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Quiz about In the Heart of Transylvania
Quiz about In the Heart of Transylvania

In the Heart of Transylvania Trivia Quiz


There's more to Transylvania than Count Drakula! Join me as I explore the heritage of this fascinating part of Romania.

A multiple-choice quiz by ajwtimperley. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
ajwtimperley
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
337,786
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
614
Awards
Top 10% Quiz
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Question 1 of 10
1. In the 2nd century A.D., the Roman Empire reached its greatest extent under the Emperor Trajan. His army conquered a kingdom that had its capital at Sarmizegetusa, and many Romanians claim that their identity as a separate culture began when the Romans left and Daco-Roman peasants and shepherds remained. What was this kingdom called? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. One of the iconic scenes in Transylvania is the image of a cobbled street lined by pastel coloured houses with steeply sloping tiled roofs. This is part of the style to be found in the fortified towns of Saxon heritage that provide focal points for the Transylvanian region. Seven of these towns in particular give rise to the German name for Transylvania. What is this? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Transylvania is a region consisting of wonderfully scenic settings from deep valleys to snow-covered mountain peaks. It is an area surrounded by many mountains, which act as a natural barrier that separates it from the surrounding regions. Which large mountain range are its boundaries part of? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Although Transylvania is now part of Romania, it has a very strong connection to the Hungarians. One of the major ethnic groups in the region has significant Hungarian elements to it, with enough unique traits to be classed on their own. Which ethnic group does local legend claim to be directly descended from the Huns? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Thanks to the work of Bram Stoker, Count Dracula will forever be associated with Transylvania. The furore surrounding this fantastic character has led people to connect him to the 15th century historical figure that is popularly known as Vlad the Impaler. Vlad was born in which of the Saxon fortified towns that is also recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. The region of Transylvania contains hundreds of Saxon fortified churches. Some of the finest examples have even been added to UNESCO's List of World Heritage Sites. Of these, one particularly fine example lies not far from Brasov and despite being under siege on numerous occasions in its history, it only actually fell once when it was taken by the Translyvanian Prince Gabriel Báthory. Where is this fortified church? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. One of the most popular tourist destinations in Romania is Bran Castle. It is set on a forested hill in a beautiful mountainous setting, and is a fine example of the many castles in the region. What name is it popularly known as? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. To get a feel for the rural, isolated life that exists in Transylvania, you could do worse than take a car off the main road down a rough dirt track for around 7km to the village of Viscri. Here you will find another of UNESCO's wonderful fortified Saxon churches, but which personality was so enchanted by the area that they actually purchased a property here? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. In 2007, one of Transylvania's cities was rewarded with the title of European Capital of Culture. It hosts an international film festival, is home to the Brukenthal Museum and is thought to be the place where Samuel Hahnemann invented homeopathy. Is also claims one of the largest open-air museums in the world, where many buildings from all over Romania have been collected in one beautiful forested setting. Which city? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. In 2007 Romania entered the European Union. In order to bring the country in line with other members of the economic block they passed a new law later that year. What type of transport was banned from Romania's roads that would have been a regular sight when travelling across Transylvania? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. In the 2nd century A.D., the Roman Empire reached its greatest extent under the Emperor Trajan. His army conquered a kingdom that had its capital at Sarmizegetusa, and many Romanians claim that their identity as a separate culture began when the Romans left and Daco-Roman peasants and shepherds remained. What was this kingdom called?

Answer: Dacia

The kingdom of Dacia was ruled at the time of the conquest by Decebalus. He offered stern resistance against the Romans until Sarmizegetusa finally fell in 106 A.D. Rather than allow himself to be captured and paraded through the streets of Rome, he chose to commit suicide.

The explanation for this origin of the Romanian people is subject to much debate. When the Romans decided to withdraw their troops from the Dacian boundary, the theory is that members of the local population stayed behind and these people have a direct link to the current Romanian people. The one major drawback to this theory is the lack of written and archaeological evidence supporting it, and without this the debate concerning the Daco-Roman Continuity Theory looks set to continue.
2. One of the iconic scenes in Transylvania is the image of a cobbled street lined by pastel coloured houses with steeply sloping tiled roofs. This is part of the style to be found in the fortified towns of Saxon heritage that provide focal points for the Transylvanian region. Seven of these towns in particular give rise to the German name for Transylvania. What is this?

Answer: Siebenbürgen

The German name "Siebenbürgen" is a direct translation of "seven fortresses". The Saxons first came to the region during the 12th and 13th centuries building up towns using their own style of architecture. These towns were contained within a fortified wall to protect the city from attack and helped to limit access to undesirables. They would usually contain a main square along with several smaller squares and meandering streets. The focal point of the whole town would be the main church.

