Photo credit (c): SIMION MECHNO / AGERPRES ARCHIVES

‘Sibiu is today a city that impresses through its young spirit, through the fact that this community managed to raise from the level of a medium-sized city in the province in the year 2000 to the level of a European Capital of Culture in 2007 and today to the level of a city the visibility of which has long exceeded Romania’s and even Europe’s borders, both as a tourist destination and as economic location and cultural city. Sibiu has had this young spirit since 1191, when the city was first mentioned in an official document. Sibiu has been a city of firsts ever since. The first hospital, the first library, the first pharmacy and the first school in Romania opened here. The first multistage rocket of the world was first described in writing here. The first museum of Romania and South-Eastern Europe opened in Sibiu and the first zoo of Romania was also set up here. Sibiu continued this path along its history so it became the first city of Romania being granted the status of European Capital of Culture,’ Mayor Klaus Iohannis told AGERPRES.

He is certain that ‘Sibiu will continue on this path thanks to its dynamic and young spirit.’

The history of national firsts of Sibiu began in 1292, when the first hospital on Romanian territory was established here, still standing today as the Home for Elders. In ‘The Chronicle of Sibiu City,’ Emil Sigerus wrote that the Crusader brothers of the Order of the Holy Spirit in 1292 received from the community a house where they established the first Romanian hospital ever.

The first library of Romania was also opened in Sibiu, in 1300, back then known by the German name of ‘Hermannstadt.’ The building was demolished between 1987 and 1988, at the same time with the Franciscan monastery. At present, the inhabitants of Sibiu can boast about one of the most modern and valuable libraries of Romania, ASTRA County Library, which belongs to ASTRA Association, where the first Romanian encyclopedia can be found. ASTRA County Library has two buildings, an old one and a new one. The new one is the most modern of Romania, after the one of the National Library of Bucharest, according to the Sibiu County Council President Ioan Banciu.

Photo credit (c): ROMULUS BRUMA / AGERPRES ARCHIVES

In 1380, the first Romanian school was established in Sibiu, the Brukenthal National College today, one of the best colleges with German language teaching in Romania.

Photo credit (c): CRISTIAN NISTOR /AGERPRES ARCHIVES

In 14th century Sibiu, the first archives in the Romanian space come into view, which were moved with the town hall until the building of the current headquarters of Schiller Square.

The year 1481 marks another national first in Sibiu: the first code of urban laws on Romanian territory, Codex Altemberger, written by Mayor Thomas Altemberger.

Most likely, the first pharmacy of Romania was established in 1494, according to historians, the one existing on the spot of the Tower of the Roman-Catholic Church in the city’s historic centre, and in 1529 the first book with Latin alphabet is printed in Sibiu, ‘The Latin Grammar,’ by Thomas Gemmarius.

The 16th century marks two other firsts in Sibiu: the first school manual and the first scientific book printed on Romanian territory, ‘Treaty on Curing Plague,’ printed by Sebastian Pauschner. In 1544, Filip Moldoveanu managed to issue the first printing in Romanian language recorded in Romania’s history, called ‘The Lutheran Catechism.’

In 1551, Konrad Haas invented the rocket.

In 1544, the first hotel of Romania was established in Sibiu, today’s ‘Imparatul Romanilor’ (The Romans’ Emperor). Subsequently, Sibiu managed the absolute record of tourists, in 2007, the year of its being European Capital of Culture, when it reached one million tourists.

Photo credit (c): CRISTIAN NISTOR /AGERPRES ARCHIVES

In the 18th century, the first newspaper of Romania was published in Sibiu, by Martin Hochmeister. The same Martin Hochmeister opened the first library of Romania in the same century. The term of ‘Romania’ is mentioned as a scientific term for the first time by historian Martin Felmer also in the 18th century.

After the first beer plant opens in Sibiu in 1715 and the first beer brand comes into view, (unfortunately, the plant is currently closed down and put up for sale), in 1782 Franz Joseph Muller discovered tellurium here, in his laboratory on nowadays Mitropoliei Street.

1788 is the year that significantly marked the history of Sibiu and of the entire country: the first theatre of Romania, the current Thalia Hall, was established in Sibiu, built by Hochmeister.

Photo credit (c): ISABELA PAULESCU / AGERPRES ARCHIVES

A pedestrian road is then paved in the Big Square in the city’s historic centre, up to the theatre. After many years, the theatre of Sibiu, which now functions in a different building, manages, through its Director, Constantin Chiriac, to organise the biggest festival of performing arts of Romania, and the third in Europe, the International Theatre Festival of Sibiu. Had it not been for this festival, Sibiu wouldn’t have become the first Romanian city European Capital of Culture in 2007. Moreover, after 2007, Constantin Chiriac has been the first Romanian present in the Commission of the European Union deciding the future European Capitals of Culture. This year, for the first time, the members of the Committee for Culture, Arts and Mass Media of the Deputies’ Chamber held a meeting in Sibiu, where they adopted a Resolution on supporting the cultural act in Romania.

‘In 2007 Romania had the unique chance of joining the European Union and of providing the European Capital of Culture the same year. In 2021, Romania has again the opportunity of hosting one of the two European Capitals of Culture. The powerful cultural identity of Sibiu, its outstanding architectural heritage, as well as the fertile intercultural dialogue the city has been hosting for centuries are well-known. Our Committee acknowledges the example Sibiu can be for the future Romania cities running for the title of European Capital of Culture in 2021,’ the Resolution shows.

