| Places of interest - Transylvania | |
| Sibiu Few Romanian cities are as pleasant as Sibiu. The city has two easily walkable levels: the 'upper town', which contains most of Sibiu historic sights, and the 'lower town', which is a charming wasteland of old houses and cobbled squares.Connecting the upper and lower towns are dozens of tunnels, stairways and hidden passageways, which will let you speechless. The Stairs Passage is one of the most picturesque places in Sibiu. It makes the connection between the lower-town and the upper-town and was built in 13th century. The old part of town centres on the magnificent Large Square and Small Square, with their painted 17th century houses. The Large Square marks the heart of the city. It's home to shops, cafes and some top tourist attractions. It is the historic center of Sibiu, first time mentioned in 1411 as corn market. The public executions and public meetings used to be held here. The square has a length of 142 m and a wide of 93 m, being one of the largest in Transylvania. The southern side of the square is declared architectural monument with preserved medieval styles. The most important building is at number 10, the Haller House built in 15th century. This house was the property of the Haller family for 400 years. At number 8 is the Hecht House (15th century) and corner with Magheru Street is Fileck House (1802) one of the most impressive building in town. The north side of the square is dominated by the Catholic Church and corner with Avram Iancu Street stands the Council Tower. On the east side the most important building is Weidner-Reussner House with the original portal dated 1652. Facing west is found the beautiful Brukenthal Palace (1789), which hosts the Brukenthal National Museum, and next is the Blue House, a baroque building from the 18th century. The Small Square is the second historic center of Sibiu and one of the most beautiful places in town. This square is a magnificent place surrounded by preserved medieval buildings and it is connected to the Large Square through narrows passages. Ocnei Street divides the square in two parts and is the main way to the lower town. The first iron-cast bridge in Romania, built in 1859 over the street that connects the upper-town to the lower-town. It was named the Liars Bridge because of the legend that no one can stand on it and tell a lie without the structure collapsing. The Liars Bridge is spanning over the street and make the connection to the Huet Square. From the architectural point of view, the Small Square is different from the Large Square, considering that this one was used mainly for trade and business during the years. In the Small Square is the entry into the Council Tower. The Council Tower was built in the 13th century being the first time mentioned in a document dated 1370. Its name is related to the next building, which was the first Town Hall of the city. The tower became the entrance gate of the second fortified walls. It partially collapsed in 1586, and was reconstructed in 1588. The roof was modified several times. In 1829 the last level was added and the roof was modified under the actual shape. During the years the tower was used for various purposes, including a jail and corn storehouse. At the last floor, an observation desk allows a bird-eyes view over the historic town and one floor below you can see the clock mechanism. The remains of Sibiu medieval fortress wall and towers stand along Cetatii Street. You could notice the Harquebusier Tower (15thc.), the Potter Tower (15th c.) and the Carpenter Tower (15th c.). Few hundred meters down the street is the Thick Tower, built at the middle of the 16th c. and used to be the infantry tower. The Huet Square is surrounded by historic buildings built in Gothic style. The square is dominated by the The Evangelic Cathedral. This impressive cathedral was built in 1520 on the place of an old Romanic basilica from the 12th century. With its five pointed towers it is one of the most impressive building in Sibiu. In front of the cathedral the statue of Georg Daniel Teutsch, Bishop of Sibiu, erected in 1899. The simple, stark interior is in total contrast to that of the Catholic Church. The gray stone walls create an austere atmosphere that is slightly mitigated by exuberant carving in the vaulting and in the stone epitaphs that are fixed to a wall on the north side of the nave. One of them lodged Mihnea the Bad, the son of Vlad Tepes, who was stabled to death after he attended a mass here in 1510. A gigantic fresco (over 9m high), painted by Johannes of Rosenau in 1445, covers much of the chancel's north wall. The mural shows the Crucifixion and marks a transition in painting from the coldly late Gothic to the more human concern of the renaissance. The cathedral has a choir loft on the south side with a beautiful fan-vaulted ceiling. There is as well an immense Baroque organ designed by a German master in 1671. Six thousands pipes were installed in 1914 making it the largest in Romania. In 1997 was reinstalled the great organ of the church which first was installed in 1915. Every Wednesday night between June and September organ concerts are conducted here. The Brukenthal High School 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. |
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At this time the Brukenthal-High School is the only school in the county of Sibiu where all the classes are held in German. In front of the school is the statue of Teutsch (erected 1899), bishop of Sibiu. The most picturesque street in the Upper town remains Avram Iancu Street (1556), which connects the Council Tower, in the Large Square, with the Ursuline Church. On this street is found the oldest residential house in the city, Casa Bobel, which keeps the same look for nearly 500 years. The house at No. 9 has an arcaded court based on an Italian Renaissance design, and at the back of the yard you can still see the ruin of a defense tower. About halfway down Avram Iancu St. on the left is a steep passage, Pasajul Scolii (The School Passage), which brings you below the city walls into the rutted cobbles of Strada Movilei. The Orthodox Cathedral was built between 1902 – 1906 in a similar style with the Saint Sofia Cathedral from Istanbul. Everybody agrees that this copy looks much better than the original. On this place was a Greek Church built in 1778. The architects were Virgil Nagy and Iosif Kamner from Budapest. Fresco paintings were made by Octavian Smigelschi and Arthur Coulin. The interior is dominated by a massive gold chandelier, about which swirl wisp of incense and neo Byzantine decorations. At the entrance a massive carved door that bears a German insignia. This is the second largest Orthodox Cathedral in Romania. The Brukenthal Palace was built
by Samuel Brukenthal, governor of Transylvania, in Baroque style
between 1777 and 1787. He gathered here a vast collection of
paintings, antiques, coins, and rare books. The Ethnography and Folk
Collection is structured in several sectors: The Pottery Room;
Textile and Fabrics; Folks Costumes, with two rustic interiors;
Wood processing; Painting on Glass collection. |
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