Every summer, in the quiet villages in the hills of Transylvania, scenes from the past come back to life in the Haferland Week, a festival that beyond its dances and costumes, is whar its founder Michael Schmidt says, “a living bridge between the past and the future”.
The 2025 edition once again promises a journey through the memory of a community that has not forgotten its roots. Between July 31 and August 3, ten villages in the land of Oats become, once again this year, the scene of the largest celebration dedicated to Saxon culture in Romania. Now in its thirteenth edition, the Haferland Week festival attracts thousands of visitors every year who come to rediscover the spirit of a civilization that has not disappeared, but is reborn, slowly and deeply, in the middle of the Transylvanian summer.
The “Neighborhood Traditions” 2025 edition focuses on the influences and interactions between the Transylvanian Saxons and the other ethnic communities in the region. The festival take places in the villages of Archita, Saschiz, Homorod, Rupea, Criț, Roadeș, Meșendorf, Cloașterf, Bunești and Viscri, which have special historical and architectural meaning.
The event takes place under the High Patronage of the President of the Romanian Senate and under the patronage of Mr.Thorsten Frei, Head of the Federal Chancellery and Minister for Special Affairs in the Government of Germany. About 10,000 visitors are expected from Romania, Germany, the rest of Europe, North America and the Middle East.
“Haferland Week is much more than a festival, it is a living bridge between the past and the future, between the deep roots of the Saxon communities and the hope of a sustainable future in these lands,” says Haferland founder and entrepreneur Michael Schmidt, himself a Saxon originally from Criț, and a key promoter of the rebirth of Saxon culture in Romania.
For four days, the courtyards and streets of the villages will host a full program of visits to fortified churches, organ concerts and traditional music, balls and folklore shows, workshops for children and adults, exhibitions of crafts and folk costumes, film screenings, tastings of organic products and guided tours in local residents’ households.
Access to all events is free, and the festival encourages guests and local communities to closley mingle. Visitors aren’t mere spectators, but also active participants in a process of cultural rediscovery.
- You can find the full program – HERE
“Haferland Week is much more than a festival — it is a celebration of return and an investment in the future of a culture that deserves to endure,” emphasizes Michael Schmidt, a Saxon originally from Criț, who left for Germany several decades ago but later returned to invest in his native country and is constantly involved in initiatives aimed at supporting the revitalization of the region.
In addition to the cultural dimension, Haferland also becomes, with each edition, an engine for sustainable rural development. Traditional households become guesthouses, local crafts are transformed into sources of income, and the Saxon identity is no longer just museum heritage, but a living reality.
In a world where globalization erodes local landmarks, Haferland proposes another model: that of returning to the roots, not as nostalgia, but as the foundation of living together for the future.
