Romania - The old villages of Hollókő and Rimetea and their surroundings

The serial phase transboundary nomination contains two sites the Old Village and its surroundings in Hollókő, already part of the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1987, and the village Rimetea. Both Hollókő and Rimetea are an exceptional example of a deliberately preserved traditional human settlement representative of a culture that has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change. These villages, which developed mainly during the 17th and 18th centuries, are a living example of rural life before the agricultural revolution of the 20th century. The white buildings, the well-ordered streets, the layout of the plots, the quite similar barns and other smaller buildings, the presence of a medieval castle ruins, and many aspects of the history of the two settlements connect them with invisible bounds. However, beyond the many similar characteristics one can observe a series of variations of certain aspects that highlight the great aptitude of vernacular architecture to adapt to circumstances and local needs. The conversion of the site to a transnational serial phase nomination would underline the general value of the site by adding a second village in a neighboring country - Rimetea - that is described below. It is worth to mention that next to the similarities there are a series of characteristics that in Rimetea are complementary to the ones in Hollokő. Having the two villages under the same nomination will give a chance to demonstrate the complexity of the development village communities in Easter Europe, giving examples of different solutions in slightly different circumstances.Description of Hollókő