Seminarul Teologic Ortodox “Sfantul Ioan Iacob” Dorohoi

Sibiu 2007European Capital of Culture

Candidate: Burlacu Alexandra Brînduşa

Coordonating Teacher: Chicoş Elena

Dorohoi, May 2015

WRITTEN PAPER FOR ACQUIRING A CERTIFICATE IN ENGLISH

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Table of Contents

I. Argument ………………………………………………………………………..3

II. Introduction……………………………………………………………………...4

III. Sibiu before an European Capital of Culture

1. General information……………………………………………………………...5

2. History…………………………………………………………………………...6

IV. European Capital of Culture……………………………………………………..7

V. Sibiu as a European Capital of Culture…………………………………………..8

VI. Tourist attractions………………………………………………………………..9

1. Brukenthal Museum……………………………………………………………..10

2. The Lower Town………………………………………………………………..11

3. Grand Square……………………………………………………………………12

VII. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………..13

Bibliography

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Argument

To my mind, Sibiu as the European Capital of Culture is the most important project in

Romania. This was a very disputed subject from 2002, when we were announced that Sibiu

would candidate as the European Capital of Culture, till 2009 when it had been written a big

variety of books that put light on Sibiu and Luxembourg, the two European Capitals of Culture

in 2007.

I have chosen this subject because I love the towns with West-European influences, as Sibiu or

Brasov, and I would like to deepen my knowledge about them. I have thought that this would be

an interesting subject to talk about and a good opportunity to learn about Sibiu`s history and

tourists attractions and its way to the title of European Capital of Culture.

The paper is structured on four main chapters:

- In the first chapter is about Sibiu`s general information and history; it wants to present the

city as it was after being a cultural capital

- The second chapter summarily presents the European Capital of Culture`s Organization, its

history and what is it based on

- In the third chapter I had presented Sibiu as a European Capital of Culture and its way till

here

- The fourth chapter – I had considered it necessarily to exhibit some of the most important

Sibiu`s tourists attraction, such as Brukenthal Museum, The Lower Town and The Grand

Square

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Introduction

Romania was put in the spotlight and helped to change the image of the country as a whole.

Also, the image of Sibiu can be a potential catalyst in Romania. Nobody talks about Sibiu

without mentioning the country to which it belongs. What has followed in this project was to

improve national and especially international image of Sibiu, attracting visitors, improve social

links.

As the time goes by and the travels grow, the approaches of the tourism phenomenon have

become more umpteen. The definition of the tourism has been fortified, trying to reflect as

accurately as possible the difficulty of this activity.

Socially, the tourism brings a substantial contribution at raising the level of people`s education,

culture and civilization. By boosting the exchange of values, the tourism abets the enrichment of

the cultural horizon for both tourists and natives.

Due to the fact that this was the first European Cultural Capital from our country, Sibiu as a

European Capital of Culture was a much talked subject and its mayor gave his all attention to

bring the city at the level of its given title.

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Sibiu before European Capital of Culture

General information

Sibiu (Hermannstadt)  is a city in Transylvania, Romania, with a population of 147,245. Located

some 215 km north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the

river Olt. Now the capital of Sibiu County, between 1692 and 1791 and 1849-1865 Sibiu was the

capital of the Principality of Transylvania. Hermannstadt is located in the South of Transylvania,

on the northern slopes of the Carpathian Mountains (Fagaras, Lotru and Cibin ranges), 413

meters above sea level. The city, which is the capital of the County of Sibiu, enjoys a mild

climate.

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The first official record referring to the Sibiu area comes from 1191, when Pope Celestine

III confirmed the existence of the free prepositure of the German settlers in Transylvania, the

prepositure having its headquarters in Sibiu, named Cibinium at that time.

In the 14th century, it was already an important trade centre. In 1376, the craftsmen were divided

in 19 guilds. Sibiu became the most important ethnic German city among the seven cities that

gave Transylvania its German name Siebenbürgen (literally seven cities), and it was home to

the Universitas Saxorum, the assembly of Germans in Transylvania.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the city became the second and later the first most important

centre of Transylvanian Romanian ethnics. The first Romanian-owned bank had its headquarters

here (The Albina Bank), as did the Transylvanian Association for Romanian Literature and

Romanian's People Culture. After the Romanian Orthodox Church was granted status in

the Habsburg Empire from the 1860s onwards, Sibiu became the Metropolitan seat. Between

the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 and 1867, Sibiu was the meeting-place of the Transylvanian

Diet, which had taken its most representative form after the Empire agreed to extend voting

rights in the region.

After World War I,

when Austria-

Hungary was dissolved,

Sibiu became part of

Romania; the majority of

its population was still

ethnic German (until

1941) and counted a large

Romanian community, as

well as a smaller Hungarian one. Starting from the 1950s and until after 1990, most of the city's

ethnic Germans emigrated to Germany and Austria. Among the roughly 2,000 who have

remained is Klaus Johannis, the current President of Romania.

