After touring the vibrant capital city of Bucharest, Rick Steves heads into Transylvania and Maramureș to visit fortified churches, legendary castles, and time-warp villages. | Rick Steves' Europe

The “fortified churches of Transylvania” were built by Romania’s German minority. They are just one of many fascinating dimensions of exploring this country. Here’s how we explained them in our TV script: "Some of Romania's most memorable fortresses aren't castles at all — they're actually churches. While big towns were well-protected, smaller German villages were vulnerable to invaders. So what did the industrious German settlers do? They fortified their churches. Dozens of fortified German chu