Fighting for the soul of a town

Restoring century-old treasures fit for a king

Carmen Schuster was a young woman when she left the Transylvanian village of Cincsor in Romania for West Germany in search of a better life 40 years ago.

After returning to Romania for work many years later, she was overcome by the urge to stay, attempting to save the centuries-old Saxon community she once called home.

Schuster is a member of the dwindling ethnic German minority, descendants of Saxons and others who were recruited by the Hungarian kings to settle in Transylvania from the 12th century onwards.

"We had to save the school, which was in ruins," Schuster, who is now in her 60s, said.

Together with her husband, Michael Lisske, she has been carefully restoring the historical heart of Cincsor for more than a decade - including its former Saxon school and transforming the buildings into guesthouses.

"Other buildings have also been restored and the village once again revolves around its Protestant church," which still holds services for its seven remaining parishioners, Schuster said.

Britain's King Charles III - who claims descent from a notorious 15th-century Transylvanian prince known as Vlad the Impaler - also owns a number of properties nearby, renting out some to tourists.