The village is located in the southwestern part of Transylvania among the low hills of the Secaşelor plateau, favorable especially for grape cultivation. On the east, south and west side it is surrounded with the forested peaks of the Cindrelului Mountains, of which fact the German name of the region was concluded (Unterwald). It is crossed by two important rivers and their tributaries.

An important antique road (linking the Mureș and the Olt, two big Transylvanian rivers), which has been one of the main commercial roads since the Middle Ages connecting the region of Sibiu/Hermannstadt with the rest of Europe is at only 3 km distance from the locality. Today it is named E15 European Road.

Câlnicul (Kelling) is approx. 14 km far from one of the main cities of the Medieval Transylvania, Sebeş (Mülbach).

Câlnic had appeared during the first phase of the colonization process, on ex-royal territories. With the occasion of an archaeological digging in 1941-1942 the following objects were discovered on the territory of the village: a Neolithic settlement (approx. 15 homes with two rooms, a collection of ceramic tiles and tools), traces of the Bronze Age, traces of the Roman invasion period and bricks with the stamp of the XIII. German Legion.

The first written attestation of the village is from the year 1269 and it is related to the de Kelling family.

Normally the most accentuated point of a German colonized village is the fortified church, but not in the case of Câlnic, where the settlement itself and the fortified noble residence took over this role as they are fortresses themselves.

The ensemble of the fortress (Burgvi- ertel), composed of the wall with a circular route and the Donjon tower was built in the last third of the 13^th century. It is placed in the center of the locality on a small peak with the Câlnic brook at its feet. The fortress has two oval shaped walls. On the northern side of the first wall there is an exterior, square based tower, while on the southeastern side of the exterior wall there is semicircular tower. Inside the enclosure, on the north there is a tower, on the northwest a chapel while on the northern side, there are storage rooms added to the wall of which the ones on the northwestern part are ruins. The most important building is the tower house, built at the beginning of the Gothic period, and called “Siegfried” by the locals.

The church on the hill was built in the fifteenth century by the Saxon community. The Hill Church of Câlnic was consolidated and transformed into Neo-Gothic style in 1868-1869. The church has kept many sculpture elements of its initial phase: two tabernacles, the Gothic styled door of the sacristy. Two Baroque painted stalls are from the second half of the 18^th century. The heritage of the Lutheran Church of Câlnic includes the Karl Hesse pipe organ from 1867, which is one of the 130 pipe organs built by a famous organ maker from Wien.

Visiting hours:

- The fortress and the museum: daily from 10 to 17 (winter) 9 - 19 (summer)

- Entry fee: 6 lei, Reduction 3 lei

- Evangelical church (approx. 300 m), Historical monument 14th-19th century

Parking for visitors

Expo Stand with selling:

Crafts, brochures, albums, books, art objects, souvenirs.

Tourist information: text panels and leaflets for sale (Romanian, German, English, French).

Phone: +40745828872; +40762465014;

Fax: +40264594470

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