# The Black Church in Brașov: Tickets, Hours and Organ Concerts

> Black Church tickets (30 lei), summer and winter opening hours, the Saturday organ concerts, what to see inside and how long to allow.

- Original page: https://wowbrasov.com/en/discover-the-black-church-in-brasov
- Language: en
- Author: Diana
- Last updated: 2026-10-16
- Facts checked: 2026-10-10

## Key facts

- **Price:** 30 lei adults · 25 lei students and pensioners · 20 lei school pupils · free for children up to 7 (checked 2026-10-10; source: https://bisericaneagra.ro/en/program/)
- **Hours:** 1 Apr–15 Oct: Tue–Sat 10:00–19:00, Sun–Mon 12:00–19:00 · 16 Oct–31 Mar: Tue–Sat 10:00–18:00, Sun–Mon 12:00–18:00 · closed 1 Jan and 25 Dec, and on Mondays 2, 9 and 16 Nov 2026 (autumn cleaning) (checked 2026-10-16; source: https://bisericaneagra.ro/en/program/)
- **Time needed:** 45 minutes to 1 hour; an organ concert adds about an hour
- **Booking:** Not needed for a visit: buy at the church or online (checked 2026-10-10; source: https://mnir.booktes.com/bilet/biserica-neagra)
- **Organ concerts:** Organ Nights 2026: every Saturday, 6 June–17 October, 18:00 · 35 lei, under 18 free (checked 2026-10-10; source: https://bisericaneagra.ro/en/events/)
- **Combined ticket:** Brașov Visit Ticket: 57.76 lei for 12 sites including the church, valid 90 days (checked 2026-10-10; source: https://mnir.booktes.com/bilet/biserica-neagra)
- **Address:** Curtea Johannes Honterus 2, Brașov
- **Map:** https://maps.google.com/?q=Biserica+Neagra+Brasov

An adult ticket to the Black Church (Biserica Neagră) costs **30 lei**. From 16 October to 31 March it opens **10:00–18:00 Tuesday to Saturday and 12:00–18:00 on Sunday and Monday**; from 1 April to 15 October it closes at 19:00. Allow 45 minutes to an hour inside.

## Is it worth it?

Yes, for most first-time visitors. The outside of the church is free to see from Piața Sfatului and Curtea Johannes Honterus, but the reasons to pay are inside: the 19th-century Buchholz organ, which the parish describes as the largest mechanical church organ in Romania, and a collection of around 200 carpets and textiles, most of them Ottoman rugs, hung along the galleries and pews.

At 30 lei it is the most expensive single ticket in the Old Town, while the History Museum in the Council House costs 12 lei. If you only want a photo of the Gothic exterior, walk around it and spend the money elsewhere.

If you like organ music, a Saturday concert at 35 lei in 2026 is the better way to see the interior: you hear the instrument the church is known for, and children under 18 go free.

The Black Church is also a working Evangelical Lutheran parish church. Visits pause for services, weddings and christenings, so it is not the place to rush through.

*The Gothic buttresses on the south side of the church.*

## Tickets and opening hours

| Season | Tuesday–Saturday | Sunday and Monday |
|---|---|---|
| 1 April – 15 October | 10:00–19:00 | 12:00–19:00 |
| 16 October – 31 March | 10:00–18:00 | 12:00–18:00 |

The church is open every day except 1 January and 25 December. In 2026 it is also closed on Mondays 2, 9 and 16 November for autumn cleaning, according to the [parish notice](https://bisericaneagra.ro/en/) of 16 October 2026. Prices and hours were checked on the [parish's opening-hours page](https://bisericaneagra.ro/en/program/) on 10 October 2026. In summer you can plan your day around a Saturday evening organ concert.

