Sânpetru
Encyclopedia
Sânpetru is a commune in Braşov County
, Romania
, located 5 km north of the county capital Braşov
. It is composed of a single village, Sânpetru.
This area was home to many Transylvanian Saxons
although after 1989 much of this community emigrated to Germany. The center of the village was built by this group and shows the influence of German
architecture
. Separate from this there is a crowded Romanian-built area featuring a small church and houses dating at least to the early 19th century. A new center was built closer to Braşov
during the communist era to house migrating workers for the tractor and bus factories in the city.
Since the Romanian Revolution of 1989
new, more luxurious houses have been built on the outskirts of the village, slowly linking it with Braşov.
was demolished in 1794. There are still a few traces of the original 13th century paintings on the defensive walls that surrounded the church. The Order of Cistercians received it in 1240. The fortified church was severely destroyed during a Turkish
invasion in 1432. Most of the village was also destroyed then. After the invasion, the local community built an 8-meter high defensive wall fortified with 5 towers and a water trench.
In the 17th century, the church suffered major damage in large fire that also destroyed the local archives.
The bell tower collapsed in 1713 and was rebuilt 1778-1782. This tower later collapsed and in 1795 the structure was demolished and construction on a new church was begun.
attraction is the land around Lempes hill, a partially-forest
ed promintory which is a reservation for wild flora. This is a habitat
for certain vary rare flowers as well as various fruit
-bearing plants such as strawberry
, raspberry
, blackberry
, and blueberry
. This preserve is home to a variety of fauna including rabbits, snakes, lizards, and birds. Deer
once made their home here but may have since been hunted
to extinction
. The ecology
here is somewhat emperiled by the nearby presence of an artificial lake for depositing tar waste, herds of sheep. Paragliding
enthusiasts use the hill as a launch point.
ized dinosaur
bone
s that had become exposed in a hillside on her the family’s estate which was at that time within the borders of Austria-Hungary
.
Ilona and her brother, Baron
Franz Nopcsa von Felsö-Szilvás
, were intrigued by the discovery. The bones were sent to the eminent Viennese
geologist Eduard Suess
for identification. Suess advised the Baron to identify the bones himself. As a result, the Baron enrolled at the University of Vienna
and soon became one of the principal paleobiological
researchers in central Europe, and the founder of paleophysiology.
Ilona's initial discovery turned out to be a duck-billed dinosaur. Subsequently, the remains of an armoured
dinosaur, a long-necked sauropod, a flying reptile of the Pterosauria type and several other dinosaurs were excavated from that same hill in Szentpéterfalva.
Brasov County
Brașov ; ) is a county of Romania, in Transylvania, with the capital city at Brașov. The county incorporates within its boundaries most of the Medieval "lands" Burzenland and Făgăraș Land.-Demographics:...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, located 5 km north of the county capital Braşov
Brasov
Brașov is a city in Romania and the capital of Brașov County.According to the last Romanian census, from 2002, there were 284,596 people living within the city of Brașov, making it the 8th most populated city in Romania....
. It is composed of a single village, Sânpetru.
This area was home to many Transylvanian Saxons
Transylvanian Saxons
The Transylvanian Saxons are a people of German ethnicity who settled in Transylvania from the 12th century onwards.The colonization of Transylvania by Germans was begun by King Géza II of Hungary . For decades, the main task of the German settlers was to defend the southeastern border of the...
although after 1989 much of this community emigrated to Germany. The center of the village was built by this group and shows the influence of German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
. Separate from this there is a crowded Romanian-built area featuring a small church and houses dating at least to the early 19th century. A new center was built closer to Braşov
Brasov
Brașov is a city in Romania and the capital of Brașov County.According to the last Romanian census, from 2002, there were 284,596 people living within the city of Brașov, making it the 8th most populated city in Romania....
during the communist era to house migrating workers for the tractor and bus factories in the city.
Since the Romanian Revolution of 1989
Romanian Revolution of 1989
The Romanian Revolution of 1989 was a series of riots and clashes in December 1989. These were part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several Warsaw Pact countries...
new, more luxurious houses have been built on the outskirts of the village, slowly linking it with Braşov.