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European Capital of Culture

The European Capital of Culture is a city appointed by the European Union for a period of one

calendar year during which it organizes a series of cultural events with a strong European

dimension.

The European Capital of Culture schedule was initially called the European City of Culture and

was conceived in 1983, by Melina Mercouri, then serving as Greek Minister of Culture.

Mercouri believed that at the time, culture was not given the same attention as politics and

economics and a project for promoting European cultures within the member states should be

pursued. The European City of Culture plan was launched in the summer of 1985

with Athens being the first title-holder. During the German Presidency of 1999, the European

City of Culture programme was renamed the European Capital of Culture.

For anyone unfamiliar with the European Cultural Capital name, it is one of those unusual

bureaucratic honorifics for which Brussels is famous. Each year, the European Union Council of

Ministers chooses one or two cities to showcase its history as a way of parading Europe’s

cultural diversity. Challenge among the cities is cutting, and the Council appears not to have

favorites.

Judging from past nominees, the process is remarkably democratic. Not surprisingly, cultural

heavyweights like Florence (1986) and Paris (1989) have had their day in the sun. But so too

have less obvious choices like Glasgow (1990), Thessaloniki (1997) and Cork (2005). There

seems to be a conscious and admirable effort to balance out natural beauties like Krakow (2000)

with diamonds in the rough like Antwerp (1993).

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Besides Sibiu, in the same year - 2007, Luxembourg was also capital of culture. Sibiu was

appointed European Capital of Culture in 27 May 2004, when the European Union`s Council of

Ministers of Culture had met and voted. It was founded the Association “Sibiu – European

Capital of Culture 2007” in order to prepare the cultural programme and to schedule its events.

This became a priority plan for the Ministry of Culture. They started event’s organization and

promotion. This social insurance has national importance since February, 2006.

Sibiu as a European Capital of Culture

Being a cultural capital is obviously a much bigger deal for smaller cities like Sibiu. Curiously,

Brussels does not provide any extra funding to the winners, but at the same time, the mere

designation alone exerts a kind of “Olympic effect” on the hosts.

Cristian Radu is the one who coordinated Sibiu’s

ambitious cultural calendar in a town where people

are not traditionally accustomed to working

together to achieve common goals.

Mr. Radu quickly dispels any urban legends about

cultural capitals being a kind of gravy train for

bureaucrats and host cities. He says not only

Brussels does not provide any extra funding to help support the cultural program, but they do not

even lay down any guidelines for how to run a cultural capital.

Sibiu 2007 represents a once-in-a-generation inning for a Romanian city to host the European

Capital of Culture designation. Hermannstadt as European Capital of Culture in 2007 aspired at

opening gates through which the city’s rich cultural landscape and diverse life will meet that of

Europe. The Ministries of Culture from Luxembourg and Romania agreed in 2000 to cooperate

in the cultural field and the cooperation engagement was renewed in 2002 and 2004 and enriched

with the agreement of sharing the role of European Capital of Culture in 2007. This that the

partnership between Luxembourg and Sibiu has a profound basis not only in the history but also

in the present. The theme chosen by Sibiu - “City of Culture-City of Cultures” - matches very

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well the ones of Luxembourg – “Europe of the Future” and “Discovering Yourself – Discovering

others”.

Tourist attractions

Sibiu is comprehended as a city of art and culture. A great number of cultural monuments, a

diversity of museums, and various artistic and cultural events, make up the pillars of a complex

cultural profile. Using this simple premise, an attractive and stimulating atmosphere has been

created for residents and visitors who take the opportunity to experience cultural life in this

Transylvanian city.

Today, old Sibiu still possesses much of its erstwhile charm, a character carefully preserved for

posterity, and subject of several high-profile restoration projects.

It is also an easy city to explore on foot, one with a good selection of restaurants, pavement cafes

and beer gardens, but perhaps the most enduring memory is that of the loft windows overlooking

the squares in such a manner that they give the spooky impression that you are always being

followed.

Due to a recent study, Brukenthal Museum had more visitors after Sibiu was proclaimed cultural

capital than in 2007. So, in 2008 it had 71% more visitors than before, while in 2007 only 27%.

That can be considered a huge difference. Since 2007, it is clear that visitors to the city have

been visiting an even wider range of attractions. In particular, visits to the Lower Town and the

Fortifications have steadily increased, reflecting the investment in these areas.

Just as with the quality scores, it seems that most aspects of the visitor experience have improved

in recent years. In particular, visitors were more likely to agree that there were lots of interesting

things to see in 2009 than in 2007. The image of Sibiu has remained fairly positive since 2007.

The strength of its image as a city with history and culture and art has increased slightly, as has

its image as a European city.

