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Sibiu ( , , , Hungarian: Nagyszeben, , Transylvanian Saxon: Härmeschtat or Hermestatt) is a city in central Romania, situated in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Cibin, a tributary of the Olt River. Now the seat of Sibiu County, between 1692 and 1791 and 1849–65, Sibiu was the capital of the Principality of Transylvania. Until 1876, the Hecht house in Sibiu served as the seat of the Transylvanian Saxon University.
Nicknamed The Town with Eyes for the Eyebrow dormer on many old buildings, the town is a popular tourist destination. It is known for its culture, history, cuisine, and architecture.
Several fortified villages near Sibiu, such as Biertan and Valea Viilor, were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993 under the collective listing "Villages with Fortified Churches in Transylvania". Separately, in 2004, the historical center of Sibiu was added to Romania's tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, but has not yet been officially inscribed. It was later designated the European Capital of Culture in 2007, alongside Luxembourg City. In 2008, Forbes ranked Sibiu as "Europe's 8th-most idyllic place to live". In 2019, Sibiu was named the European Region of Gastronomy and hosted a European Union summit. In 2021, it also hosted the European Wandering Capital event, the continent’s most prominent hiking and eco-tourism gathering.
Sibiu is also known nationally and internationally for its Christmas market. Renowned personalities include Transylvanian Saxon scientists Conrad Haas and Hermann Oberth, who were both pioneers of . The company Elrond, which created the eGold cryptocurrency (among the biggest in the world), was founded by people from Sibiu.
As of 2021 census, the city has a population of 134,309, making it the 15th most populous city in Romania. The proposed Sibiu metropolitan area has a population of 267,170. The town also administers the village of Păltiniș, a ski resort located 35 kilometres to the southwest.
During the High and Late Middle Ages, Sibiu was the most important cultural and administrative centre of the Transylvanian Saxons. It is called Härmeschtat in their local dialect, which is close to Luxembourgish, from which it primarily descended during the Ostsiedlung.
In German, it is called Hermannstadt ("Hermann's town"), while in the local Transylvanian Saxon dialect, it is known as Härmeschtat. In Yiddish, it is called סעבען Seben or הערמאנשטאט Hermanshtat.
A number of other languages also have their own variants of the city's name, like Czech language Sibiň, Polish language Sybin, Serbo-Croatian Sibinj, archaic Bulgarian Сибин ( Sibin), archaic French language Sébeste or Ceben and the proposed Esperanto name Sibio.
In the 14th century, it was already an important trade centre. In 1376, the craftsmen were divided in 19 German guilds. Hermannstadt became the most important ethnic German city among the seven cities that gave Transylvania its German name Siebenbürgen (literally seven citadels). It was home to the Transylvanian Saxon University (; i.e. Community of the Saxons), a network of pedagogues, ministers, intellectuals, city officials, and councilmen of the German community forging an ordered legal corpus and political system in Transylvania since the 1400s. In 1699, after the Ottomans withdrew to their base of power in Hungary and Transylvania, the town became capital of Principality of Transylvania (since 1570 the principality was mostly under suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire, however often had a dual vassalage).
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the city became the second- and later the first-most important centre 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 Austrian Empire from the 1860s onwards, Sibiu became the Metropolitan seat, and the city is still regarded as the third-most important centre of the Romanian Orthodox Church. Between the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 and 1867 (the year of the Ausgleich), Hermannstadt 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 and Sibiu became part of the Kingdom of Romania; the majority of its population was still ethnically German (until 1941) and counted a large Romanian community as well as a smaller Hungarian one. Starting from the 1950s and until 1990, most of the town's ethnic Germans emigrated to West Germany and Austria. The trend continued to a moderate extent after 1990 as well to unified Germany. Nonetheless, among the approximately 2,000 Transylvanian Saxons who decided to remain as per the 2011 Romanian census was Klaus Iohannis, the President of Romania and former longtime mayor of the town between 2000 and 2014, who was succeeded by Astrid Fodor since 2014 onwards, initially ad interim/acting, and then, subsequently in full constitutional powers after 2016.
The Cibin River and some smaller streams run 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, including the A1 motorway, which also serves as a heavy traffic bypass for the city.
The city of Sibiu and its surroundings are one of the most visited areas in Romania, as it holds one of the best preserved historical sites in the country, many of its medieval fortifications having been kept in excellent state. Its old center has begun the process for becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004. Sibiu and its surrounding area have many significant museums, with 12+ institutions housing art collections, paintings, and exhibits in decorative arts, archeology, anthropology, history, industrial archeology and history of technology and natural sciences.
