LOCATIONS

Axente Sever / Frauendorf

In 1931, twenty-five years after the death of the 1848 revolutionary Axente Sever, his name was given to the settlement of Frauendorf/ Frua. Frauendorf was formerly a free commune of the Seat of Medias. The documents found in the tower of the church when it was restored in 1819 state that the settlement had 132 Saxon households at the time it had this status. By 2004 unfortunately, only three members of the community were left.

Alma / Almen

Today, Alma is a simple village of the commune of Mosna. Its name comes from the German word Almo, meaning elm-tree and is proof of the enduring affinity for nature of the Saxons in these whereabouts. In the Saxon dialect the name is Almen and its Hungarian translation is Szászalmád. The settlement is first mentioned in 1289 as being subordinated to the Superior Council (Capitlu) of Medias. A document from 1356 acknowledges it as a free commune of the Seat of Medias. It so happens that this latter document is the death sentence of a murderer.

Ighisu Nou / Eibesdorf

Ighisu Nou lies very close to Medias and can be easily reached by a pleasant road. The settlement was first mentioned in 1305, in a document of the Superior Council of Alba-Iulia. It reports the transfer of lands and villages between Count Gregor, son of Apa, and Gregor, son of Nicolae. The place was then called Isontelke; and, half a century later, in 1359, it was referred to as Villa Ysopis ("the town of Ysop"). Its German name is Eibensdorf, meaning "the village of Eiben", but the etymological connection between the two names is not known.

Mosna / Meschen

One of the oldest documents referring to settlements in the Tarnave valley, from 1283, mentions the name of the priest of Mosna (Petrus) thus proving the existence of the church at that time. Mosna had been founded some time in the 1270's, a bit earlier than this document. Due to its status as a prosperous commune, it competed against Medias and Biertan for ownership of the residence of the local administrative division. In 1533 the title was eventually won by Medias.

Buzd / Busd

The settlement is mentioned for the first time in a 1359 document. Buzd was a free commune of the Seat of Medias, and its clergy were part of the Superior Council of the same city. The German denomination of Busd might come from the proper name Bozo, although its exact roots are far from certain. According to demographic data, in 1516 the community had 30 households, a teacher and two shepherds. Only 16 years later, the number of households grew twofold to 61.

Valchid / Waldhuetten

The little settlement in the Tarnave valley that is the site of Valchid was first mentioned in 1345. The episode is a rather dishonourable one as some peasants from Valchid were questioned on the account of having robbed the Saxon greavi of Cincu, Roandola and Noul Sasesc. The settlement is later mentioned in 1390, when Pope Bonifacius IX gave the church of Saint Andrew, located in the same area, a papal indulgence. At the time Valchid was named Waldhuetten, which means "forest cottages".

Brateiu / Pretai

The settlement was first acknowledged in 1283 in a document that dealt with the relationship between Peter, bishop of the Superior Council of Alba-Iulia, and the priests of the Superior Council of Medias. A certain Siegfrid of Mount Mary (Siegfridus de Monte Mariae), the former name of Brateiu, is a character who appears in this document. The former name of the settlement is also related to the patron saint of the church.

Atel / Hetzeldorf

In 1283, Petru, the bishop of Alba-Iulia, appointed dean Walter of Villa Echellini (Atel) head of the Superior Council of Medias. The fact that Atel had a dean, therefore leads us to believe that a church also existed there already in the 13th century. However, the present Gothic church was built much later, in 1380.