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SIBIU - ROMANIA
Sibiu (German: Hermannstadt),(Hungarian:
Nagyszeben) is a city in Transylvania, Romania with a population of
170,000. It is the capital of Sibiu county.
History
Historical Center Skyline, 2004The city is built near the Roman city of
Caedonia, that was probably deserted at the beginning of the Dark ages,
after the Roman withdraw. The city was founded in 1190 by German
colonists "Transylvanian Saxons" (sasi) settled in this area. In the
14th century, it was already an important trade center and in 1376 a
document mentions that the craftmen where divided in 19 guilds. It
became the most important German city among the Seven Burgs of
Transylvania and it was home of the Academia Saxorum -- a German
Parliament of Transylvania. In the 17th century, it was the Easternmost
city considered to be part of Western civilization (actually the
Easternmost city that was included in the European postal routes).
Population
As of approximately 2002, Sibiu's has a population of about 170,000. The
ethnic breakdown is as follows:
95% ethnic Romanians
2% Magyars
1,6% ethnic Germans
1,4% other
Most of the population is of the Romanian Orthodox religion. Protestants and
Roman Catholics represent 4% of the population.
25% of the population is over 50 years old
18% of the population has graduated from some form of university
Tourism
Sibiu is beautiful. Eerie eaves shaped like eyes peer down from the
buildings that line the narrow, medieval streets. At the center of it all
stands the proud fortress-church, built by the original German settlers in
Gothic sturdiness. History surrounds Sibiu like a defensive wall. The
outlines of Sibiu’s many churches have dominated her sky line since early
times. Sibiu is dotted with many areas of parkland, intimate gardens and
attractive tree-lined boulevards. Sibiu’s pulling power is stronger in
spring – the season of chestnuts in blossom, and the start of various
festivals. Sibiu, and Sibiu area, contains the largest concentration of
tourist attractions in Romania.
Famous natives
Hermann Oberth
Sabina Cojocar
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