29 photos Then & Now with BISTRITA, Romania.

Located at the foot of the Bârgău Mountains, not far from
the Borgo Pass (Pasul Tihuta in Romanian) which connects
Transylvania region to the Bucovina one, the town of Bistrita is
one of the oldest in the region. Archeological findings indicate
that the area has been inhabited since the Neolithic age, long before
Bram Stocker chose it as the setting of his fictional Dracula's castle.
Saxon colonists, who settled here in 1206, helped develop the town
into a flourishing medieval trading post.
First mentioned in a written document in 1264 as Villa Bistiche, the
name of the town was later changed to Civitas Bysterce.
Today, the old town's quaint 15th and 16th century merchants' houses,
the remains of the 13th century fortress walls and a generally unhurried
pace have preserved some of Bistrita's medieval atmosphere.