German ethnics’ “Oats Land Week” festival begins in central Romania

The 7th edition of the Haferland Week Festival (Oats Land Week) festival, an event dedicated to the promotion of local Saxon culture in Transylvania, will be held starting July 25 to July 30th in ten localities in the Rupea-Sighisoara area, called the Haferland (Land of Oats).

This year's edition of the festival, which will be held under the slogan "Be part of the community!" will take place in the villages of Archita, Viscri, Homorod, Saschiz (pictured), Rupea, Criş, Buneşti, Roadeş, Meşendorf and Cloaşterf, according to a press release from the organizers, quoted by Agerpres.

“Haferland Week is a very important event for the German (Saxon) community in the region and not only: it is the moment when the local community gets involved in offering the best experience to the guests and the tourists who have participated so far have been pleased with everything they saw. This year, we want to put more emphasis on Saxon art, which made it possible for the Saxons to keep their identity intact over time, so we invite all passionate travelers not only to visit us but also to be part of the community of those who love Saxon villages and art in the area,” said Michael Schmidt, president of the foundation with the same name and one of the festival's initiators.

(Photo: Cristian Chirita/ Wikipedia)