The Mihai Eminescu Trust
Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, has bought house No.163 in the main street of Viscri, Romania , and keeps alive the memory of former owner Sara Fernolend, who helped protect the culture and environment of Transylvania and Maramures regions.
It is a fitting tribute to Sara, who died aged 91 in 2004 after a shockingly sad past. Her husband received shrapnel wounds to the head during the Second World War and defected. Sara secretly sheltered him in the animals’ barn, keeping him hidden even from their son and daughter. When the pain became unbearable he went to hospital but instead of reporting him they nursed him. But the injury killed him in 1949 and then Sara’s two children died.
She lived on at No. 163, which is among the oldest and one of the most traditional houses at the village of Viscri , an UNESCO World Heritage site. The house fell into disrepair and became unstable because she was unable to maintain it. Half of it - and many of the outbuildings –completely collapsed. One night, the oldest section, dated from 1777, dropped while she was asleep. Luckily she was unhurt and it’s said that she didn't notice when the roof fell until she woke surrounded by debris!
Her family roots in the village go back at least to the 1650s. Sara bequeathed her home to the Mihai Eminescu Trust to preserve exactly as it was. The Trust limits tourism, conserves natural heritage and environment, trains unemployed to become managers, housekeepers, cooks and guides. Prince Charles is Patron of the Trust, which completed the restoration with loving care and painstaking detail, according to Sara's wishes.
Now a guesthouse, much of the original furniture remains – including the Saxon drawer bed in which she slept all her life and other objects and photographs. Visitors can close the white lace curtains knitted by her and her daughter and experience Sara’s history and life – although she might not recognise the modernised bathrooms and kitchen!
When the MET sold the house to the Prince of Wales, he was told all the details Sara wanted maintained. The house, with its outside summer kitchen, terrace and wooden barn rebuilt, sleeps five and is part of a larger network of village guesthouses which supports around 15 local families who co-operate on growing home produce, cooking and cleaning services. This summer there were more than 3000 guest nights in Viscri – compared to none five years ago.
