From 1283 dates the first official document mentioning the Moșna village (German – Meschen, Hungarian – Muzsna), but archeological discoveries in the area found evidences of this area being inhabited as early as the I – III centuries.

Located 10km South of Mediaș, Moșna received its first Saxon colonists in the XIII century, when they also started to build a small Romanesque basilica. The village population increased over the years, they also became wealthier and the need of a bigger church came up. So, at the beginning of the XVI century, a larger late Gothic style church was built on the foundation of the Romanesque basilica.

As in other villages in the area,  Turkish attacks in Transylvania grew stronger and the church from Moşna had to be surrounded by fortification walls. The works started in 1520 when the observation tower, two defense towers and two bastions were built, together with a   9 m high fortress wall surrounding the church.

The church of Mosșa stands out through the number and size of its various towers, having 5 in total. The church tower reaches a height of 7 levels and still has a 1515 bell.

The Southern tower (3 levels high) now hosts an exhibition of trades and customs of the Saxon community, but also all sorts of coins and fragments of weaponry, discovered during various excavations.

The Church is in very good condition today and is about to enter the UNESCO World Heritage Site List. On the entrance door you will find a phone number you can call if the door is not open and you want to visit.

What else Moșna has to offer

If you’re in the village not only for visiting the fortified church, try one of the activities below, they will give you, for sure, a clear view on what the village and the rural life are all about.

Bio-Moșna is a a great place to go to if you’re in the mood of tasting some local products and some old Saxon recipes. Willi Schuster and his wife have moved to Moșna  some years ago (from Germany) and now have a proper farm (with animals), with a vegetables garden, with trees and vineyard. They produce diary products (tasting the cheese they make is a must), meat products and all sorts of dishes and recipes based on seasonal ingredients from their own garden.  Must try to cheese specialties and the mustard they produce. Address – Cetatii Street, 543

Eco-museum – this is more than a regular museum, it’s a journey into territory, community an patrimony. You will have a tour of the village to get to know, besides the beautiful architecture, the history of the village, the customs of the people, the way they arrange their household, in one word, the way they live their life in their village.

In Moșna, part of the Eco-Museum are the old mill(a traditional mill with rocks purchased from France), the house number 215 (an atypical house from 1895 with the shed to the street and the living spaces behind, at the foot of the hill) and house number 206 (a house dating from 1724 with a small ecologic farm).

Turism by bike – If you’re one of those who enjoys riding a bike from dust till dawn, you can try visiting the Saxon villages in this way. There is a biking trail that will guide you : Bazna – Mediaş – Moşna – Alma Vii – Richiş – Biertan – Copşa Mare – Valchid – Dumbrăveni – Alma – Dârlos – Păucea – Blăjel – Bazna. Of course you can start from any other point, but the result will be the same – beautiful Saxon villages, surrounded by forests and hills.

Instead of biking, you can also chose hiking, here is a complete list of the hiking/biking trails in the area.

The Cabbage Festival – each October, for 3 days, the villages turns into a cabbage market. With old cabbage local recipes, with drinks and all sorts of local customs and traditions.

Accommodation – if you want to spend the night in Mosna, try the old Parrish house, now turned into a guesthouse. You should call miss Mariana Rempler (+40/744/624 776).