Transnational Entrepreneurs of Place and ‘the Last Authentic European Medieval Landscape’ in Transylvanian Highlands, Romania

ABSTRACT There is a renewed interest in Europe's rural regions and in the consequences of migration on rural social relations, economy and landscape. This paper seeks to contribute to these debates with a case from Eastern Europe showing the contribution of returned migrants in the cultural branding of the overly romanticised region of Transylvanian Highlands, Romania. By conducting fieldwork in a series of localities in the region, we analyse how returnees develop entrepreneurialism through a specific mix of social activism with business‐oriented activities, aiming to change local villages through branding. The specific rural branding is based on a notion of European medievality, fusing together local food, crafting and idyllic lifestyle. We explain how returnees acting as ‘entrepreneurs of place’ participate in the reworking of the local cultural landscape. They are active in articulating a vision of Transylvanian Highlands’ rural idyll—an exoticism coming out of remoteness and a unique landscape linked to the regions’ German medieval heritage. Thus, while employing a critical perspective, we contribute to the debates on return migration and on place branding reshaping rurality.