Differences in Village Architecture

Driving through Transylvania, we noticed many differences in village architecture. Three main types related to different ethnic communities include those of the Saxons, Gypsies, and Hungarians. The Saxons’ houses appeared to be all connected by a wall running parallel to the streets. Each home had a memorable large, wooden gate characteristic of only Saxon communities.
The Gypsy regions we drove through were quite unique and surprising. Some were brick mansions with tin roofs (a product of their trade), while the Gypsy slums were small, close together, and muddy. Many Gypsies are living in unfinished mansions from running out of money after starting huge projects.

The Hungarian houses stood out with their red-tiled roofs. Many homes demonstrate their Hungarian nationalism through their red roofs, white stucco, and green gates. Despite the Romanian government’s refusal to sell green paint, they managed to make their own with the Romanian flag’s colors of blue and yellow.

We noticed many similar characteristics between the architectural styles present in Transylvania. Aside from the Gypsies’ brick mansions, all houses seemed to be made of stucco. Also, houses were colorfully painted and tiled. Houses were close to the road and to each other. We found it interesting to witness the diversity in this unique architecture as we plummeted through the countryside.

Submitted by: Cailin, Lydia, Claire