Photo credit (c): PAUL BUCIUTA / AGERPRES ARCHIVES

The theatre of Sibiu established the first arts market of Romania and, most important, it produced premiere after premiere over the past years.

Martin Hochmeister’s name is also connected with another first recorded in 1790, when the first Romanian magazine was put in print in Sibiu.

Baron Samuel von Brukenthal in his turn significantly marked Sibiu’s cultural destiny. Therefore, the first public museum on Romanian territory is established in 1817, the third in Europe, currently Brukenthal National Museum, in the space of the Palace of the city centre. Brukenthal Museum was opened in a year when the main issue in the city was famine. A canteen for the needy was then opened, supported with money and food from the citizens.

Photo credit (c): ISABELA PAULESCU / AGERPRES ARCHIVES

Michael Bielz makes the first lithography of Romania in Sibiu, in 1822, and Ion Heliade Radulescu’s first grammar treaty, ‘Gramatica Romaneasca’ (The Romanian Grammar) is published in Sibiu in 1828.

Emperor Franz Joseph I pays a visit to Sibiu in 1852, the year when the first neuropsychiatry hospital of Romania opens, the second in Eastern Europe.

The 19th century brought to Sibiu the first printed Romanian language dictionary, but, at the same time, it recorded the first electrical plant of Romania, founded by Carl Wolff.

The first meteorological station of Romania was built in 1845 in Sibiu and in 1859 Podul Minciunilor (the Bridge of Lies) was inaugurated, the first cast iron bridge of Romania and the second in Europe.

Photo credit (c): CRISTIAN NISTOR / AGERPRES ARCHIVES

The first Romanian party, the National Romanian Party, was established in 1870, in Sibiu.

This year, Sibiu also marks a first in Romanian politics. For the first time, a German ethnic, National Liberal Party Chairman, announced his candidacy to Romania’s Presidency, in the person of Mayor Klaus Iohannis.

The first Romanian bank, Albina Bank, was established in Sibiu in 1872, and two years later, in 1874, Andreas Rieger establishes the first machinery plant. In 2014, Sibiu boasts one thousand new jobs in the Western Industrial Area, in the auto industry.

When asked by the AGERPRES correspondent if he agreed with Die Welt publication’s German journalists’ statement who said in January that ‘the future of German automobiles is in Romania,’ referring to the auto parts production of Sibiu in particular, Klaus Iohannis said that the trend was practically initiated by Sibiu.

‘In some way, we initiated this trend, in this area of Transylvania, and it was strongly encouraged. It coincided with the stage in which companies in the auto area of Germany looked for areas in the east for new production facilities and things fell into place very well for Sibiu. Indeed, a significant part of the automotive parts production for the German brands comes from Sibiu and its surrounding areas,’ Mayor Iohannis pointed out in the beginning of the year.

If we talk about the passion for speed, Sibiu hosts the most difficult hard enduro rally worldwide, Red Bull Romaniacs, where the best motorcyclists in the world compete.

Photo credit (c): ROMULUS BRUAM / AGERPRES STREAM

The first encyclopaedia of Romanians, the fourth worldwide, is printed in Sibiu in 1904, under the coordination of Cornel Diaconovici.

Sibiu made history in one of the traditional sports of Romania, also. The first handball team is established in Sibiu in 1921 and the first international handball match takes place with the support of Wilhelm Binder.

In 1929, in Dumbrava Forest at the outskirts of the city of Sibiu opens the oldest zoological garden of Romania.

Photo credit (c): ISABELA PAULESCU / AGERPRES ARCHIVES

The year 2007 is the strongest in the memory of the inhabitants of Sibiu, as the year when it was European Capital of Culture and when it hosted the Great Ecumenical Assembly, the first of the kind held in Romania. 2007 did not only mean culture and ecumenism for the inhabitants of Sibiu, but it was the beginning of a well-known success in international tourism.

In spite of the global economic crisis over the past few years, Sibiu manages to maintain an increase in the number of tourists, 60 per cent of them being German-speaking Europeans, due to a by-the-book promotion in the great international tourism fairs.

In figures, Sibiu in 2013 recorded a number of 79 cultural projects, hundreds of events, tourism from March through December, over 6 million lei invested by the City Hall run by Klaus Iohannis in culture alone, plus 62 kilometres of cycle lanes, which significantly contributed to modernising this medieval city of Transilvanya, Sibiu (Hermannstadt), which recommends itself as being ‘young since 1191.’

Sibiu is the only city of Romania which received three stars, the maximum score, in the Michelin Guide, the most prestigious worldwide tourist guide. In May this year, Sibiu was declared best tourist destination of the year in Romania. The Huffington Post US information website in May released a chart of most fascinating cities in Europe, with Sibiu having been nominated among these.

‘We must wonder why Sibiu was the place where all these things happened and not only in a certain period, but over the entire historic existence of the city and of the Romanian space nowadays. I believe Sibiu was, has been and is a melting pot that gathers the prospects for achieving these firsts, be it the openness of the city to novelty or the permanent circulation of people and ideas. Bearing these firsts in mind, Sibiu can be seen as one of Romania’s fundamental cities, namely as one of those cities that laid the foundations of the Romanian society and culture,’ Sibiu County Directorate for Culture Director, historian Razvan Pop, told AGERPRES. AGERPRES