Over the past few weeks I’ve talked about the area called Saxon Land in Transylvania -- specifically Sighisoara and Biertan and each of those had unexpected surprises. Our last stop on our adventure in Romania was Sibiu, which also had some fun discoveries that didn’t disappoint. Since we spent almost a full day at near-by Corvins’ Castle, our time in Sibiu was limited but I did want to share some highlights as it is definitely a city worth visiting.
My best advice to you if you travel to Romania is to either start here or end your Romanian travels in Sibiu. There are many direct flights from this very small airport to many other European destinations too if you continue traveling outside of Transylvania. I couldn't believe how simple and small the airport was and how easy it was for us to get to our next destination in Germany. There are only a few gates in the single terminal which makes it even more easy. Now that tip is out of the way, let’s get on with the tour of the city.
Literally an ancient city, Sibiu was founded on the site of a former Roman village during the height of Saxon influence in the 12th century. It was built to withstand attack like the other Saxon villages with sturdy protective walls, 39 protective towers and four bastion walls.
The top sight and most impressive building in Sibiu is St. Mary’s Evangelical Church, also known as Sibiu Lutheran Cathedral. The church was raised in the 14th century on the location of an old Roman church dating back to the 12th century. It is the Gothic centerpiece of the city with its intricately beautiful tile work and its 74-meter-high tower. The intricate detail and design of the roof tile is remarkable. The tiles are very detailed from far away but as you get closer, you see the tiles are colorful with blends of earth tones and blues. Fun, yet creepy fact: The four turrets situated above the steeple were a sign to let foreigners know that the town had the right to sentence to death.
This medieval city is perfect for getting around by foot and that’s how I suggest you see it otherwise you might miss a surprise that might just pop out at you. For example, we saw this interesting statue piece with a collection of replicas of medieval weapons with a gargoyle head on top. It would have been kind of creepy if it wasn’t so interestingly funny at the same time.
The city’s historic-blend of architecture can be seen everywhere but also its avant-garde flair appearing around every corner really gives this town its character. One example is the houses with eyelid-shaped windows where you get a funny feeling you are being watched – I wasn’t sure if the windows were cute or creepy (I ended up deciding they were cute after all) but they were all over the town.
The city consists of two entities: The Upper Town and Lower Town. Traditionally, the Upper Town was the wealthy section and the commercial outlet. The Lower Town was the manufacturing area but had the wonderful colorful buildings. To get from the Lower Town to Upper Town, you may take the Stairs’ Passage. I don’t think I would’ve minded that as the passage is very charming.
Famous composers such as Strauss, Brahms, and Liszt frequently played here during the 19th century. You get a feeling of Vienna influence when walking around certain parts of the city, which makes sense since we had a wonderful breakfast at a Viennese-style café called Café Wien.
After walking the city, we ended our day tasting Romanian wines at a wine bar called Wine Not? It was our last night in Romania and was a perfect way to end our stay. You might not know this, but Romania produces some excellent white wines. Even though it is a wine bar and not wine tasting per se, Denise split the glasses between us, so we were each able to sample four different blends. We tasted a wonderful Premium Cuvee which turns out received the top wine award for three years at the Berliner Wine Festival – of course we just had to buy a bottle to bring back with us. This was a great place to stop by for a little relaxation and fun.
Our visit to Sibiu concluded our trip to Saxon Land and Transylvania. My time spent here was magically medieval. If you want to get a sense untouched medieval times, look no further than Saxon Land Romania. It was absolutely wonderful and unexpected at every turn!
Make sure to subscribe so you can get all the travel tips delivered straight to you every Friday, and then become a member of my little community if you want to share your experiences in the comments below! Safe travels!
Comments