The Vanishing Villages of Saxon Romania

In collaboration with the the Global Heritage Fund, I set out to document the fragile beauty of the Saxon Villages of Transylvania, a rural area set below the Carpathian Mountains of Romania. The Global Heritage Fund and its partner charities are working to save these villages before the relentless march of time and progress destroys the unique cultural make up and way of life for those living in these villages. The work incorporates not only the conservation and restoration of the historic buildings, but also economic development and sustainability plans for the local area. In the early 1990’s, over 500,000 Saxons left their villages and moved to Germany, leaving houses and possessions behind. It created economic turmoil, leaving behind a threatened cultural landscape; one of Europe’s least known cultural treasures.