The seven Saxons towns that are most commonly listed are: Kronstadt (now Brasov), Schässburg (now Sighisoara), Mediasch (now Medias), Bistritz (now Bistrita), Clausenburg (now Cluj-Napoca), Mühlbach (now Sebes) and Hermannstadt (now Sibiu). Many of the medieval centres of these fortified towns are still largely intact. Expect to see sights like forts, bastions, guildhouses and towers. Walking through the old town of somewhere like Brasov can really give you a feel for what life was once like there. Brasov even includes what is claimed to be the narrowest street in Europe, though some searching would tell you that it is beaten by streets in Exeter, England and Reutlingen, Germany. Nevertheless, it's a tight fit!
3. Transylvania is a region consisting of wonderfully scenic settings from deep valleys to snow-covered mountain peaks. It is an area surrounded by many mountains, which act as a natural barrier that separates it from the surrounding regions. Which large mountain range are its boundaries part of?

Answer: Carpathians

The Carpathian mountains are one of Romania's big tourist draws. They are a haven for winter sports enthusiasts who make their way to popular resorts such as Poiana Brasov. In the summer, the outdoor enthusiasts turn into hikers who trek the many marked path through the mountains. The gorges and limestone scenery of Piatra Craiului is exceedingly beautiful and also happens to be the place where some scenes from the 2003 film "Cold Mountain" were shot.

Other natural Transylvanian sites that may warrant a special visit include the wonderful Turda Gorge and the Red Lake. The latter is the home to a local legend that tells how a beautiful girl sang to the mountains whilst she waited for her lover to return. Unfortunately, she also charmed a thief, and to protect her from his advances she called to the mountains for help. They responded with a landslide, burying the pair of them, with their blood giving rise to the redness that gives the lake its name.
4. Although Transylvania is now part of Romania, it has a very strong connection to the Hungarians. One of the major ethnic groups in the region has significant Hungarian elements to it, with enough unique traits to be classed on their own. Which ethnic group does local legend claim to be directly descended from the Huns?

Answer: Székely

Legend has it that the Székely are directly descended from Attila the Hun's son, Csaba. Following Attila's death, his sons went to war with each other. Csaba was the loser, and his defeated army took root in Transylvania, thus forming a new and distinctive culture in the region.

A site often found in Székely towns and villages is the Székely gate. These gates contain a small entrance for pedestrians and a much larger one to let a horse and cart through. A Székely site also features on the World Heritage Site list. One of the sites that UNESCO selected as an excellent example of the fortified churches in the area, the one at Darjiu, is a Székely church. All of the other churches inscribed on the list are Saxon.
5. Thanks to the work of Bram Stoker, Count Dracula will forever be associated with Transylvania. The furore surrounding this fantastic character has led people to connect him to the 15th century historical figure that is popularly known as Vlad the Impaler. Vlad was born in which of the Saxon fortified towns that is also recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site?

Answer: Sighisoara

In Sighisoara there is a house with a plaque stating that Vlad Dracul lived there between 1431 and 1435. The first thing to point out is that this was not Vlad the Impaler. Vlad Dracul was actually the father of Vlad the Impaler, and it is the son who is thought to be the influence for Count Dracula. The title "Dracul" was given after Vlad was inducted into the Order of the Dragon; a chivalrous order that had been created in Hungary during the Middle Ages.

Vlad the Impaler has attained his nickname from the stories of him impaling the local boyars on stakes. He picked up this gruesome idea during his prison sentence in Istanbul, which is where he was sent by his father in order to secure Ottoman support for his claim to the throne of Wallachia, the region to the south of Transylvania. He was released following his father's murder, and returned to become the leader of Wallachia. It was during his crusade of revenge that he began to use the stake execution method, with tales of his cruelty spreading across Europe.

It should be pointed out that many Romanians see him as a national hero, partly because they see him as standing up against his enemies. He was voted number 12 in the 2006 TV vote for the "100 Greatest Romanians", though this was one place behind the controversial dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.
6. The region of Transylvania contains hundreds of Saxon fortified churches. Some of the finest examples have even been added to UNESCO's List of World Heritage Sites. Of these, one particularly fine example lies not far from Brasov and despite being under siege on numerous occasions in its history, it only actually fell once when it was taken by the Translyvanian Prince Gabriel Báthory. Where is this fortified church?

