InfoAnda - The unexpected rebirth of a Saxon village in Romania

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Sun and ice meet at Paris haute couture shows | 28 January 2009
China tells military to ignore rumors, obey party | | 6 April 2012
Israeli, Jordan leaders discuss Palestinian talks | | 27 July 2010

China says Tibet facing urgent task to maintain stability | | 6 February 2012

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : The unexpected rebirth of a Saxon village in Romania

Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail More Yahoo! Services Account Options New User? Sign Up Sign In Help Yahoo! Search web search Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Weekend Edition World The unexpected rebirth of a Saxon village in Romania AFP - Thursday, October 14 Send IM Story Print The unexpected rebirth of a Saxon village in Romania VISCRI, Romania (AFP) - – It could have been the end of the centuries-old village of Viscri in the hills of Transylvania when almost all its inhabitants, Saxons of German origin, left in 1989 at the collapse of communism. After all, how could such a small village survive in the poor and remote Romanian countryside? But Romanians -- Roma Gypsies as well as non Roma -- have breathed new life into the picturesque village. They moved into the abandoned houses and worked with the remaining Saxons to forge a new future based on cultural tourism, sustainable agriculture and a revival of ancient craftsmanship. Last year more than 11,000 tourists from around the world came to see Viscri's pastel-coloured houses and its fortified church, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Even Britain's Prince Charles has bought a house there. "We are proud of the rebirth because after the departure of the Saxons, their traditional farm houses lay derelict," said Caroline Fernolend, one of the few members of the German minority who stayed behind. " Then some Romanian Roma families who had been living outside the village in wooden houses moved in," Fernolend told AFP. The Saxons had settled in Transylvania, the centre of today's Romania, in the 12th century at the request of a local king. In January 1990 there were 300 living in Viscri. In December of the same year there were only 68. Today the population is back up to 420, a large number of whom are Roma although many prefer not to be referred to as such because of the negative stereotypes associated with this community in Europe. With the help of the Mihai Eminescu Trust set up with British support, the new inhabitants, "Romanian Roma and non Roma, learned how to restore and preserve this rich heritage," said Fernolend, vice president of the Trust. They revived ancient crafts, such as making tiles, and rebuilt old Saxon buildings, restoring villages in work that will be on show in an exhibition opening at the Romanian embassy in Washington on Thursday (October 14). Gheorghe Lascu, 47, never thought he would do the same work as his grandfather. But for three years now he has been making traditional bricks and tiles to renovate Saxon buildings. "I am very proud of what we do," he said, watching over a fire warming the kiln in which his latest bricks and tiles were being "cooked". Gheorghe and his wife Dorina mould every tile and brick themselves. They use clay from the neighbourhood, which English experts had tested and identified as the most suitable raw material. "The idea was to help maintain traditional skills while providing a living for a family," said Colin Richards, head of a conservation and archeology unit in the Shropshire council in Britain and also a Trust expert who visits once a year to help the Lascu family. Viscri's inhabitants were also encouraged to open bed-and-breakfasts to accommodate visitors drawn by its ancient way of life restored. Today there are 11 pensions run by local families. "At the beginning, we started to rent only one room. Now we have three," said Maria Panait, who with her husband renovated a house in the centre of the village. "We have a lot of tourists from abroad. They usually like traditional food and organic cheese from our sheep," she said. The Panaits set up another project in which village women knit woollen socks, a venture that took a knock during the global economic crisis with orders, mostly from Germany, plummeting from 12,000 pairs to only 2,000 last year. The Gabor brothers, Matei, 32, and Istvan, 28, also took up their grandfather's craft. "He was a very skilled blacksmith who was called by the Saxons to work in Viscri. We learned a lot from him," Istvan said. He and his brother make traditional locks, intricate hinges, horseshoes and even chandeliers. "We here, we are proud to know that our iron works are used in the fortified Saxon church of Viscri," Istvan said. He and his brother are among the very few inhabitants of Viscri who call themselves Roma. "I am first and foremost a human being, like we all are here, but I am also proud to be a Roma," Istvan said. Romania's Roma community is the biggest in Europe: the official census puts the number at 530,000 but pressure groups say it is as high as 2.5 million, with most Roma not declaring themselves as such fearing discrimination. A French crackdown on Roma, which the French government has linked to crime, has highlighted problems afflicting the community including prejudice, poverty, housing segregation and education and labour market barriers. The topic was the focus of a European Union conference in the Romanian capital this week that called for member states to do more to improve the situation of the Roma people. For Istvan, the peaceful village of Viscri has shielded him from many of these worries. "Here it does not matter if you are Romanian Roma, Hungarian, German or something else. We consider ourselves human beings first," he told AFP. Recommend Send IM Story Print Related Articles A Minute with: Clint Eastwood on death, afterlife Reuters - 28 minutes ago Hitler exhibition breaks taboos in Berlin AFP - 1 hour 31 minutes ago Japan to export hit samurai drama AFP - Friday, October 15 US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary Reuters - Friday, October 15 Harry Potter plagiarism case may come to UK trial Reuters - Friday, October 15 News Search Top Stories US trade deficit swells, gap with China hits record OPEC maintains oil output quota OPEC begins output meeting, oil price firms Indonesian civil servants stumble over unusual test OPEC set to maintain official oil output More Top Stories » ADVERTISEMENT Most Popular Most Viewed Most Recommended Time to find a second Earth, WWF says 'Bandit' Obama billboard sparks storm in US city In Chile mine accident, 33 is lucky number Hubble captures first images of suspected asteroid collision World's 'smallest man' undergoes final checks for record More Most Viewed » Too much TV psychologically harms kids: study Workers swarm Europe's streets in anti-cuts protests British lottery winner gets record 129 mln euros 'A billion people' go hungry in 2010: report More Most Recommended » Elsewhere on Yahoo! Financial news on Yahoo! Finance Stars and latest movies Best travel destinations More on Yahoo! News Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Weekend Edition Subscribe to our news feeds Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS » More news feeds | What are news feeds? Also on Yahoo! Answers Groups Mail Messenger Mobile Travel Finance Movies Sports Games » All Yahoo! Services Site Highlights Singapore Full Coverage Most Popular Entertainment Photos Yahoo! News Network Copyright © 2010 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved. Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Community | Intellectual Property Rights Policy | Help

