A short trip trough Sibiu (Hermannstadt)

Sibiu, or Hermannstadt - in German, is one of the European Capitals of Culture of 2007 (the other one is in Luxembourg). The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union for a period of one year during which it is given a chance to showcase its cultural life and cultural development.

Sibiu is the most important city in the county of Sibiu. It is situated near the geographical center of Romania, in the Cibin Depression, near the Fagaras Mountains (about. 20 km), Cibin Mountains (12 km), and Lotrului Mountains (about 15km), which border the depression in the southwestern part.

Ancient citadel, Sibiu has been established on the foundation of a Roman settlement at the beginning of the second millennium (1190) by German settlers.

Sibiu is perceived as a city of art and culture, having a great number of cultural monuments, a diversity of museums, and various artistic and cultural events, that make up the pillars of a complex cultural profile.

Sibiu has one of the best-preserved, medieval city centres in Europe. Here comes a little glimpse of the historic part of the city, as seen in july 2007, with the help of the 360 degrees panoramic views.

The Large Square is the historic center of Sibiu, where the public executions and public meetings used to be held. A lot of architectural monuments can be seen, like the the Brukenthal Palace, the Blue House, the House of generals, the Hecht House, the Lutsch House, the Catholic Church and the Council Tower.

The Small Square is the second largest historic place of Sibiu and one of the most beautiful square in town. This square is a magnificent place surrounded by preserved medieval buildings and it is connected to the Large Square through narrow passages. Among the many architectural monuments, we can see here the Council Tower, the Arts House, the Liars Bridge, and the funny looking mushroom/squid/jellyfish/whatever yellow device, it’s a funny thing that when kicked by visitors will speak.

The Liars Bridge making the connection to the Huet Square, is the first iron-cast bridge in Romania built in 1859 over the way of acces that connects the upper town to the lower town, opened in 1851. Built after the demolition of the houses spreading almost the Council Tower, the bridge was inaugurated in 1860.

The Huet Square, dominated by the Evangelic Cathedral, is surrounded by historic monuments built in gothic style. The Brukenthal High School, as seen here, is on the place where in 1380 it used to be the Old German School, the first school in town. The actual building is dated 1786 and it was named after the governor of Transylvania between 1777-1787, Samuel of Brukenthal.
In the center of the square is the statue of the bishop Georg Daniel Teutsch, one of the most significant personalities of the Saxons community at that time. And of course, the Evangelic Church…

The Evangelic Church was built in 1520 on the place of an old Romanic basilica from the 12th century. With five pointed towers it is one of the most impressive buildings in Sibiu, the tower is nearly 74m high, the tallest building in Transylvania.

Inside the Evangelic Church:

Inside the tower of the Evangelic Church, the highest level.

The cityscape of Sibiu, as seen from the tower of the Evangelic Church.