romanesque predecessor therefore belong to different periods of the same architectural history.

The Gothic interior of Ghimbav's fortified church is covered with ornamental floral paintings from 1902, extending across the walls and vaults. The decoration therefore affects not only individual panels, but the walls and vaults of the interior.

The Orthodox Church of “Sfânta Treime” in Ghimbav was built in 1780 from rubble stone and bricks through the work of the members of the congregation, as well as with a contribution from the merchant Ioan Boghici of Brașov. Its creation therefore involved both the building materials used and the participation of the congregation, as well as the documented contribution from Brașov.

The tower of the “Sfânta Treime” Church is 15 metres high and was completed in 1830. Fragments of the original wall paintings have been preserved on the interior walls of the “Sfânta Treime” Church. The construction period, the tower's later completion and the surviving remains of the paintings mark several historical details of this building.

The surviving records distinguish between the fortified church's architectural form and interior decoration, while for Sfânta Treime they distinguish between the building materials, the tower's height and year of completion, as well as fragments of the original wall paintings. The two churches can therefore be considered separately based on their different historical and artistic features.

The Zilele Ghimbavului festival celebrates local traditions and customs and takes place every year on the first weekend after the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. The date is therefore tied to a recurring period in the calendar rather than to a fixed date in the Gregorian year.

Activities

The cycling loop route “Ghimbav – Râșnov – Cheișoara – Rezervaţia de stejari seculari – Ghimbav” begins in Ghimbav. The sequence of places names the starting point, Râșnov, Cheișoara, the Rezervaţia de stejari seculari and Ghimbav as the final location on the loop route. The name therefore presents the route as a closed sequence beginning and ending in Ghimbav.

The Aeroclubul Ghimbav “Mircea Zorileanu” organises courses in pilot training and parachuting. The course offering therefore includes both pilot training and parachuting as two explicitly named areas of the aeroclub.

For the broader travel overview: Brasov.

More destinations

More places within the same destination:

Brașov, Râşnov, Cristian, Predeal.