The city also lies close to the Făgăraș Mountains – a popular trekking destination, close to the city of Păltiniș and Arena Platoș ski resorts – both winter holiday destinations, and it is at the heart of the former Saxon communities in Transylvania renowned for its fortified churches.
Since 2007, a Christmas market has been held in Sibiu. The first of its kind in Romania, it is inspired by Viennese Christmas markets, being a project developed by the Social Attaché of the Austrian Embassy in Romania, dr.h.c. Barbara Schöfnagel. It was held in the "Lesser Square" (Piața Mică) with 38 small stalls, a small stage and an area dedicated to children, having several mechanical attractions installed there. Since 2008, the market has been held in the "Grand Square" (Piaţa Mare) grew to a number of about 70 stalls, a bigger stage was set up, where Christmas carols concerts are held. An ice skating rink and a children's workshop are also attractions which have been added in the following years. It was the first Christmas Market in Romania, but soon other Christmas markets emerged across the country. In 2013, the Sibiu Christmas market was included in the "15 Of the Most Beautiful Christmas Markets in Europe".
In 2019, Sibiu planned to host the European Gastronomical capital, by encouraging the local producers and businesses in the field of food production and culinary and gourmet culture, traditional workshops in the villages of the region, promoting farms and gastronomic circuits, or developing public programs to support small businesses in gastronomy and of the hospitality industry in the Sibiu region.
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 Gábor Tompa 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 restored Thalia 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.
The Sibiu International Theatre Festival is an annual festival of performing arts. Since 2016, it is the largest performance arts festival in the world.
The ASTRA National Museum Complex focuses on ethnography, and consists of a Traditional Folk Civilisation Museum, a 96-hectare open-air museum located in Dumbrava 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.
The Dumbrava Sibiului Natural Park stretches over and it is away from the center of the city in the southwest direction along the road towards Rășinari. Also, here you can find the Zoological Garden and Ethnography Museum.
There is a Steam Locomotives Museum close to the railway station, sheltering around 40 steam locomotive, two of which are functional.
The first park in the city was The Promenade, later called "The Disabled Promenade." established in 1791, today part of Parcul Cetății (Citadel Park). Current arrangement of the park, including the space between the walls, dates from 1928.
The Sub Arini Park, established between 1857 and 1859 based on plans of military engineer Michael Seyfried, is one of the biggest and best-maintained parks in Romania. There are other green spaces in the city center, the best known being Astra Park, established in 1879.
Other parks:
Tineretului Park, Reconstrucției Park, Corneliu Coposu Park, Petöfi Sándor Park, Piața Cluj Park, Ștrand Park, Cristianului Park, Țițeica Park, Vasile Aaron Park, Lira Park.
The distribution of green space is good compared to other Romanian cities.
| Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania (FDGR/DFDR) | 8 | |||||||||
| National Liberal Party (PNL) | 5 | |||||||||
| Social Democratic Party (PSD) | 4 | |||||||||
| Save Romania Union (USR) | 3 | |||||||||
| Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) | 2 | |||||||||
| Force of the Right (FD) | 1 | |||||||||
Some of them were villages annexed by the city as it grew, others were built as the city developed and increased its surface.
The ASTRA National Museum Complex and the Zoo, located in the south, also fall within city limits. The Păltiniș ski resort, located 35 kilometres to the south, is also administered by Sibiu.
While Șelimbăr and the Arhitecților district of Cisnădie are not part of Sibiu proper, they are adjacent to the city limits and often considered part of it.
A 2017 estimate placed the population at 169,316, a 14.98% increase since 2011. This increase made Sibiu's population surpass the numbers observed in 1992 when the previously highest population was recorded.
As of the 2021 census data, 134,309 inhabitants live within the city limits, an 8.8% decrease from the figure recorded at the 2011 census.
