SIBIU |
|
Capital
city of the Sibiu county; located in the Sibiu depression; 425-450 m high; crossed by the
Cibin river; Hermannstadt (Germ.); in the 13th-18th centuries the Saxons raised the
fortified town which saw the development of crafts, trade, science and culture; bold
humanist scholars among whom were Nicolaus Olahus and Konrad Haas (who
devised the three-phased rocket); tourism is favoured by the town's medieval vestiges and
its picturesque surroundings, i.e. Paltinis mountain resort, 34 km away.
 |
Medieval fortifications (13th-17th centuries): Defence
Wall; the Stairs', the Gate's, the Drapers', the Carpenters',
Thick Tower, Council Tower - emblematic for Sibiu; Haller and Soldisch
Bastions.
Religious Monuments: St. Mary's Evangelical Church (14th-15th
centuries: Gothic style; valuabe tombstones and murals (15th c.); concerts held on
Wednesday; Roman-Catholic Church (start of the 18th c.): baroque style; the fresco
of Virgin Mary and the Holy Infant is the greatest accomplishment of the baroque painting
at Sibiu; |
Orthodox Cathedral (start of the 20th c.): resembles
Haghia Sofia in Istanbul; seat of the Metropolitan church in Transylvania; neo-Byzantine
style; beautiful choir every Sunday morning;
Historic places: Stairs' Passage (13 th c.); Lies'
Bridge (19th c.) Stately buildings: Old People's Shelter (13 th
c.); Old Market Hall/Arts'House (14th c.); County Museum of History Brukenthal
Palace (18th c.): late baroque style; 'Imparatul Romanilor' Hotel (18th c.):
eclectic style; sliding ceiling of the restaurant hall; Michael Brukenthal's House
(18th c.); baroque style; Roman-Catholic Parish House (18th c.): baroque style; Astra
Palace (19th c.): houses the Astra Library with over 600.000 books. |
 |
|
 |
Housed by the Brukenthal Palace it is the oldest
museum in Romania (1817); it gathers together 14.000 exhibits, i.e. paintings,
engravings, sculpture and decorative art works; 1100 works belong to the Section of
European Art Collections including the main schools of art between the 15-18th
centuries, with works of well-known painters among whom Tizian, Frans van Mieris the old,
J. Jordaens etc. The Section of Romanian Art Collections exhibits paintings by
Vicentius from Brasov, Th. Aman, N. Grigorescu, St. Luchian, N. Tonitza, C. Baba, Al
Ciucurencu, Gh. Petrascu, I. Andreescu, etc |
|
| There are two Ethnographic Museums
called 'ASTRA' at Sibiu. While one of them is outdoors, in the 'Grove', on
the outskirts of the town, the other is inside. They display hundreds of farmsteads, i.e.
pieces of furniture, tools and handicrafts, i.e. pieces of furniture, handmade materials,
embroideries, works of wood, pottery and objects of worship. The exhibits gathered from
villages in Transylvania and other regions of Romania reveal the rural civilization and
the ethno-cultural traits of the Romanian people. |
 |
|
|
|