Things to see and do Sibiu

It is located in the heart of a district made up of elegant, quiet, tree-lined streets and beautiful homes. Founded by Dominicans in 1475, the monastery was abandoned a century later with the arrival of Protestantism. In the 18th century, Ursuline sisters settled there and transformed the place into a Catholic church and a school for girls. The complex has been restored, combining the Gothic architecture of the 15th century with the Baroque of the 18th century. Nationalized under communism, the church today hosts masses of the Greek-Catholic community.

It took ten years (1778-1788) to build this palace, now considered one of the finest museums in Eastern Europe. In addition to its rich collections, the palace itself is well worth a visit. This Baroque masterpiece, the city's landmark, was designed by Baron Samuel von Brukenthal, Governor of Transylvania from 1777 to 1787, and a favorite of Empress Maria Theresa. Brukenthal, who was also a great art lover, asked in his will that the palace and his personal collections be made accessible to the public after his death. Opened in 1817, the museum is renowned throughout Europe for the richness and diversity of its collections, including the 1,090 paintings that belonged to the baron. These include 450 works by the Flemish school (Rubens, Van Dyck...), 500 German paintings illustrating the transition between the Gothic and Baroque styles, as well as works by Italian painters of various currents. Not to mention works by Romanian artists, Transylvanian drawings and engravings from the ^17th to ^19th centuries, and exceptional silverware.

The Baron's library has also been preserved, supplemented by the collection of Sibiu's medieval libraries. It contains 280,000 volumes, including a collection of incunabula (works printed before 1500) and the Brukenthal Breviary, written on parchment with superb miniatures by Flemish painters of the ^15th and ^16th centuries. It is no longer open to the public and is reserved for students.

This superb open-air ethnographic museum is the best of its kind in the country. A visit is a must for anyone wishing to learn more about the riches of the Transylvanian and Romanian rural world. More than 400 houses are on display, in a magnificent park of almost 100 hectares, complete with lake, in the heart of the Dumbrava Sibiului nature reserve. Along the 10 km of paths, you'll discover the homes of the fishermen of the delta and the peasants of Maramureș... These houses with their preserved interiors will plunge you into the daily life and past traditions of peasants from all over the country. You'll also see a multitude of technical installations from all eras: wine presses, weaving looms, ovens, distilleries, farming equipment and more. You can also admire wooden churches. Finally, there's an impressive area devoted to mills of all types: water, wind, hand and horse-powered... The walk is as enjoyable as it is instructive. You can even take a boat or horse-drawn carriage ride. In addition to the open-air museum, the Astra complex includes a section dedicated to the heritage of Transylvania's ethnic minorities. The pavilion also houses a folk art gallery (perfect for buying souvenirs), a cafeteria and a tourist information center.

Numerous events and traditional festivals are held here, particularly in summer: the National Festival of Folk Traditions in mid-August, the Taraf and Brass Band Festival at the end of the same month..

To the south of Piaţa Mare, this lively pedestrian shopping street is a beautiful row of old houses with thick walls, some of which date back more than two centuries. In summer, the terraces blossom. At this time of year, you'll also notice the presence of unusual inhabitants: storks, who have taken up residence on the town's rooftops. At the beginning of the street, you'll find the striking Hotel Împăratul Românilor, housed in an imposing ^19th-century building that has welcomed the likes of Franz Liszt, Johann Strauss and King Carol ^I.

With a roof with coloured motifs, it was erected in the 14th century on the site of a 12th century church. It is very representative of the Transylvanian Gothic style, with its three naves and transept. Inside, its 60 or so tombstones of local personalities, 15th century frescoes and its 6,000-pipe organ are remarkable. You can also climb the bell tower, which peaks at 73 m: after 192 steps, at a height of 55 m, the view is breathtaking.

It occupies an entire section of the Grande Place, along with the adjoining parish church. Built between 1726 and 1733, the richly decorated church is in the Viennese Baroque style. Masses are still held here in German, even though the Saxon community is now very small. The parish house once housed the Jesuit seminary. Above the tabernacle, the fresco of Mary and the Divine Child is a fine example of local Baroque painting. The patio houses the statue of the martyred Catholic priest Jean Népomucène, which was removed from the main square during the Communist era.

Colorful, lively and picturesque, the lower part of Sibiu(orașul de jos) is well worth a visit. It includes buildings that have preserved medieval features, mostly located on May 9th and Ocnei streets. You can get there by taking one of the medieval staircases, notably from Piața Huet or Piața Mică.

Place Dragoner, considered the center of the lower town, dates back to the ^12th and ^13th centuries, making it the oldest in the city. The surrounding houses were built between the ^15th and ^19th centuries. Until 1976, a Baroque and neoclassical building dating from 1800 stood in its middle, housing the headquarters of the Austrian dragoons.

Rue du 9 Mai is Sibiu's oldest street. It features seven listed buildings, including a ^16th-century house at no. 43. The architecture is typical of Transylvanian Saxon towns, with low, tiled-roofed houses. Unfortunately, heavy traffic spoils its charm.

Goldsmiths' Square (Piața Aurarilor) is one of Sibiu's most romantic squares. This small, cobbled square is surrounded by a number of colorful ^16th-century houses, some with German inscriptions. As its name suggests, silversmiths had their workshops here. The stairway leading up to it from Piața Mică is lined with beautiful houses. The oldest date back to the end of the ^15th century.

