For hundreds of years the fortified town of Sibiu/Hermannstadt lay in the way of Middle Age invasions, conflicts and wars. That is why in those troubled centuries the town first greeted the strangers who arrived here with the cold defense walls and the closed gates. A legend tells that eight centuries ago the founders of the town drew the outer limits of the settlement with two swords.

These weapons can be seen now only on the town’s historic coat of arms. The swords of the Middle Ages went into oblivion long time ago and the town opened its gates to the world and became home for people of many cultures, speaking different languages and practicing different forms of religious life. Sibiu/Hermannstadt with its different ethnic communities developed a unique multicultural life.

The people of Sibiu are warm and hospitable. They welcome with open arms the visitors, whether they come on business or as tourists looking for the rich experience at the contact with our cultural heritage, or in search of fun, sports or nature.

The occasion presented to Sibiu/Hermannstadt to be European Cultural Capital of 2007 in partnership with Luxembourg and Luxembourg Grand Region is for us an opportunity to present our city, our way of life and the creativity of all the communities which live here in an attractive complex programme.

We invite you to stroll along the streets and into the squares of the Historic Centre, with its Gothic arcades, Renaissance houses and elegant Baroque churches as well as Art Nouveau buildings. There you can meet artists and their creative products, there you can taste our cuisine and wines or visit the museums that preserve beautiful art collections.

Our city awaits you to discover its music, dance, theatre, visual arts and other events which move out of our cultural halls in the most provocative settings: in the streets and squares, lofts and cellars, fortification walls and churches. We invite everybody to Sibiu and wish all a very pleasant time here that will transform into an enriching cultural experience.

Klaus Werner Johannis

Mayor of Sibiu/Hermannstadt

Chairman of Sibiu 2007