Sibiu
Transylvania; it sounds exciting, interesting, steeped in
Balkan mystery. Transylvania; the land beyond the forests. Way back in
the middle ages the Germans pushed their way down here and established
several towns. As far as I can make out Turgu Arges was the old capital
of this area, but the most interesting centre nowadays is Sibui,
formerly known as Hermannstadt.
There is another influence in this part of the world, and that
comes from Hungary. Sibui also used to be called Nagyszeben (pronounce
it yourself). This was an area where, during the middle ages, the great
powers met and battled out their frontier zones, pushing first this
way, then that. The turks at one stage pushed right up to the gates of
Vienna, but were repulsed almost immediately, and the Holy Roman
Empire, the Austro-Hungarian empire to be, pushed its borders up to the
Carpathian mountains, leaving the Turks controlling the plain just to
the north of the Danube. Eventually they were pushed back beyond the
Danube.
(This is the view from the apartment
for sale shown in the picture below.)
Sibui has an intriguing history. It is first mentioned in Vatican records in 1191. 100 years later the first hospital in present day Romania was opened in the city. Since that time it has registered an amazing number of firsts. I take the following list from Wikipedia.
• 1494 - The first
pharmacy in present-day Romania.
• 1534 - The first paper mill in
present-day Romania.
• 1544 - The first book in the
Romanian language was printed in Sibiu.
• 1551 - Conrad Haas' experiment
with rockets.
• 1782 - Franz-Joseph Müller
von Reichenstein discovered the chemical element tellurium.
• 1788 - First theatre in
present-day Romania.
• 1795 - The first lightning rod
in Southeastern Europe was installed in Cisnădie.
• 1797 - Samuel Hahnemann opened
the world's first homeopathic laboratory.
• 1817 - The Brukenthal Museum,
the first museum in present-day Romania, was opened.
• 1867 - Union of Transylvania and
Hungary
• 1896 - The first use of
electricity in present-day Romania, and the first power line in
Southeastern Europe.
• 1904 - The second city in Europe
to use an electric-powered trolley.
• 1918 - Union of Transylvania and
Romania. Sibiu became part of Romania
• 1928 - The first zoo in Romania.
• 1941 - Saxons lost their
historical majority in the population
• 2007 - European Capital of
Culture 2007
It is interesting to note that it was only during the second world war that the influence of the Saxons started to wane. But what all of this means is that the place is a fascinating town to visit, with much to see, and has a special fascination for visiting Germans.
Looking at the ethnic make-up of the city over the years it is easy to see why this is so.
In 1850 Germans numbered nearly 9,000, whereas Romanians barely numbered 2,000, and Hungarians less than a thousand. Even in 1930 there were more Germans than Romanians. The numbers have only dropped drastically since the Ceascescu regime.
Despite the serious drop in Germanic influence it is interesting to note the current mayor is actually German.
Sibiu is one of the most prosperous cities of Romania, and also receives one of the highest rates of foreign investment in the country. It is an important manufacturer of automotive components. Other local industries are machine components, textiles, agro-industry, and electrical components (Siemens).
Sibiu has an international airport with direct connections to Germany, United Kingdom and Austria as well as to other Romanian cities. The airport is one of the most modern in Romania and the runway will be able to receive all types of commercial aircraft, including the Airbus A380, from 2008. Lufthansa flies to the city from Birmingham, while several other companies are operating in the area.
There are also two motorways proposed that will by-pass the
city, due for completion in 2014.
The city of Sibiu and its surroundings is one of the most visited areas in Romania. It holds one of the best preserved historical sites in the country, many of its medieval fortifications having been kept in excellent state. Its old center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Sibiu and its surrounding area have many significant museums, with 12 institutions housing art collections, paintings, and exhibits in decorative arts, archaeology, anthropology, history, industrial archeology and history of technology and natural sciences.
The city also lies close to the Făgăraş Mountains - a very
popular trekking destination, close to the Păltiniş resort - a popular
winter holiday destination. Păltiniş is a mountain resort situated 35
km south-west from Sibiu in the Cindrel Mountains at 1440 m altitude,
being the highest resort in Romania (tho not the highest ski run). It
lies in a coniferous forest, and it is a popular winter destination,
while in the summer it is sought for its calm, its fresh air and for
the easily accessible trekking routes.
One of the main tourist interests of the Sibiu region are the
fortified churches. Due to security reasons and the traditions of the
Saxon inhabitants, the villages are compact.
The main element is the church, always situated in the middle
of the town. Different types of fortifications can be found: a small
enceinte around the church, a row of fortifications around the church,
or a real fortress with multiple fortification walls centered on the
church.
The churches have been adapted to include defensive functions;
all of them are either Romanesque basilicas or single-nave churches of
the late Gothic period. The churches often include many additions,
ranging in age from the original period in which the churches were
built (Late Middle Ages) to the 16th century. Many churches also
include baroque elements from that period, as the baroque style was
very popular in the region.
In almost all cases, the church is situated in an easily defendable position, generally on a hilltop. Some fortifications had observations towers, some of them being church towers adapted to the needs of a fortress. The materials are the traditional ones, stone and red bricks, with a red clay tiled roof.
Close to the church there is the main square of the village or
Tanzplaz (Dance Square) around which the social life gravitated. The
only buildings situated next to the fortifications are those for
communal use: the school or the village hall. The parish house, along
with the houses of the most wealthy villagers, were situated around
this square. Also in most sites, barns for grain storage are situated
close to the centre of the village.
Sibiu is one of Romania's most culturally lively cities. It has two
theatres and a philharmonic orchestra.
Several festivals are organised yearly in Sibiu, the most prestigious of them being the Theatre Festival, organised each spring at the end of May. The oldest Jazz Festival in Romania is organised here, as well as the "Carl Filtsch" festival for young classical piano players, the "Astra Film" documentary film festival, and the Transylvania Calling Festival a Multi-Cultural six day open air music festival!
Finally, it is intriguing to find that Sibiu is European city
of culture this year whereas Liverpool is next year, and Sibiu is
twinned with Wirral.
With all of the above, plus the lovely scenery in the area, plus the
old fashioned agricultural methods still used, the area has to be first
class tourist country.
To make things easy for access the low cost airline Wizzair flies to the nearby international airport of Tirgu Mures from Luton, Barcelona, Rome, and Dortmund.
I dont expect an investment here to make masses of money, but it could well be a comfortable little earner with a longer tourist season than any coastal area. You could be looking at a nine month season. It would also make a rather special holiday home for those interested in culture, an old fashioned way of life, skiing, and hiking holidays in the mountains.