**Prices (2026):**

- Adults: 30 lei
- University students and pensioners (with a card): 25 lei
- School pupils up to 18 (with a student card): 20 lei
- Free: children up to 7, visitors with a disability (with proof), one teacher per ten pupils, one adult per ten visitors in a group, one tour guide per group

**Good to know before you go:**

- **Last entry.** The parish says the last entrance is announced 20 minutes before closing, and the online ticket page says the ticket desk closes 15 minutes before closing. Arrive at least half an hour before closing time.
- **Concert days.** On organ concert days, visitor tickets are sold only until 17:15; after that, only concert tickets.
- **Closures.** During concerts, christenings and weddings the church closes to visitors for about two hours. The parish posts these closures on its homepage two or three days in advance.
- **Booking.** You don't need to book a normal visit. Tickets are sold at the church and online through the parish's [ticket page on booktes.com](https://mnir.booktes.com/bilet/biserica-neagra).
- **Guided tours.** The parish offers free guided tours when a guide is available, and private tours on request at guide@biserica-neagra.ro.
- **Combined ticket.** The Brașov Visit Ticket (57.76 lei for adults, 42.01 lei for students and pensioners, 21.01 lei for pupils) covers one visit each to 12 sites, including the Black Church, and is valid for 90 days. It pays for itself if you add two or three museums; see our [guide to Brașov's museums](https://wowbrasov.com/en/discovering-the-best-museums-in-brasov-exploring-the-citys-cultural-heritage) for what it covers.

## Organ concerts

The parish's summer series, **Organ Nights**, ran every Saturday from 6 June to 17 October in 2026, starting at **18:00**. Tickets cost **35 lei**, children under 18 go free, and a pass for any five concerts costs 80 lei. Tickets go on sale on the Monday of each concert week at the parish's INSPIRATIO gift studio and online through booktes.com, according to the [parish's events page](https://bisericaneagra.ro/en/events/). Earlier editions describe the concerts as lasting about an hour.

After the closing concert on 17 October 2026, the next event listed is a choral concert by a boys' choir from Berlin on 22 October 2026 at 18:00, with ticket details still to be announced. The parish has not yet published dates for the 2027 season; in 2026 it started in early June.

## What you'll see inside

*Gothic vaults, pews and carpets hanging from the galleries inside the Black Church*

**The hall.** The church is a Gothic hall church about 89 metres long and 38 metres wide, with a 65-metre tower. After the fire of 1689 the interior was rebuilt and took on a largely Baroque look, so the furnishings are much later than the Gothic walls around them. The parish reconditioned the interior again between 1981 and 1991.

**The Buchholz organ.** Carl August Buchholz, an organ builder from Berlin, built the main organ between 1836 and 1839. It has 3,993 pipes, four manuals and a pedalboard, and the parish describes it as the largest mechanical church organ in Romania. It stands on a gallery above the nave.

*The Buchholz organ (1836–1839) has 3,993 pipes.*

**The carpets.** The parish's collection numbers around 200 objects, mostly Ottoman rugs. Saxon merchants trading with the East gave them to the church between the 15th and 17th centuries, and they now hang from the galleries and pews.

**The bell.** The largest of the church's three bells weighs about 6.3 tonnes. For a long time it was the heaviest church bell in Romania, until the bells of the new National Cathedral in Bucharest overtook it.

## Why is it called the Black Church?

The church was begun at the end of the 14th century, traditionally dated to 1383, as the parish church of St Mary. Ottoman raids interrupted the work, and it took almost a hundred years to finish; the eastern portal dates from 1476.

In April 1689 the Great Fire of Brașov swept through the walled town. The church's roof caught fire and collapsed, burying the interior in rubble and ash, and the rebuilding took most of the following century. The parish's own history repeats the legend that the flames and smoke blackened the walls and gave the church its popular name.

Historians are more cautious. The name "Black Church" does not appear in written sources until the end of the 19th century, and some researchers put the darkened stone down to pollution after Brașov industrialised, not to the fire. There is no evidence that any part of the façade was left scorched on purpose. Restoration has since cleaned much of the stone, so today the church looks grey rather than black.

*The church from the Tâmpa side of town.*

## Around the church

The church stands in **Curtea Johannes Honterus**, the quiet churchyard between Piața Sfatului and the Honterus school buildings. The statue in the courtyard shows Johannes Honterus, the humanist scholar and printer who brought the Lutheran Reformation to Transylvania. He died in 1549. Walk the full circuit of the church before you go in: the buttresses and carved portals are easier to appreciate from outside, and the churchyard is free.

