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Prince Charles' favorite village in Transylvania may ban cars
The Saxon village of Viscri, in Romania's Brasov county, Transylvania, where the Prince Charles of Wales owns a 18th century guesthouse, could introduce new rules for tourists starting next year. The new rules are aimed at preserving the village's authenticity, which has determined the heir to the British throne to return there every year, says Romania-Insider.com.
Tourists' access by car could be banned between April and October. Instead tourists might have to leave their cars in a parking place outside the village and reach the center of the village by horse-drawn carts, according to Caroline Fernolend, an expert working with the Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society within the Council of Europe, also known as the Faro Convention, quoted by local Agerpres.
Fernolend is also vice president of the Mihai Eminescu Trust (MET) a foundation dedicated to the protection of the historical Transylvanian heritage, patronised by Prince Charles from 2000 until 2013, and a member of the Brasov County Council.
This year, some 35,000 tourists have visited Viscri, a higher number compared to last year. "These tourists have created problems for village infrastructure, animals (…) considering that cars are parked on the roadside," said Fernolend, who has been a guide for Prince Charles during his yearly visits to Transylvania in recent years.
She explained that this was the reason why local authorities contacted experts from the European Commission to help them create regulation that is acceptable both to the community and the tourists visiting Viscri.
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