It is obvious that the image of Sibiu for a wide range of elements is not as strong for foreign

visitors as Romanians, who are much more likely to have been to the city before. Foreign visitors

are less likely to see Sibiu as international or European, but on the other hand they are just as

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likely as Romanian visitors to see the city as a friendly, historic city of culture and art, which

shows the positive image impacts of the European Capital of Culture and other recent

investigations.

Brukenthal Museum

The Brukenthal National Museum (Romanian: Muzeul Naţional Brukenthal) is a museum,

erected in the late of 18th century in Sibiu, Transylvania, Romania, housed in the palace

of Samuel von Brukenthal — who was Habsburg governor of Transylvania and who established

its first collections around 1790. The collections were officially opened to the public in 1817,

making it the oldest institution of its kind in Romania.

It is a complex of six museums, which, without being separate administrative entities, are

situated in different locations around the city and have their own distinct cultural programmes.

The Art Galleries are located inside the Brukenthal Palace and include a number of about 1,200

works belonging to the main European schools of painting, from the 15th to the 18th

century: Flemish-Dutch, German and Austrian, Italian, Spanish and French Schools. The

Galleries also include collections of engravings, books, numismatics, and minerals.

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The Museum of History is part of a building which is considered to be the most important

ensemble of non-religious Gothic architecture in Transylvania. The museum initially focused its

activities on representing the historic characteristics of Sibiu and its surroundings, but in time it

has come to reflect the entire area of Southern Transylvania.

The collections of the museum comprise over 1 million exhibits (including mineralogy-

petrography, palaeontology, botany, entomology, malacology, the zoology of

the vertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, as well as ichthyology, ornithology, and the zoology

of mammals).

The lower town

The Lower Town comprises the area between

the river and the hill, and it developed around

the earliest fortifications. The streets are long

and quite wide for medieval city standards,

with small city squares at places. The

architecture is rather rustic: typically two-

storey houses with tall roofs and gates opening

passages to inner courts.

Most of the exterior fortifications were lost to industrial development and modern urban

planning in the mid-late 19th century; only four towers still exist. A building associated with

newer urbanism of the period is the Independența Highschool.

This area has the oldest church in the city, dating back to 1292.

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Grand Square

Grand Square - the largest

square of the city - has been

the center of the city since

the 15th century. 142 m long

and 93 m wide, it is one of

the largest ones in

Transylvania.

On the north side is

the Jesuit Church, along with

its dependencies, the former residence of the Jesuits in Sibiu. Also on the north side, at the

beginning of the 20th century an Art Nouveau building was constructed on the west part, now it

houses the mayor's office.

Next to the Jesuit Church on the north side is the Council

Tower, one of the city's symbols. This former fortification

tower from the 13th century has been successively rebuilt

over the years. The building nearby used to be the City

Council's meeting place; beneath it lies an access way

between the Grand Square and the Lesser Square.

On the south and east sides are two- or three-storey houses, having tall attics with small windows

known as the city's eyes. Most of these houses are dated 15th to 19th centuries, and most of them

are Renaissance or Baroque in style.

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Conclusion

From my point of view, this programme was a great chance offered Sibiu and Romania default to

show a new image, other than those known so far outside the borders. In the same time not be

omitted many economic and cultural benefits, and here I refer to funds raised in the development

of infrastructure, recovery objectives and increasing the sense of cultural belonging. It was the

best thing possible both for Sibiu and for Romania, as Sibiu has benefited not only from this plan

but especially what concerns our tourism. I am sure that through this programme the European

cultural, Romania has become more known.

To my mind, not only Sibiu had earned from this award, but the whole country. People who

came to visit Sibiu surely went also in Brasov, Cluj-Napoca, Bucharest or Constanta. Reading

visitors feedback, I came to the conclusion that “almost two thirds of respondents also made

visits to other cultural site around Sibiu”. [The Impact of the 2007 European Cultural Capital in

Sibiu: A long term perspective, p.26]

In conclusion, I may say that the European Capital of Culture in 2007 was the first time that

Sibiu had developed a clear cultural tourism product. Due to this study, I can say that I have

learnt new things not only about Sibiu, but about the entire Romania and Europe. I think that

every citizen should know at least general information about his country and its connection with

European Union.

It is said that in future are also about to receive the “European Capital of Culture” the cities as:

Iaşi, Timişoara or Bucureşti, Romanian`s capital. In my opinion, this would be a good thing

because it would increase the number of foreign tourists and it would make Romania to be

known all around the Europe, and not only because of “Castle of Dracula”.

Bibliography

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Richards G. : Cultural Capitals 2001: visitor research, ed. Atlas, pp.27-37

www.brukenthalmuseum.ro

The Impact of the 2007 European Cultural Capital in Sibiu: A long term perspective

http://centraleuropetraveler.com

http://wikipedia.org/

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