Churches
The landmark of the village is the 13th century fortified church. The original 3-nave basilicaBasilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
was demolished in 1794. There are still a few traces of the original 13th century paintings on the defensive walls that surrounded the church. The Order of Cistercians received it in 1240. The fortified church was severely destroyed during a Turkish
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
invasion in 1432. Most of the village was also destroyed then. After the invasion, the local community built an 8-meter high defensive wall fortified with 5 towers and a water trench.
In the 17th century, the church suffered major damage in large fire that also destroyed the local archives.
The bell tower collapsed in 1713 and was rebuilt 1778-1782. This tower later collapsed and in 1795 the structure was demolished and construction on a new church was begun.
Tourism
Sânpetru's main touristTourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
attraction is the land around Lempes hill, a partially-forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
ed promintory which is a reservation for wild flora. This is a habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
for certain vary rare flowers as well as various fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
-bearing plants such as strawberry
Strawberry
Fragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. Although it is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, the etymology of the word is uncertain. There...
, raspberry
Raspberry
The raspberry or hindberry is the edible fruit of a multitude of plant species in the genus Rubus, most of which are in the subgenus Idaeobatus; the name also applies to these plants themselves...
, blackberry
Blackberry
The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by any of several species in the Rubus genus of the Rosaceae family. The fruit is not a true berry; botanically it is termed an aggregate fruit, composed of small drupelets. The plants typically have biennial canes and perennial roots. Blackberries and...
, and blueberry
Blueberry
Blueberries are flowering plants of the genus Vaccinium with dark-blue berries and are perennial...
. This preserve is home to a variety of fauna including rabbits, snakes, lizards, and birds. Deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
once made their home here but may have since been hunted
Deer hunting
Deer hunting is survival hunting or sport hunting, harvesting deer, dating back to tens of thousands of years ago. Which occurred though out Europe Asia and North America There are numerous types of deer throughout the world that are hunted.- New Zealand :...
to extinction
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
. The ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
here is somewhat emperiled by the nearby presence of an artificial lake for depositing tar waste, herds of sheep. Paragliding
Paragliding
Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure...
enthusiasts use the hill as a launch point.
Fossils
This community is notable as the place where, in the late 19th century, Ilona von Felsö-Szilvás discovered fossilFossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
ized dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
bone
Bone
Bones are rigid organs that constitute part of the endoskeleton of vertebrates. They support, and protect the various organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells and store minerals. Bone tissue is a type of dense connective tissue...
s that had become exposed in a hillside on her the family’s estate which was at that time within the borders of Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
.
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
Franz Nopcsa von Felsö-Szilvás
Franz Nopcsa von Felso-Szilvás
Baron Franz Nopcsa von Felső-Szilvás was a Hungarian-born aristocrat, adventurer, scholar, and paleontologist...
, were intrigued by the discovery. The bones were sent to the eminent Viennese
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
geologist Eduard Suess
Eduard Suess
Eduard Suess was a geologist who was an expert on the geography of the Alps. He is responsible for hypothesising two major former geographical features, the supercontinent Gondwana and the Tethys Ocean.Born in London to a Jewish Saxon merchant, when he was three his family relocated toPrague,...
for identification. Suess advised the Baron to identify the bones himself. As a result, the Baron enrolled at the University of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
and soon became one of the principal paleobiological
Paleobiology
Paleobiology is a growing and comparatively new discipline which combines the methods and findings of the natural science biology with the methods and findings of the earth science paleontology...
researchers in central Europe, and the founder of paleophysiology.
Ilona's initial discovery turned out to be a duck-billed dinosaur. Subsequently, the remains of an armoured
Armour (zoology)
Armour in animals is external or superficial protection against attack by predators, formed as part of the body , usually through the hardening of body tissues, outgrowths or secretions. It has therefore mostly developed in 'prey' species...
dinosaur, a long-necked sauropod, a flying reptile of the Pterosauria type and several other dinosaurs were excavated from that same hill in Szentpéterfalva.
Literature
- Arne Franke: Das wehrhafte Sachsenland – Kirchenburgen im südlichen Siebenbürgen, Deutsches Kulturforum Östliches Europa, Potsdam 2007 ISBN 978-3-936168-27-3 (online).