| Year | Population | %± | Romanians | Hungarians | Germans |
| 1850 | 12,765 | — | 2,089 | 977 | 8,790 |
| 1880 | 19,446 | + 41.4% | 2,810 | 2,065 | 14,327 |
| 1890 | 21,465 | + 9.8% | 4,581 | 3,199 | 13,148 |
| 1900 | 29,577 | + 31.7% | 7,106 | 5,747 | 16,141 |
| 1910 | 33,489 | + 12.4% | 8,824 | 7,252 | 16,832 |
| 1920 | 32,748 | – 2.2% | 8,553 | 4,291 | 18,218 |
| 1930 | 49,345 | + 40.4% | 19,006 | 6,782 | 22,045 |
| 1941 | 63,765 | + 25.5% | 33,829 | 4,262 | 23,574 |
| 1948 | 60,602 | – 5% | 37,371 | 5,060 | 16,359 |
| 1956 | 90,475 | + 39.5% | 60,526 | 4,772 | 24,636 |
| 1966 | 109,515 | + 19% | 78,548 | 5,124 | 25,387 |
| 1977 | 151,005 | + 31.8% | 119,507 | 5,111 | 25,403 |
| 1992 | 169,610 | + 11.6% | 158,863 | 4,163 | 5,605 |
| 2002 | 154,892 | – 9% | 148,269 | 3,135 | 2,508 |
| 2011 | 147,245 | – 5% | 131,414 | 2,131 | 1,481 |
| 2021 | 134,309 | – 8.8% | 108,858 | 1,206 | 968 |
| Confessions in Sibiu | |||||||
| Confession | 1910 | 2002 | |||||
| Eastern Orthodox | 18% | 91% | |||||
| Greek Catholic (Uniate) | 8% | 1% | |||||
| Catholic Church | 20% | 2% | |||||
| Lutheranism | 42% | 2% | |||||
| Calvinism | 7% | 1% | |||||
| Jewish | 4% | < 1% | |||||
| Other | 1% | 4% | |||||
The city also contained Romania's second-largest stock exchange, the Sibiu Stock Exchange, which merged with the Bucharest Stock Exchange in 2018.
The main industrial activities of Sibiu take place in two industrial zones located on the outskirts of the city:
A commercial zone located in the Șelimbăr commune plays an important role in the economy of Sibiu. It houses a mall and other large retailers.
Another factor that plays an important role in the economy of the city is tourism, which has been increasing at a steady rate since 2007.
Tursib is the city's internal transportation system operator.
The Romanian Motorway A1 will link the city with Pitești and the Romanian western border, near Arad. From the remaining of motorway towards the border with Hungary Nadlac, a total of is completed and the last are currently under construction, while the timeline for the segment towards Pitești is targeted for completion for the year 2025 (construction will start no sooner than 2019). Sibiu' s ring road as part of A1 motorway was completed on 1 December 2010.
Sibiu is also an important hub for the international bus links with the biggest passenger transporter in Romania, Atlassib, based here. Transport companies are also providing coach connections from Sibiu to a large number of locations in Romania.
The city is served by five rail stations: the Main Station ( Gara Mare), the Little Station ( Gara Mică), Turnișor, Sibiu Triaj, and Halta Ateliere Zonă. It has an important diesel-powered locomotive depot and a freight terminal.
Numerous interregional trains (nicknamed Blue Arrows) connect Sibiu to other major cities in Romania: Cluj-Napoca, Brașov, Craiova, Timișoara, and Bucharest.
Bicycle rentals have offered a boost for the local economy with several small rental centers and a bigger rental center that is administered by the I'Velo Bike Sharing group.
The city also houses one of the largest private hospitals in the country, Polisano.
The Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu was founded in 1990, with five faculties: Engineering and Sciences; Language Sciences; History and Law; Medicine; Food and Textile Processing Technology. Nowadays, there are 10 faculties and departments.
Sibiu also houses the Nicolae Bălcescu Land Forces Academy and the Military Foreign Language Center as well as two private universities, Romanian-German University and Alma Mater University.
In Sibiu there are 20 educational institutions on the secondary level, the most important of which are:
Also, several sports international competitions are taking place every year: Sibiu Cycling Tour (in July), Red Bull Romaniacs Hard Enduro Rallye (around July), Sibiu Open (formerly held in September), Sibiu Rally (currently held in October).
Football
Sibiu has had a long football tradition, starting in 1913 with the founding of Șoimii Sibiu, which was the launchpad of Ilie Oană's career, who later became a star of FC Petrolul Ploiești. Later came Societatea Gimnastică Sibiu, a sport club of Sibiu's Transylvanian Saxon community, which's best performance was reaching the Liga I final in the 1930–31 season. The best ever football team from Sibiu, based on performances, was Inter Sibiu, which had finished 4th after the 1990–91 season and had won the Balkans Cup during the same season. During the 21st century, the city has been represented by FC Sibiu and Voința Sibiu (of which only the latter has reached Liga I). Currently, FC Hermannstadt is the only major football team representing Sibiu, playing in the top level of the Romanian football pyramid, the Superliga, season 2022–2023. Starting with the 10th of December 2022, the team's home ground is the rebuilt 13000 seats Sibiu main stadium in the Sub Arini Park, the Stadionul Municipal Sibiu, the inaugural match ending with a 4–0 victory over first placed Farul Constanța.
Basketball
CSU Sibiu, one of the best Romanian basketball teams at the moment, represents Sibiu in the top tier of Romanian basketball, Liga Națională.
Handball
The city's handball team is called CSM Sibiu. Additionally, the nearby town of Cisnădie has a women's team in the first league, CS Măgura.
Rugby
Volleyball
Speed Skating
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