Traditional households in Râu Sadului

Discover the picturesque Râu Sadului village, in Mărginimea Sibiului and explore the beauty of Romanian rural traditions. The structure of the settlement differs from the nearby villages: households are grouped in hamlets, but there are also some scattered at their edge.

Traditional houses give the essence of community life. Built with craftsmanship, they preserve authenticity through the use of solid wood trunks, not plastered on the outside. Interior walls are clad in earth plaster and roofs in scale tiles made of burnt earth or other traditional materials.

You will notice that rooms are few, reflecting the way of life of the inhabitants, who spend most of their time outdoors.

Over time, traditional crafts have thrived here: from textile and wool processing, to furriers or loggers.

Many occupations of the villagers are related to what food is put on the table, which generally includes basic foodstuff such as cheese, milk, meat, eggs and bacon, but also goodies for the winter, which are found in the pantry of each housewife. 

In the 4 hamlets that make up Râu Sadului commune, tradition blends harmoniously with natural beauty, offering you an authentic incursion into the heart of Mărginimea Sibiului.

The first inhabitants who came to Râu Sadului were from Rășinari, they had names such as Ciupar, Bebera, Maelat and Fleschin - their names gave the names of the four hamlets that make up Râu Sadului commune. In the past, more precisely until 1926, Râu Sadului commune belonged to Rășinari commune and it was a hamlet of it. Wooden huts built by them at the foot of the forests were their original dwellings.

Story of the place

One of the ancient occupations that is still preserved today is animal husbandry, especially sheep. Even though the number of sheep has decreased over time, the habit of transhumance is still preserved today. Tourists who want to know the customs of shepherds can visit the numerous sheepfold "huts" of the commune. 

Building houses in the past was traditionally closely related to the seasons, work in the field and the daily life of communities. Houses have few rooms, windows and doors are small and the general form is compact and very economical. Colours used on the outside are white or blue. Materials used in the construction of traditional houses are wood, earth and stone.