Other News on Thursday, 14 October 2010
France fuel supply threatened by pensions stand-off
Oppression and wealth gaps spurs satire in Egypt
Facebook rejects ownership lawsuit as a 'scam'
Court clears way for Liverpool FC sale
Six NATO soldiers killed in Afghanistan
Britain, Russia fail to heal scars of agent's murder
Rapturous welcome for Iran's Ahmadinejad in Lebanon
World's 'smallest man' undergoes final checks for record
NATO: 6 troops killed, including 4 in Afghan blast
Facebook tightens security for members on the move
OPEC 'consensus' to hold oil output steady
US-TECH Summary
G8 seeks Sahel anti-terrorism progress at Mali meet |
European bid to freeze deepwater drilling collapses
Judge mulls residence issue in Facebook case
Hurricane Paula weakens on track to western Cuba |
Experts warn of 10mln TB deaths in next five years
Hero's welcome in Lebanon for Iranian leader
Michigan to get 5,300 charging stations for electric cars
Gold strikes historic high point
Danish court blocks media from quoting Facebook 'friends'
JP Morgan quarterly profit up 23 percent
Amadeus says no decision on sale of Opodo
Time to find a second Earth, WWF says
U.S. Republicans likely to take House
Intel posts three billion dollar quarterly net profit
Cyber bullying campaign against Korean singer dies down
Apple executive to meet South Korea lawmakers on iPhone
FCC eyes an end to shocking mobile phone bills |
Tech giants Samsung and Apple more friends than rivals
Microsoft deepens Facebook ties in Google battle |
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Apple stock breaks $300 for first time |
Hollywood blogger Perez Hilton vows to quit bullying
Some fever scanners work, U.S. study finds |
Corrected: Sirius XM adds more subscribers, offers debt |
U.S. steps up military-civilian cyber defense coordination |
Judge mulls residence issue in Facebook case |
Spain's bullfighters hail cultural recognition
Bosnia revokes filming permission for Jolie film
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Hollywood blogger Perez Hilton vows to quit bullying
German minister hits out at US over China forex criticism
Serbian NGOs hail Gay Pride amid threats of more violence
Renaissance Rome plays host to new 'Assassin' game
G20 chair S.Korea faces questions over currency moves: Japan
Coal India expects 25% rise in full year profit
Iranian director says politics force him to work abroad
Daimler aims for huge sales boost in China
Stripey plants are the bees' knees
Pakistan c.bank says auction result posted in error
Yo-Yo Ma, Paul Simon to kick off Kennedy celebrations
Michael Jackson solo music videos get DVD release |
Three NATO soldiers killed in Afghanistan
France fuel supply threatened by pensions standoff
Rescued Chile miners recover, face celebrity status |
AOL, private equity firms explore purchase: WSJ
US soldier 'may be disciplined' for aid worker death
Britain, Russia fail to heal scars of agent's murder
'Bandit' Obama billboard sparks storm in US city
Bomb kills 3 foreign troops in west Afghanistan |
New Iraq govt will help Syria ties says Assad
Facebook and Bing fuse social network and search
Time to find a second Earth, WWF says
U.N. could police parts of north-south Sudan border
In Chile mine accident, 33 is lucky number
Global PC sales slow in third quarter
Iran says to stand by Lebanon against Israeli hostility |
Hubble captures first images of suspected asteroid collision
NATO lets Taliban leaders go to Kabul for talks
Microsoft deepens Facebook ties in Web search battle
US moves to enhance cybersecurity cooperation
NATO: 3 more troops killed in Afghan bomb blast
Japan PM: desirable for China to free Nobel winner |
Study says iPhone 4 design fine -- unless you drop it
Iran says to stand by Lebanon against Israeli hostility
U.N. could police parts of north-south Sudan border |
Tribes can solve Sudan's Abyei row alone
Sirius XM adds more subscribers, offers debt
Peru arrests Shining Path leader, two killed: report |
Australian police find half-tonne of cocaine
Ahmadinejad visit to Lebanon is "provocative"
FCC eyes an end to shocking mobile phone bills
Rousseff holds ground in Brazil election race |
Nepalese teen becomes world's smallest man
Some fever scanners work, U.S. study finds
Diminutive Hurricane Paula weakens further |
'Mary Mania' as Australia prepares for first saint