Answer: Prejmer

The site at Prejmer consists of a circular fortified wall containing hundreds of rooms for people to live in and store goods during times of siege. This wall then surrounds an open yard with the church as the focal point at its centre. The rooms are on a number of levels, the highers ones only reachable via wooden staircases. A significant amount of restoration work has been put into the site, which has helped to keep it remarkably well preserved and gives it a really authentic feel. You can even walk a circuit around the upper levels of the walls and see how they would have defended the site against invading armies.

Whilst only seven fortified churches have made it on to UNESCO's World Heritage list, there are hundreds across Transylvania that help to give the region a distinctive character.
7. One of the most popular tourist destinations in Romania is Bran Castle. It is set on a forested hill in a beautiful mountainous setting, and is a fine example of the many castles in the region. What name is it popularly known as?

Answer: Dracula's Castle

When I went to visit Romania, I was expecting everywhere to be playing heavily on the Dracula theme. Fortunately, this turned out to be much less than I had anticipated, though I did find a "Dracula's Games" in Sibiu. Nevertheless, Dracula is one of the biggest tourist draws in Romania with Bran Castle a prime example. Now, as beautiful a place as Bran Castle is, there is a problem.

It is not Dracula's castle. Well, at least not Vlad the Impaler's castle. At most, he probably stayed there only a few nights, but certainly not as the owner. If you're after the authentic thing, you need to look elsewhere, with Poenari Castle perhaps the best bet. Poenari is a ruined fortress on a hill that has much stronger links to Vlad the Impaler, and is even alleged to be haunted!
8. To get a feel for the rural, isolated life that exists in Transylvania, you could do worse than take a car off the main road down a rough dirt track for around 7km to the village of Viscri. Here you will find another of UNESCO's wonderful fortified Saxon churches, but which personality was so enchanted by the area that they actually purchased a property here?

Answer: Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales

Visiting Viscri, you feel like the clock has been turned back for centuries. Well, apart from the odd car! The emphasis placed on tourism at Viscri is that it is sustainable. The Mihai Eminescu Trust has put in huge amounts of work to transform the life of these villagers by helping to develop local traditions, such as constructing a wood-fired kiln to enable them to make tiles and bricks.

Prince Charles has been a regular visitor to the Transylvanian region over the years. He has helped to raise the profile of the villagers' rural way of life, and has conducted lots of charity work on behalf of the Mihai Eminescu Trust. The Trust is active throughout the Transylvanian region, with particular emphasis on maintaining the Saxon way of life. Following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, many of the Saxon families decided to emigrate to the west, thus the Trust is focused on trying to ensure that these traditions do not die out in Transylvania.
9. In 2007, one of Transylvania's cities was rewarded with the title of European Capital of Culture. It hosts an international film festival, is home to the Brukenthal Museum and is thought to be the place where Samuel Hahnemann invented homeopathy. Is also claims one of the largest open-air museums in the world, where many buildings from all over Romania have been collected in one beautiful forested setting. Which city?

Answer: Sibiu

Sibiu was the first city in Romania to be awarded the title of European Capital of Culture. It is a lovely place to meander through with a classy pedestrianised upper town full of cafés that line the streets and squares during the sunny months. The lower town is full of cobbled streets lined with traditional housing that wind around inside the old fortified walls. There is a tower in the centre that you can climb to give you wonderful views of the surrounding roofs, cathedral and series of inter-connecting squares.

Sibiu is also the birthplace of Hermann Oberth, one of the pioneers of rocketry, and he is honoured by a statue in front of Sibiu city hall.
10. In 2007 Romania entered the European Union. In order to bring the country in line with other members of the economic block they passed a new law later that year. What type of transport was banned from Romania's roads that would have been a regular sight when travelling across Transylvania?

Answer: Horse & Cart

The rural way of life is a significant feature of Transylvania. Horse and cart has been the only way for many people to get around for a long time, and unfortunately many can't afford to splash out for a modern substitute. Without this mode of transport their livelihoods woulds be severely affected, especially during the long winter months. One of the main reasons for the ban coming into force was that the horse & cart had been blamed for a significant proportion of road traffic accidents. Whether this was the case, or whether it was other people just driving too fast is open to much debate!

The horse & cart is just one feature indicative of a traditional way of life that you would encounter on travels through Transylvania. There are lots of villages where you might see water-tight hayricks in the middle of a field and farmers herding their sheep along. In a Romanian restaurant you might find the lovely, sour, peasant soup. One particular local favourite is ciorba de burta, otherwise known as tripe soup. Maybe it's an acquired taste, as I was wholeheartedly not a fan, but I must say that I was very impressed with the beef version.
Source: Author ajwtimperley

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Exit10 before going online.
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