Bulkesch

Bulkesch (Romanian: Bălcaciu, Hungarian: Bolkács, Transylvanian Saxon: Buulkesch) lies in Alba County in Transylvania, Romania.

This fairy-tale village lies in the inter-Târnava region, in a southern side valley of the Little Târnava River.

When asked how the settlement came to be, the villagers tell a very beautiful legend. The Great Târnava (Târnava Mare) and Little Târnava (Târnava Mică) rivers made a bet as to which would first reach Blasendorf (Blaj) from their shared source in the Gurghiu Mountains. The Great Târnava flowed only during the day, to avoid all obstacles. The Little Târnava was ambitious and flowed at night. Because of this she had to make great detours, sometimes flowing backwards, and so she lost the bet. This is how the inter-Târnava region came to be, and in the middle of that region lies Bulkesch, with its secret tunnels and treasures. (Source: Kirchenburgen.org)

The history of the settlement is shaped by traditions, legends, folk tales, and bravery.

The settlement, founded by Transylvanian Saxons, is first documented in 1309. The eastern part of the village belonged to Kokelburg County and the western part to the Hermannstadt chair. Formerly a wine-growing village, the settlement was known for its fine wines.

On a hill above the village stands the Evangelical fortified church, a testimony to 15th-century Gothic in the Transylvanian style. The chancel of the church was given a wooden defensive storey, and from the material of the demolished earlier church the present building was erected as a three-aisled hall church with four pairs of profiled piers. In 1856 it received its tower with a pointed spire. The outer wall is equipped with five towers and a gate tower. The outer courtyard housed the storage chambers for the village families, and the towers were provided with earthworks for firearms. The fortress also had a well 25 metres deep, a bread oven, mills, workshops, and many ancillary buildings suitable for withstanding long sieges.

The classicist interior of the church is impressive in its colours and furnishings. White and gold adorn the altar and the Maetz organ.

Thanks to the HOG Bulkesch, the fortified church has been renovated through donations and continues to be maintained in very good condition.

Author: Zîmța Andreea
Date: 26.04.2018

For photos from Bulkesch, please click: Photos from Bulkesch