The Historic Center

The first mentions of the medieval city of Sibiu date back to 1191. Papal documents attest to the existence of a settlement called Cibinium at that time, inhabited by Saxon colonists and divided into 2 distinct sections – the Upper Town and the Lower Town.

After the great Tatar invasion of 1241-1242, the settlement was almost abandoned, suffering huge losses. The settlement experienced a period of strong development, and in 1366 it was declared a ''city'', while at the same time the last defensive belt was completed.

Along these belts, we have 3 major squares around which the Historic Center of Sibiu is concentrated. The first of these is Huet Square, dating back to the 12th century. Here is the Evangelical Cathedral of Sibiu, built in Gothic style, with an impressive 7-level tower.

Here we also find the Bridge of Lies, the first cast iron bridge in Romania built in 1859. The distinctive sign of the area is given by the buildings with lenticular dormers, which the inhabitants call ''the eyes of the city''.

The Grand Square is located along the third fortification of the medieval city. Starting with 1366, it represented the main public square of the city, where fairs and civic gatherings took place. In the area, we have numerous buildings declared historical monuments: Brukenthal Palace, the Roman Catholic Parish Church or the Council Tower.

Museums

Sibiu is an attractive destination for visiting museums that are open throughout the year.
From the Brukenthal Palace Museum in the Grand Square, inaugurated in 1817, being the first public museum in Romania, which hosts impressive collections of paintings by famous artists and furniture pieces, to the "ASTRA" Museum of Traditional Folk Civilization in Sibiu, the largest open-air museum in Europe, located just south of Sibiu, the museum contains creations of traditional, pre-industrial Romanian folk civilization, it stretches over 96 hectares, is crossed by 10 kilometers of alleys along which there are over 300 buildings, in Sibiu you can find countless museums, where you can spend quality time and discover the beauty of a Western city anchored in its authentic medieval history.

Cathedrals and Churches

In Sibiu - Hermannstadt you will discover the history of the fortress on every street of the old town.

Culture and Faith have left a strong imprint on the development of Sibiu, here you can visit:

Evangelical Cathedral "St. Mary" - Huet Square - built in 1474

Orthodox Cathedral - 33 Mitropoliei Street - built in 1902-1906

Roman Catholic Parish Church "Holy Trinity" - built by Jesuits between 1726-1733

Synagogue - 19 Constitution Street - built by the Jewish community 1898-1899

Roman Catholic Ursuline Church - 38 Gheorghe Magheru Street - from 1474

Sibiu Zoo

Established in 1929, Sibiu Zoo spans an area of approximately 20 hectares. Starting in 2006, both the animal shelters and the garden's infrastructure underwent extensive rehabilitation and modernization processes. At the same time, the fleet of vessels (boats and paddle boats) was renewed, and a playground was set up for children. The zoo houses over 300 animals from 74 species: monkeys, bears, white wolves, tigers, lions, jaguars, llamas, Carpathian deer, roe deer, white buffalo, ponies, pythons, crocodiles, pheasants, parrots, peacocks, pigeons, camels, zebras, ostriches, kangaroos. Once the new arrangements for the animal spaces were completed, the number of visitors began to increase. Thus, if in 2007 the garden was visited by 80,000 people, their number increased to 244,878 in 2015 and continued to grow to over 390,000 in 2019. At the entrance to the zoo, you can admire an oak tree that is over 600 years old.

Brukenthal Palace in Avrig

In 1777, Baron Samuel von Brukenthal became governor of Transylvania and was the only Saxon in history who was elevated to such an important position by Empress Maria Theresa of Austria. The former summer residence of Baron Samuel von Brukenthal awakened from its slumber in 2011 and was renovated taking into account Brukenthal's ideas and visions and then returned to the public. This historic baroque jewel, where history, elegance, and refinement combine in a romantic dance with nature.

The Brukenthal Palace in Avrig is the dominant building of Baron Samuel von Brukenthal's summer residence, a wonderful and historic place that was once considered the Eden of Transylvania and takes the form of the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, as it was designed by the same architect at that time; the Palace is a miniature, seven times smaller than the original.