The Transylvanian Saxon villages appeared in the 13th century, when the Hungarian kings settled Saxons in the countryside. They enjoyed various privileges, and their community-specific culture survived for centuries. Because the countryside was threatened by constant Turkish and Mongol invasions, the Saxons built fortifications of different sizes. In the middle of the fifteenth century, there are already datas about fortified churches of two hundred and fifty villages. The most important cities were fully reinforced, the smaller villages are clustered around a fortified church. The churches were surrounded by thick walls, which were equipped with loopholes and defence items appropriate to these ages strategic level. In case of emergency the entire population moved inside the wall. They warehoused the families cereal and bacon stocks in the corner towers and protective walls of the fortified church, both peace and war time with such a lock which could not be opened by the owner alone. The storeroom could be opened twice a week, and people could taken from the reserve under the supervision of the community. However, the fortified churches provided only temporary protection against attacks, therefore in case of foreseeable dangers the residents of the villages fled to the nearest fortified town.

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