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VALCHID (WALDHUTTEN)
We have a small but beautiful house in the village called Valchid, just 26 kilometres away from Sighisoara. The village is connected with the main road between Sighisoara and Medias by a 6 kilometre non-paved country road. We have a yard and a big garden. We are happy to stay here and we thank the locals for their friendship and support.
Valchid was built by Saxons in the thirteenth century. The centre is dominated by a fortified, castle-like Saxon church.
The village was originally called Waldhutten, a German name meaning ‘house in the forest’. Still the village is surrounded by forests and hills. When you climb the 550 metre high plateau behind the village you can enjoy the views of the highest peaks of the Carpathian mountains.
Valchid is a remote village. There is no sewer-system, no running water and no gas. People warm their houses and prepare their food on wood fires. Almost every household depends on the well in their yard. Until the end of the communist regime the majority of people in Valchid were the Saxons, speaking a german dialect. By then there lived already many Romanians and Gypsies (Roma). Now there remain only three Saxons, Gypsies being the majority in the village followed by Romanians.
Most people in the village try to make a living working the field and raising animals. A small percentage of the people work in nearby towns, mostly in factories. In the last two years many people left the village to go working abroad, mainly in Spain, Italy and France. As a result of the incoming money, everywhere in the village you see people painting and renovating their houses, while even new houses are being erected and churches being built (the last ones with the help of religious communities abroad). The biggest religious communities in Valchid are the Romanian Orthodox church (attended by Romanians and Gypsies alike) and some smaller baptist communities, mainly attended by Gypsies.
The Saxons organised the village in ‘Nachbarschafften’, Neighbourhood-communities. Each neighbourhood-community was tightly organised and governed by a ‘neighbourhood-father’. Everybody in the different neighbourhoods knew exactly their duties and plights, the neighbourhood organised and paid for weddings and funerals, helped people in need and made sure traditions were being kept and attended. Nowadays this neighbourhood system still plays a role in the village: there exists one Romanian-neighbourhood and one Gypsy-neighbourhood, while the Saxon neighbourhood still exists in Germany, where the emigrants from Valchid yearly meet at their neighbourhood party!
The transition period after the fall of the Ceausescu-regime brought many difficulties and challenges to the people in Valchid. First of all, the majority of Saxons moved to Germany in search of a better life. With the whole social system being upside-down, the remaining inhabitants as well as the new-comers needed to find a new social balance and had (and have) to coop with economic hardship. While in the past people were secure of having a job (the majority working in the agricultural cooperation near Valchid) and (small) pensions were being paid, now people have to be innovative to sustain their households.
Slowly but surely you see things change for the better, although (unfortunately) not for everybody.
On the way to the village you see people working their lands, almost everything by hand or with horse-power. The village consists of one main road and two small side roads, along which are beautiful coloured houses. Almost everybody has a yard and a garden as well as a basement, in which they store their potatoes, apples, corn and other products. Most people are very proud of their home-made wine and brandy, and in the autumn you can see people preparing pig-meat and making wine as a back-up for the winter. There are a couple of stores in the village, of which one is a bar as well.
Like many visitors before you, it’s almost sure you’ll like your stay or passing through in Valchid. The surroundings are beautiful, people are friendly and there’s a lot to see, learn and do. Because of our experiences here and in many other parts of Romania, we can tell you a lot about history, cultural backgrounds and day-to-day life in this area.
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