SIBIU

Sibiu (Romanian: Sibiu, German: Hermannstadt; Hungarian: Nagyszeben; Serbian: Сибињ/Sibinj) is an important city in Transylvania, Romania with a population of 154,548.

It straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the river Olt. It is the capital of Sibiu County and is located some

282 km NW of Bucharest. Between 1692—1791 it was the capital of the

Principality of Transylvania.It is one of the most important cultural and

religious centres in Romania as well a major transportation hub in central Romania.

The city used to be the centre of the Transylvanian Saxons until World War II.

Sibiu was designated European Capital of Culture for the year 2007, together with Luxembourg.

Sibiu is situated near the geographical center of Romania at 45.792784°N 24.152069°E.

Set in the Cibin Depression, the city is about 20 km from the Făgăraş Mountains and about 15 km from the Lotrului Mountains, which border the depression in its southwestern section. The northern and eastern limits of Sibiu are formed by the Târnavelor Plateau, which descends to the Cibin Valley through Guşteriţei Hill.

The Cibin river as well as some smaller streams runs through Sibiu. The geographical position of Sibiu makes it one of the most important transportation hubs in Romania with important roads and railway lines passing through it.

Sibiu's climate is temperate-continental with average temperatures of 8 to 9°C. The multi-annual average of rainfall is 662 l/mp, and there are about 120 days of hard frost annually.

Geography and climate

The first official record referring to the Sibiu area comes from 1191, when Pope Celestine III confirmed the existence of the free prepositure of the German settlers in Transylvania, the prepositure having its headquarters in Sibiu, named Cibinium at that time. It was probably built near a Roman settlement, one that would be known during the early Middle Ages as Caedonia.

In the 14th century, it was already an important trade center. In 1376, the craftsmen were divided in 19 guilds. Sibiu became the most important ethnic German city among the seven cities that gave Transylvania its German name Siebenbürgen (literally seven cities), and it was home to the Universitas Saxorum, the assembly of Germans in Transylvania.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the city became the second and later the first most important center of Transylvanian Romanian ethnics. The first Romanian-owned bank had its headquarters here (The Albina Bank), as did the ASTRA (Transylvanian Association for Romanian Literature and Romanian's People Culture). After the Romanian Orthodox Church was granted status in the Habsburg Empire from the 1860s onwards, Sibiu became the Metropolitan seat, and the city is still regarded as the third most important center of the Romanian Orthodox Church. Between the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 and 1867, Sibiu was the meeting-place of the Transylvanian Diet, which had taken its most representative form after the Empire agreed to extend voting rights in the region.

After World War I, when Austria-Hungary was dissolved, Sibiu became part of Romania; the majority of its population was still ethnic German (until 1941) and counted large Romanian and Hungarian communities. Starting from the 1950s and until after 1990, most of the city's ethnic Germans emigrated to Germany. Among the roughly 2,000 who have remained is Klaus Johannis, who is currently mayor of Sibiu City.

History

1191 - Mentioned for the first time in a document of the Vatican, under the name "Cibinium" (due to the river Cibin)

1544 - The first book in the Romanian language was printed in Sibiu, funded by John II Sigismund Zápolya. This was in Cyrillic letters.

1570 - The Ottoman-dependent Principality of Transylvania was formed after the Ottoman conquest in Hungary.

1671 - Methane gas was discovered near Sibiu. 1788 - First theatre in Transylvania. 1795 - The first lightning rod in Transylvania and in Southeastern Europe was installed in

Nagydisznód (present-day Cisnădie). 1817 - The Brukenthal Museum, the first museum in Transylvania was opened. 1867 - The Principality of Transylvania was reunited with Hungary in the dual monarchy of

Austria-Hungary 1896 - The first use of electricity in Austria-Hungary, and the first power line in

Southeastern Europe. 1904 - The second city in Europe to use an electric-powered trolley. 1918 - Upon the Union of Transylvania with Romania, Sibiu became part of Romania. 1928 - The first zoo in Romania. 1941 - Saxons lost their historical majority in the population 1989 - The third city to take part in the Romanian Revolution. 2007 - European Capital of Culture 2007

Milestones in Sibiu's history

Sibiu Skyline from left to right: Council Tower, Evangelical Lutheran Cathedral, Catholic Church,

Reformed (Calvinist) Church, Orthodox Cathedral and in the background the highest peak Negoiu.

According to the last Romanian census from 2002 there were 154,892 people[5] living within the city of Sibiu, making it the 15th largest city in Romania. The ethnic breakdown is as follows:

Romanians 95.7% Hungarians 2% Germans 1.6% Other 0.7%

Population by religious denomination Today, most of the population is of the Romanian Orthodox religion.

Protestants and Roman Catholics represent about 5% of the population. Eastern Orthodox 91 % Greek-Catholic (Uniate) 1 % Roman Catholic 2 % Evangelical Lutheran 2 % Reformed 1 % Jewish < 1 % Other 4 %

Population

Much of the city's aspect is due to its position, easily defensible, but allowing horizontal development.

The old city of Sibiu lies on the right bank of the Cibin River, on a hill situated at about 200 m from the river.

It consists of two distinct entities: the Upper Town and the Lower Town.

Traditionally, the Upper Town was the wealthier part and commercial outlet, while the Lower Town served as the manufacturing area.

