Day 63 - Sept 9: Malmkrog / Malancrav: 'Largest' village in the countryside

I felt very comfortable in Kleinalisch with Hilde and Michael Krestel, so saying goodbye was difficult. I would have liked to stay one more day and talk with them, but I would have hindered them from their necessary work with the animals and on the farm. Their evangelical faith impressed me. To put it bluntly: If the Evangelical people in Germany also lived their Christian faith as authentically as they do, many communities would certainly be more alive.

But now I packed my things. The destination for today was the rural community of Malmkrog (German), Malancrav (Romanian). This village was at the top of Gottfried Vogel's list because it is still the largest Evangelical rural community in Transylvania. Of the approximately 1100 inhabitants, about 12-15% are German-speaking, depending on whether they are evangelical or not. This 'high' percentage does not exist in any other rural community in all of Transylvania, as I experienced and saw during my visits to Schönau, Seiden, or Kleinalisch, which is why Malmkrog is worth a visit. In addition to Romanians, numerous Roma also live in many formerly German houses, similar to Kleinalisch, where I started in the morning with my bike.

However, for the first 4 kilometers to Malmkrog, I had to push my bike up and down a hill with about 100 meters of altitude, as the sandy and gravel road to the next asphalted road in Zagar was impassable by bike due to the heavy rain early in the morning. Unfortunately, the air was still quite cloudy and damp from the morning rain. The rain started again on the further way to Malmkrog. That's why I decided not to take another sightseeing break, continued riding, and arrived in Malmkrog a bit earlier but completely soaked. The road from Laslea (Romanian) to Großasseln (German) to Malmkrog was always slightly uphill but easy to manage. I was curious about what awaited me there, in the 'largest' Evangelical rural community in all of Transylvania.

First, I was able to move into the small house next to the parish house and put on dry clothes. Angelika Beer, the new pastor, has been working here since April. She was born in Transylvania, lived in Germany for many years, and has now returned to Transylvania for this pastoral position. We arranged to meet later in the afternoon because she had another appointment. In the meantime, I went down to the village - the parish house and the church are slightly elevated. Curious children's eyes watched me. They responded to my hello with a good day. As I learned, there is even a German church choir in the rural community that still maintains the Transylvanian songs.

When I returned from the walk around the church, many children were in front of the parish house, waiting for Angelika. I was able to have good conversations in German with some of them. Many children come from German-Romanian marriages and therefore speak both languages. Some even speak three languages, including Transylvanian Saxon. In the nearby school, in addition to Romanian lessons, there are even classes taught entirely in German in all subjects.

When Angelika arrived, we first visited the historically valuable fortified church and then made a campfire with the increasingly numerous children. Angelika constantly switched between German and Romanian. I also had short conversations with some individuals. Some say that they occasionally go to church with their parents or grandparents. Some girls spoke in a very understandable standard German. Some confirmation candidates were also present. Because of the Corona pandemic, there had been no instruction for the past two years. There are good opportunities and perspectives for the Evangelical work with children and young people, especially after the Corona period. Classic associations, which often compete with the church in Germany, do not exist in Malmkrog.

Later, I learned that about 20-30 visitors come to the regular church service from Malmkrog alone, and on church holidays, there can be 40 or more. This does not exist in any other Evangelical rural community in all of Transylvania.

Then we talked about some church political topics and it got late. I didn't feel like writing much more on my blog and went to sleep in the small house. I thought to myself: Hopefully, this 'great' remaining Transylvanian Evangelical rural life, especially with the children, will remain for a long time.