*Honterus brought the Lutheran Reformation to Transylvania.*

## Tips

- **On Sunday and Monday the church opens at 12:00.** Spend the morning on Tâmpa or, on a Sunday, in the Council House museum (open from 10:00, closed on Mondays), and come here after lunch.
- **On summer Saturdays, visit before 17:15** or buy a concert ticket instead; after that time only concert tickets are sold.
- **Check the parish homepage on the day** if you are coming for a specific time: weddings and christenings close the church for about two hours.
- **Dress as you would for any working church** and keep your voice down; there may be people praying or rehearsing.
- **Get the full view from above.** The best views of the church's roof and tower are from the walk up Tâmpa and from the White Tower; both are in our guide to [walks and easy hikes in Brașov](https://wowbrasov.com/en/6-ideal-places-for-taking-a-walk-in-brasov).

*Curtea Johannes Honterus, the lane around the Black Church*

## Combine it with

- **The Council House and the Old Town walls.** The church is the first stop on our [walking route past Brașov's five landmark buildings](https://wowbrasov.com/en/5-iconic-buildings-in-brasov), which continues to Catherine's Gate and the White and Black Towers.
- **Rope Street (Strada Sforii)** is a three-minute walk south of the church, but it has been closed for repairs since November 2025.
- **The First Romanian School** in Șchei is about 15 minutes away on foot; book ahead, as individual visits need an appointment (details in our [museums guide](https://wowbrasov.com/en/discovering-the-best-museums-in-brasov-exploring-the-citys-cultural-heritage#first-romanian-school)).
- **Bad weather?** The church is one of the best indoor options in the centre; our [rainy-day guide](https://wowbrasov.com/en/what-to-do-in-brasov-on-a-rainy-day) has more.

For everything else in the city, start with our guide to [things to do in Brașov](https://wowbrasov.com/en/the-city-of-brasov).

## FAQ

### How much is the ticket to the Black Church?

30 lei for adults, 25 lei for university students and pensioners, 20 lei for school pupils up to 18. Children up to 7 go in free. Prices were checked on 10 October 2026.

### Is the Black Church open on Mondays?

Yes. On Sunday and Monday it opens at 12:00 and closes at 18:00 from 16 October to 31 March, or at 19:00 from 1 April to 15 October.

### When are the organ concerts?

In 2026 the Organ Nights concerts ran every Saturday from 6 June to 17 October at 18:00, for 35 lei, free under 18. The parish publishes each year's dates on its events page.

### How long do you need?

Most people spend 45 minutes to an hour inside. A concert takes about an hour.

### Why is it called the Black Church?

Tradition links the name to the Great Fire of 1689, which gutted the church. Written use of the name only appears in the late 19th century, and some historians link the dark stone to later industrial pollution rather than the fire.

### Is the Black Church a cathedral?

No. It is the parish church of Brașov's Evangelical (Lutheran) congregation, which still holds services there.

## Sources

- Opening hours, prices, free categories and closures: [bisericaneagra.ro, Opening hours](https://bisericaneagra.ro/en/program/), checked 10 October 2026
- Organ Nights 2026 dates, prices and ticket sales: [bisericaneagra.ro, Concerts](https://bisericaneagra.ro/en/events/), checked 10 October 2026
- Online tickets, desk closing time, concert-day rule and the Brașov Visit Ticket: [Black Church ticket page on booktes.com](https://mnir.booktes.com/bilet/biserica-neagra), checked 10 October 2026
- Construction, 1689 fire, organ and carpet collection: [bisericaneagra.ro, History of the Black Church](https://bisericaneagra.ro/en/the-history-of-the-black-church/)
- Dimensions, bell and the history of the name: [Wikipedia, Biserica Neagră](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biserica_Neagr%C4%83)

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Source: Wow Brașov, https://wowbrasov.com/en/discover-the-black-church-in-brasov