Documentary shows Hollywood hard times for Chinese actress
Sony delays launch of latest "Gran Turismo" game
Deals already on offer for Chilean miners' story
Cuba on storm alert as weakened Paula approaches
Kenya marathon double on final day of Delhi Games
Global PC sales slow in third quarter
Hurricane Paula weakens in Caribbean to category one
Taiwan plans to allow small brothels
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Google urged to drop China name for disputed isles
IVF births result in taller children: NZ study
Private equity courts News Corp, AOL on Yahoo: source |
Cricket captain Ponting blames himself for India loss
Microsoft deepens Facebook ties in Web search battle |
Sea lion attacks New Zealand rowing boat
FCC eyes an end to shocking mobile phone bills |
Pakistani flood children face winter peril
Sony delays launch of latest Gran Turismo game |
Oliver Stone returns to "more complex" "Wall Street"
Tatar city emerges as new Russian sports giant
Third-quarter PC growth weaker than expected |
Judges panel selected for Paula Abdul show
Verizon not in Clearwire spectrum sale |
"Breaking Dawn" coven members cast
China local governments loan default fears
Eddie Murphy to star in "Tower Heist"
Pakistani c.bank sells 48 bln rupees of T-bills
Maroon 5's Levine speaks out against anti-gay bullies
Seoul shares up 1.3 pct; rate decision reaction muted
Australia, Indonesia agree more talks on Timor asylum centre
Steinbeck family lose latest round in copyright feud
Bruce Willis likes it when he sees "RED"
Dollar hits new 15-year low versus yen
Bosnian minister cancels Jolie's filming permit
Taiwan stocks have best day in 5 wks; banks, TSMC up
US senator calls on China to allow currency rise
S.Korea c.bank holds rates, says FX risk to economy
Taiwan: must evaluate carefully any "hot money" tax
Oliver Stone returns to more complex Wall Street |
PAKISTAN
Peter Jackson: Hobbit decision in week or two |
South Korea freezes key interest rate
Bosnian minister cancels Jolie's filming permit |
Deals already on offer for Chilean miners' story |
Judges panel selected for Paula Abdul show |
Bruce Willis likes it when he sees RED |
Breaking Dawn coven members cast |
Steinbeck family lose latest round in copyright feud |
Sony delays launch of latest "Gran Turismo" game
Beauty leads DVD sales, Karate Kid tops rentals |
Ahmadinejad, near Israel border, says Zionists mortal |
Witness: Two deaths and four years in Putin's Russia |
NATO backs reforms, U.S. warns allies on domestic cuts |
OPEC maintains oil output quota
Sony again delays release of Gran Turismo 5
OPEC begins output meeting, oil price firms
Abbas says: Let's focus on hope, not failure |
Indonesian civil servants stumble over unusual test
French government calls for calm amid oil and rail protests |
Dollar hits 15-year low against yen
Pakistan floods caused $9.7 bln in damage: ADB/World Bank |
Thaksin 'to increase activities ahead of Thai polls'
Four shot dead in restive Thai south |
Australia rout India to win fourth men's hockey gold
German universities to train Muslim imams, teachers |
Indonesian militants go on trial over hotel bombings
Rainbow Warrior denied entry to Indonesia: Greenpeace
Japan PM: desirable for China to free Nobel winner
S.Korea buries N.Korean defector amid controversy
Pakistani stocks, o/n rates end up; rupee flat
Verizon to join AT&T in selling iPads |
Aquino blames Philippine court for blocking reforms
Taiwan dlr at 26-mth high; c.bank muted
Japan to export hit samurai drama
Need a lift? Phone your car and it'll pick you up |
Pakistan's forex reserves fall to $16.97 bln
Harry Potter plagiarism case may come to UK trial
Pop legend Cliff Richard still rocking at 70
China plans to expand investment in Africa
Adam Lambert uncowed by anger over sexuality
First edition of Orwell's 1984 found in charity bin
S.Korea benchmark treasury yield near 6-yr low
Smell, close your eyes, remember: chefs teach kids
NZealand unions keep mum on 'Hobbit' boycott
The unexpected rebirth of a Saxon village in Romania
Revolutionary Vienna social housing project turns 80
A Minute with: Clint Eastwood on death, afterlife |
Adam Lambert uncowed by anger over sexuality |
Harry Potter plagiarism case may come to UK trial |
Sony again delays release of Gran Turismo 5
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01