Sibiu

Sibiu County exists because German settlers built the wealthiest of Transylvania's seven citadels. Saxon colonists arrived around 1147 during the Ostsiedlung, founding what became Hermannstadt - named either for Archbishop Hermann II of Cologne or Hermann of Nuremberg. By the High Middle Ages, Sibiu was Transylvanian Saxon culture's administrative heart and seat of the Saxon University until 1876. It served as Transylvania's capital from 1692-1791 and 1849-1865. Baron Samuel von Brukenthal built his palace (1778-1785) to house art collections; the Brukenthal Museum's galleries opened in 1790 - three years before the Louvre. The 2007 European Capital of Culture designation highlighted this heritage. Forbes ranked Sibiu "Europe's 8th most idyllic place to live" in 2014. The eyebrow dormers that give buildings "eyes" watching the streets earned the nickname "Town with Eyes." The Astra Ethnographic Museum in Dumbrava Forest is Europe's largest and world's second-largest open-air museum (250 acres). Nearby fortified villages (Biertan, Valea Viilor) are UNESCO World Heritage sites. Machine tools, textiles, leather, and food processing drive the economy. By 2026, cultural tourism will continue growing while manufacturing modernizes.