THE SETTLEMENT OF THE SAXONS IN THE HISTORIC REGION OF UNTERWALD, TRANSYLVANIA Eduard SCHUSTER  , Mircea MUREŞIANU * Abstract. The German population in Transylvania, the Saxons, colonised in the region 800 years ago, left long-lasting, visible imprints in the cultural landscape, which will stay proof of their struggle to thrive as a people in a region with numerous historical unrests. Though most authors agree on their origin and ways of arrival, there are still some uncertainties regarding the exact chain of events in the late 12 th – early 13 th centuries. The historic region of Unterwald is one of the earliest to be colonised by Saxons, but, as centuries passed, also the most de-germanised among the former Saxon seats and districts, the so-called King’s Land (Fundus regius), especially in its western half, which represents the westernmost Saxon territory, holding only few German settlements. There can be traced back two main colonisation stages, one at the beginning of the second Christian millennia, and another one in the 18 th century, under Habsburg rule. Key words: Saxons, colonisation, origins theories, Unterwald, German settlements. Introduction The existence of the Saxon population in the intra-Carpathian region constituted a defining element for this area, heavily influencing its social-economic and cultural development. One cannot talk about Transylvania without at least mention Saxon culture; the unbreakable link between the two is a reality. Their way of social and territorial organisation and planning testify their strong inclination towards stability and continuity, and landmarks of these ideals can be found anywhere in the territory they once inhabited. All the above also applies for the westernmost (and according to documents also the oldest) Saxon territory, the land in front of the forest, at the foot of the Şureanu and Cindrel Mountains, namely the historic region of Unterwald (fig. 1), consisting of three Saxon Seats: Broos (Orăştie), Mühlbach (Sebeş), and Reußmarkt (Miercurea). Although the German presence vanished rather early in this region (especially in its western half), the landscapes still carries the marks of century-long Saxon occupation, both inside and outside the settlements. Its particularities offer an interesting background for the research of the colonization process with western European settlers by the Hungarian kings and the stages of this process, revealing, at the same time, the origin of the various settler groups.  Babeş-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca, Faculty of Geography, Bistriţa Academic Extension, 3-5 A. Mureşanu str., 420117 Bistriţa, email: eschuster@geografie.ubbcluj.ro Studii și Cercetări, Geology-Geography 19, Bistrița, p. 53-59