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Sibiu              European Capital Sibiu of the culture in 2007    

The town of Sibiu still keeps its medieval and modern environment at the same time. Sibiu is located in the historical area of Transylvania, in the middle of Romania.

Located on old sites of the Neolithic era, keeping traces of the old Roman city Cedonia, the town of Sibiu is evoked in documents starting from XIIème century bearing the name of Cibinium.

Following the colonization of Saxon, it was called Hermannstadt. Sibiu is also known for the existence of its large university “Lucian Blaga”, which from 1969 develops unceasingly by sheltering many faculties.

In the historical center of the city, one finds the Museum of art Brukenthal. It is surrounded by large walls and turns of defense on the Great Place. Opened in 1817, it exposes large collections of tables, antiquities and books of collection. One can also see here the Museum of history, the Museum of natural science and the Museum of pharmacy.

In the forest of Dumbrava the largest museum with the free air of Europe is: museum of the traditional and popular art “ASTRA”. It consists of multiple traditional houses of the area and it will enchant you by his peace.

In 2007 Sibiu, Rumanian city located in the historical province of Transylvania, will become the one year time the European Capital of the Culture. The symbol is important, because for the first time since the fall of the Berlin Wall a city of old Eastern Europe is selected to carry such a title.

It will share this honor with Luxembourg, city with which Sibiu maintains strong historical bonds.

Indeed, the fathers founders of Sibiu, the Saxon ones, are originating in the current territory of the Grand-Duchy, which explains the almost organic bond which exists between the Rumanian city and the Luxembourg capital.

It is not a chance if this city of the western center of Romania were indicated capital European of the culture the year of the adhesion of its country to the European Union.

Indeed, Sibiu has a European destiny, because of its geographical situation, with the junction of two cultures, Western and Eastern, and of the ethnic composition of its population.

A melting-pot city, a European destiny

Sibiu, Armbrusterturm Sibiu is first of all true a melting pot of Romanians, Germans, Hungarian and Roms. In this, the city represents a pretty example of unit and success in diversity.

Based on Roman ruins in XIIIe century by German colonists, originating in the area the Rhine the Moselle, Sibiu knows a real economic advancement and political at the Average Age.

Town of passage between the roads of the East and the Occident, it becomes at the XVIIe century capital of Transylvania Austro-Hungarian and political center of the Germans of the province.

Sibiu is also a town of resistance, of sour fight for noble causes. At each time its combat: at the XIXe century, the Rumanian national cause supported by the intellectuals of the city, at the XXe century, the fight against the communist dictatorship, which mobilized in December 1989 all its inhabitants.

Sibiu is finally a high Rumanian cultural place. In addition to its museums, its theatre, its many festivals, the city has a single architectural whole in Romania and in the East of Europe, from its extent and its excellent state of conservation. All the styles are represented there, of the baroque to the Gothic and the modern art.

Sibiu, a high Rumanian cultural place

Sibiu, the place of market A Sibiu, two distinct entities, two different environments cohabit within the framework of the same city: it is of the “higher city” and the “lower city”. True heart of Sibiu, the “higher city”, strengthened, includes the three principal places, each one with its style, its charm.

The Place Huet, core initial of the city, shelters the Evangélique Church. Built in Gothic style between 1371 and 1520, it dominates it and the role of'' religious place confers to him''.

The Small Place, in the shape of crescent of the moon, is dominated by the Museum of universal Ethnography and the House of Luxembourg, symbol out of stone of the bond between the two European capitals of the culture for the year 2007.

The Great Place, become center of the city since the 16th century, concerns as for it the baroque. It shelters the Palate Brukenthal, one of the monuments the most important baroques of Romania, become Musée of art in 1817 and the Catholic Church, old residence of Jesuits with Sibiu. The Tower of the Council, built in XVIe century connects the Small Place and the Great Place, like giving a unit to this unit.

The architecture of the “lower city” includes/understands primarily houses of Saxon style, on two floors, large roof, and doors opening on the beautiful ones run interior. Less majestic than the “higher city”, this part of Sibiu nevertheless is also impressed by the Saxon heritage of times last.

“City of the culture - City of the cultures” (Slogan of “Sibiu 2007”)

Sibiu, the Sibiu cathedral is also a city of the cultures, as the mixture to architectural rigour saxonne testifies it and Rumanian popular creativity.

The Museum of the popular Civilization Astra which the forest close to Dumbrava shelters exposes of the objects of craft industry coming from all the corners of Romania.

Through popular art, all the Rumanian civilization made of creativity, simplicity and refinement is revealed with the eyes of the neophytes.

For this year 2007 which will make of it'' the European capital of the culture'', Sibiu laid down several objectives.
The increase in its international visibility, its tourist development in the long run, the promotion of the culture, social cohesion and the co-operation at the European level belong to these paramount objectives.

To satisfy these objectives, the city set up a very rich cultural program, covering of the different fields: such literature, performing arts, music, the inheritance and architecture in the form of conferences, of debates, exposures sets of themes and spectacles of sound and light.

The exposures on the European character of the city and its inhabitants, the demonstrations which put in scene the unicity of the Saxon inheritance and those which emphasize the creativity of Rumanian folk art are not that some examples in the multiple offer of the program “Sibiu 2007”.

Sibiu also set up a common program with the town of Luxembourg with an aim of creating a true cultural axis “East-West”.

'' A European marathon of poetry'' will be organized over three days in strange places as well with Sibiu as in Luxembourg; concerts of the philharmonic orchestras of two cities, as of films on the history of two'' European capitals of the culture'' are also considered within the framework of this partnership.

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