A short presentation of Sibiu

The nowadays Sibiu is a touristic location acknowledged at an international level and appreciated by specialists in the field, representatives of the mass media and by simple tourists visiting the city. But this statute was built step by step, due to the cooperation of all local actors: the local administration, touristic and cultural entities, personalities and simple members of the community.

In the year 2000 Sibiu was a dusty provincial town, which suffered a great deal because of the indifference of the authorities during the communist period. Both the historical center as well as the city districts needed extensive rehabilitation and modernization works. The local authorities understood this need and, starting in 2002, the amounts invested in such works constantly increased because they acknowledged the fact that a community, a city cannot evolve unless it benefits from a good and functional infrastructure, the statement being true in the case of the development of the touristic field as well.

Over 50 million Euro have been invested in the past 14 years in the historical center. The streets were rehabilitated through the modernization of the networks of utilities, the suspended wires were lowered in the underground and the roads were repaved. The historical squares and passages were rehabilitated, the parts of the defense walls which still exist today have been also rehabilitated and adequately highlighted. The Lower Town also underwent rehabilitation, the squares and public spaces here regaining their picturesque. In order to display all these objectives, the public lighting was also reconfigured, its aspect being harmonized with the characteristics of a historical center. An architectural lighting was added in order to make the squares and the important buildings in the center more visible. The museums revived and promoted their priceless heritage, and the valuable buildings regained their charming aspect.

In 2004, when Sibiu learned that it will have the honor to bear the title of European Capital of Culture in 2007, the city’s cultural life and implicitly, the touristic field started on an accentuated ascending trend. The cultural life of Sibiu has always been very rich, due to the creative spirit and the cultural effervescence which always defined the city. But starting in 2004, the cultural actors and local authorities have invested more in cultural events, creating an annual calendar of events which attract numerous tourists every year. The Sibiu European Capital of Culture 2007 Program brought over 2,000 events and an exceptional cultural year, which led to an international fame which Sibiu well deserved. Hoever this was not the climax, but the impulse which the city needed to continue its development.

The cultural and sport events calendar of the city contains a growing number of valuable events, and the cultural institutions as well as the local administration finance these events with growingly larger amounts. Almost every weekend between April and December of each year, the public spaces and performance halls are animated by the most diverse events: from theatrical and musical performances, plastic art exhibitions and events highlighting traditions to seminars and conferences.

Due to all these, Sibiu is nowadays an indisputable touristic location which is appreciated and which was awarded the maximum Michelin quotation – three stars. Because of its good quality cultural life, due to its functional infrastructure, its geographical position and the natural landscape it is situated in, due to the availability and efforts of the local administration, Sibiu is today an acknowledged touristic location which receives a growing number of tourists every year, a city having the resources to offer something to each of its guests, regardless of age or preferences.