In Piața Cibin, on the banks of the river of the same name, a market is held, much appreciated for the quality of its produce and its popular atmosphere.

Built between 1902 and 1906, the cathedral bears a certain resemblance to Saint Sophia in Istanbul. Its architects, Naghy and Konemer, were originally from Budapest. It is the seat of the Orthodox metropolis of Transylvania. Renovated and repainted in 1964, it is pleasantly luminous. Its beautiful murals, like those on the iconostasis, were painted by Octavian Smighelschi, a Hungarian from the village of Ludoș, not far from Sibiu.

It occupies the former Sibiu Town Hall (1545-1948), also known as Casa Altemberger, the family whose coat of arms adorns the façade. This 15th-century building and its pretty courtyard are Gothic in style. It is one of the last remaining civil buildings from this period. The small bell at the top of the tower is known as the "condemned man's bell", because it was used to announce the execution of a prisoner. The exhibition traces local history back to the Paleolithic period.

It is one of the symbols of Sibiu, linking piața Mică and piața Mare. The Council Tower (Turnul Sfatului) was built in the 13th century as the gateway to the city and has been rebuilt many times since: partially collapsed in 1585, it was rebuilt and extended by one floor in 1826. It now has seven. The tower hosts various small exhibitions, but if you absolutely have to go there, it's mainly for the view it offers: all up there, the panorama of the city and its surroundings is breathtaking!

Close to the Thalia Hall, it occupies a yellow building purpose-built in 1895 in the Italian Renaissance style. Here you can admire beautiful minerals, prehistoric animal skeletons (mammoths and woolly rhinoceroses...) and dioramas presenting Romanian, tropical, Arctic and Australian flora and fauna. The garden is home to a variety of plant species, some of them rare. A few dinosaurs can also be seen!

It occupies a beautiful green neo-Gothic building, called Casa Hermes (named after the Greek god of Commerce), erected in 1867 to house an association of craft guilds. Opened in 1990 as part of the Astra complex, this museum, currently undergoing restoration, is the only one in the country devoted to non-European ethnography. It brings together objects collected by local collectors during their travels in Africa, China, Japan, Oceania, Lapland and Brazil.

This pretty little museum presents pharmacy objects in use in Transylvania from the 17th to the 19th century, which bear witness to the evolution of pharmaceutical techniques: bottles of all kinds, wooden or ceramic pots, funnels, scales, plant presses... The house that houses it, a 16th century building combining Gothic and Renaissance styles, has housed one of the oldest pharmacies in the city, which appeared around 1600 and was called The Black Bear.

Ideally located in Piaţa Mare, in the huge, classy hall of the town hall, the center will be able to find you a room in town or in guesthouses in the surrounding villages, give you information on entertainment, give you the contacts of French-speaking guides and provide you with maps and brochures on Sibiu and the surrounding area. The welcome is always helpful. English and German are available, but not French. Ask about guided tours of the city departing from here.

Characterized by buildings with vaulted galleries that once housed craftsmen's workshops, the "Petite Place" is more intimate than its larger neighbor. Irregular in shape, it resembles a village square. It is divided into two parts by Rue Ocnei, which descends to the lower town, passing under the Pont des Mensonges. Among the buildings of note is the Maison des Arts(casa Artelor) at no. 21, once home to the butchers' guild. On the roofs of some buildings, you can see the famous "Sibiu eyes".

In the heart of the former ^12th-century citadel, this pretty cobbled square is dominated by the Evangelical Cathedral, in front of which stands the statue of Bishop Teutsch (1899). Opposite is the Brukenthal secondary school. In another corner, the Tour des Escaliers is the only remaining element of the old fortifications. This Romanesque gateway dates back to the ^13th century and is the oldest building in the town. Next door, the CasaCalfelor, an inn for traveling craftsmen, intrigues with its bric-a-brac of tools.

The Bridge of Lies(podul Minciunilor) is one of Sibiu's main attractions. Built in 1859, this elegant wrought-iron pedestrian bridge, decorated with neo-Gothic plant and geometric motifs, is the first of its kind in Romania. It replaced an earlier wooden bridge. It was here that passing Austrian soldiers would try to win over the town's young ladies with promises of marriage, which they were never able to keep. Since then, legend has it that if you tell a lie on the bridge, it collapses!

They were built in several stages. The first lines date back to 1224, but little remains of them. At the end of the ^13th century, a second line was built, the main vestige of which is the Council Tower. The fortifications visible today date from 1410 and are best preserved in the strada Cetății. The two towers (Olarilor and Dulgherilor) and the wooden and brick parapet walk are superb. Other towers, often named after craft guilds, were added later, such as the Soldisch bastion (1627).

The center of the town since the ^16th century, the "Grande Place" is protected from traffic and retains an almost intimate character, despite its size and prestige. It is surrounded by colorful buildings, including several historic monuments. These include the Brukenthal palace, as well as former noble homes: the pretty casa Haller (at no. 10), built in 1470 in Gothic style, was later remodeled in the Renaissance. At no. 13, the dapper casa Lutsch dates back to the ^16th century. The Piața Mare hosts numerous events, including the Christmas market.