Main sights

The Evangelical Cathedral viewed from the Lower City

The Lower Town comprises the area between the river and the hill, and it developed around the earliest fortifications. The streets are long and quite wide for medieval city standards, with small city squares at places. The architecture is rather rustic: typically two-storey houses with tall roofs and gates opening passages to inner courts.

Most of the exterior fortifications were lost to industrial development and modern urban planning in the late 19th century; only one or two towers still exist. A building associated with newer urbanism of the period is the Independenţa Highschool.

This area has the oldest church in the city, dating back to 1292.

The Lower Town

The Upper Town is organised around three city squares and a set of streets along the line of the hill.

As the main area for burgher activities, the area contains most points of interest in Sibiu.

The Upper Town

Grand Square is, as its name suggests, the largest square of the city, and has been the center of the city since the 16th century. 142 m long and 93 m wide, it is one of the largest ones in Transylvania.

Brukenthal Palace, one of the most important Baroque monuments in Romania, lies on the north-western corner of the square. It was erected between 1777 and 1787 as the main residence for the Governor of Transylvania Samuel von Brukenthal. It houses the main part of the National Brukenthal Museum, opened in 1817. Next to the palace is the Blue House, an 18th century Baroque house bearing the old coat of arms of Sibiu on its façade.

On the north side is the Jesuit Church, along with its dependencies, the former residence of the Jesuits in Sibiu. Also on the north side, at the beginning of the 20th century an Art Nouveau building was constructed on the west part, now it houses the mayor's office.

Next to the Jesuit Church on the north side is the Council Tower, one of the city's symbols. This former fortification tower from the 14th century has been successively rebuilt over the years. The building nearby used to be the City Council's meetingplace; beneath it lies an access way between the Grand Square and the Lesser Square.

On the south and east sides are two- or three-storey houses, having tall attics with small windows known as the city's eyes. Most of these houses are dated 17th to 19th centuries, and most of them are Baroque in style.

Grand Square

As its name says, the Small Square is smaller in size, being rather longer than wide. Its north-west side has a curved shape, unlike the Grand Square, which has an approximately rectangular shape. Accordingly, Small Square plays a smaller part in the city's present-day life.

The square is connected to the other two squares and to other streets by small, narrow passages. The main access from the Lower City is through Ocnei Street, which divides the square in two. The street passes under the Liar's Bridge - the first bridge in Romania to have been cast in iron (1859).

To the right of the bridge is another symbol of the city, The House of the Arts, an arched building formerly belonging to the Butchers' Guild. On the left side of the bridge is the Luxemburg House, a Baroque four-storey building, former seat of the Goldsmiths' Guild.

Small Square

Huet Square is the third of the three main squares of Sibiu. Its most notable feature is the Evangelical Lutheran Cathedral in its center.

It is the place where the earliest fortifications have been built.

The buildings around this square are mainly Gothic.

On the west side lies the Brukenthal Highschool, in place of a former 14th century school.

Huet Square

The city of Sibiu was one of the most important fortified cities in Southeastern Europe. Multiple rings were built around the city, most of them out of clay bricks.

The south-eastern fortifications are the best kept, and all three parallel lines are still visible. The first is an exterior earth mound, the second is a 10-meter-tall red brick wall, and the third line comprises towers linked by another 10-meter-tall wall. All structures are connected via a labyrinth of tunnels and passageways, designed to ensure transport between the city and lines of defense.

In the 16th century more modern elements

were added to the fortifications, mainly

leaf-shaped bastions. One of these survived

to this day, as the Haller Bastion (all the way

down Coposu Boulevard).

The fortifications

The steep Passage of the Stairs leads down to the lower section of Sibiu.

It descends along some fortifications under the support arches.

It is the most picturesque of the several passages linking the two sides of the city.

Passage of the Stairs

Sibiu is one of Romania's most culturally lively cities. It has 3 theatres and a philharmonic orchestra.

The Radu Stanca National Theatre is one of the leading Romanian theatres. With origins dating back to 1787, it attracts some of the best-known Romanian directors, such as Tompa Gábor and Silviu Purcărete. It has both a Romanian-language and a German-language section, and presents an average of five shows a week.

The Gong Theatre is specialised in puppetry, mime and non-conventional shows for children and teenagers. It also presents shows in both Romanian and German.

The State Philharmonic of Sibiu presents weekly classical music concerts, and educational concerts for children and teenagers. The concerts take place in the newly restoredThalia Hall, a concert and theatre hall dating from 1787, situated along the old city fortifications. Weekly organ concerts are organised at the Evangelical Cathedral during summers, and thematic concerts are presented by the Faculty of Theology choir at the Orthodox Cathedral

Culture

Sibiu's museums are organised around two entities: the Brukenthal National Museum and the ASTRA National Museum Complex. The Brukenthal Museum consists of an Art Gallery and an Old Books Library located inside the Brukenthal Palace, a History Museum located in the old town hall building, a Pharmacy Museum located in one of the first apothecary shops in Europe, dating from the 16th century, a Natural History Museum and a Museum of Arms and Hunting Trophies.

The ASTRA National Museum Complex focuses on ethnography, and consists of a Traditional Folk Civilisation Museum, a 96-hectare open-air museum located on a forest south of Sibiu, a Universal Ethnography Museum, a Museum of Transylvanian Civilisation and a Museum of Saxon Ethnography and Folk Art. Also planned is a Museum of the Culture and Civilisation of the Romany People.

There is a Steam Locomotives Museum close to the railway station, sheltering around 40 locomotives, two of which are functional.

Museums