16
Saxon Neighborhoods
Hello, neighbor!
The Saxon neighborhoods were, and to an extent they still are, a form of community organization based not on family ties but on proximity. Houses along a street formed a "neighborhood," or in German, "Nachbarschaft." The neighborhood bore the name of the street, it had written rules, specified fines for rule-breaking, a seal, a neighborhood board, records of income and expenses, a money pouch, and a neighborhood chest to contain them all.
The oldest known neighborhood statutes today date back to the 16th–17th centuries, and it is presumed that similar structures existed in Biertan at that time.
The neighborhood primarily comprised the household, meaning the family. Children born here were part of the neighborhood but only assumed an active or official role once married, becoming full-fledged members of Saxon order. The neighborhood primarily belonged to men but included, by extension, women and children.
In Biertan, it is known that there were initially 12 neighborhoods, and during times of drastically reduced population, this number decreased to as few as six enclaves: Market Neighborhood, Market Lane Neighborhood, Paved Lane Neighborhood, Salt Lane Neighborhood, Church Lane Neighborhood, and Cross Lane Neighborhood.
The earliest records about Biertan neighborhoods date from 1750. In 1799, there were nine Saxon neighborhoods and two Romanian ones. When a neighborhood grew, it could be divided in two; for example, in 1822, the Paved Lane Neighborhood split into "Upper Paved Lane Neighborhood" and "Lower Paved Lane Neighborhood."
The role of the neighborhood? Mutual aid, as well as supervision, maintaining order and decency, good manners, and harmonious relations among neighbors. The neighborhood's responsibilities included daytime and nighttime patrols, fire response, aid during deaths, assistance with construction, and mediation of minor disputes among neighbors.
The neighborhood leader had to be a model of conduct, chosen from among the pious, honest, virtuous, and reasonable people. In Biertan, each neighborhood selected two heads: the Senior Father and the Junior Father. The most important meeting took place in January or February, before Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent). Fathers finishing their one-year term would deliver a speech recounting the year's significant events and thanking members for the good neighborliness they had shown. New Fathers would assume office with a speech expressing gratitude for the responsibility and honor, encouraging good neighborly relations for the coming year. It wasn’t uncommon for a Father to be re-elected on the day he was to be released from duty.
How did the neighborhood function practically?
Imagine a Saxon named Peter. A recent storm has blown off several tiles from his barn, and repairing the roof is not a one-man job. Peter goes to the neighborhood Father, explains the situation, and says he needs help. The Father sets the day and time when it’s best for neighbors to assist. He opens the neighborhood chest, takes out the neighborhood seal and board, and writes on it, "Friday, 9:00 AM, at No. 290, at Peter’s." He then passes the two items to his neighbor on the left. This neighbor reads and passes them along. The Father knows that within an hour, these items should return to him, signaling that everyone has received the message and will meet at the appointed time and place on Friday. Anyone late would be fined.
Regulations, Duties, and Fines
The Biertan Neighborhood Regulations generally fell into four categories:
1. The homeowner’s behavior at home and in relation to neighbors
2. Personal and community safety
3. Construction regulations
4. General cleanliness
The first category pertained to the homeowner’s conduct towards himself and others. He was, above all, to be a good Christian: fearing God and seeking His blessing through prayer and hard work. He had to set a good example for his wife, children, and servants, encouraging them to pray morning and evening. For instance, skipping morning service could incur a fine between 13 and 99 dinars.
The second category, concerning personal and community safety, stipulated that fireplaces must be made of brick. "Tobacco burning" couldn’t be done outdoors. Bread had to be baked in the neighborhood oven, costing 50 dinars to light it, an additional 2 dinars for residents or 4 dinars for tenants (if they had no oven of their own). Renting the oven to someone from another neighborhood would cost 40 dinars.
The third category: any construction on one’s property required notifying the neighborhood Father, who ensured no injustice was done to any neighbor.
The fourth category addressed cleanliness. Each neighbor had to keep their property clean, avoid littering in the street, and not bury dead animals in the yard or garden, or risk fines ranging from 3 to 90 dinars.
Like a large family, the neighborhood supported each other in both joy and sorrow, at weddings and funerals. There were guidelines for behavior at every gathering, with a constant emphasis on proper conduct, and no one was to seek quarrels.
If someone banged their fist on the table in anger, they’d be fined 10 dinars. Punishing another in anger cost 10 dinars. Anyone on night watch who didn’t appear on the street before 9 PM would pay a 10-dinar fine.
The neighborhood was an essential part of society, ensuring justice and moral, ecclesiastical, and religious community life. Today, Biertan’s neighborhoods have been adopted by other ethnic groups and still exist in a simplified form of mutual aid in times of need.
Nonetheless, neighborhood and good coexistence are always relevant topics. Could we consider proposing communal organizational methods today that improve ties among neighbors? After all, united, we can meet any need and situation much more effectively.
With this thought for our times, we invite you to continue your journey through Biertan and its stories.
Text by Ioana Pătrășcoiu, documented and written as part of the Heritage Lab workshop in 2024. Audio guide organized by the Association of Designers, Thinkers, Makers and the Biertan Town Hall, as part of the Culture & Cultures. Connecting the dots project, co-funded by the National Cultural Fund Administration.
Audio guide produced in 2024 via the Culture&Cultures. Connecting the dots project.
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