Romania - Eastern Europe - page 529

of which is made of brick, plastered and painted throughout; 20th-century restoration
work has revealed frescoes that have been partially restored. The stone pulpit, prob-
ably carved by a Bra @ ovian named Ullricus, suggests a transition between Gothic and
Renaissance periods. Between 1572 and 1867, Biertan was the residence of Transylva-
nia's evangelical bishops, many of whose tombstones can be found inside the church.
Getting to Biertan is a bit of a chore by public transport; hire a taxi from Sighi @ oara
if you don't have your own vehicle, and expect to pay between 12

€
($15-$19) one-way. The church can be visited Tuesday through Saturday, 9am to
noon and 1 to 7pm, and on Sunday 9 to 11am and 2 to 7pm; there's usually a help-
ful guide inside the church who will show you around; be sure to ask about the
medieval lock mechanism of the vestry door. Biertan comes to life once a year in Sep-
tember when it plays host to a Saxon reunion drawing a festive crowd of Transylva-
nian-born Germans.
Biertan. www.biertan.com. Tues-Fri and Sun 9am-noon and 1-7pm; Sat 9am-noon and 1-4pm.
SIBIU
Sibiu is 274km (170 miles) NW of Bucharest
Sibiu is on the verge of being discovered: In 2007, it shares the “European City of Cul-
ture” title with Luxembourg. Undergoing a thorough big-budget makeover, its large
medieval squares and gorgeous buildings have been extensively rejuvenated with
repairs, fresh coats of paint, and a good spring-cleaning. An excellent example of the
(usually smaller) fortified Saxon towns that dot the Transylvanian landscape, Sibiu was
saved from destruction during the Communist era largely because Ceau @ escu's son,
Nicu, was the city's mayor. The medieval heart, surrounded by a sprawling city, is held
together by stone-walled fortifications and the remains of the 39 guild towers that
served as defensive watchtowers; within lie cobblestone streets, secret back-alleys,
crumbling stairways, and elegant monuments.
Built by the Saxons in the 12th century on the site of the Roman village of Cib-
inium, Sibiu is known to Germans as Hermannstadt and it remains home to Roma-
nia's largest German-speaking community, though now a meager 5,500. Originally
designed to a concentric circular plan, with four walls dividing the residential zones
according to class, this was Transylvania's ancient capital, with the Saxons ruling from
the center and Romanians occupying the outermost ring. While it's often thought of
as Romania's most welcoming and laid-back city, its worth remembering that it was
here, in the second half of the 19th century, that the Romanian nationalist movement
first stirred, agitating against Transylvania's Magyarization; today, vestiges of Astra (the
Transylvanian Association from Romanian Literature and Culture) can still be found,
particularly at the Folk Museum just outside the city.
ARRIVAL, ORIENTATION & GETTING AROUND
Ta r o m (Str. Nicolae B â lcescu 10; & 0269/21-1604; Mon-Fri 8am-6pm) flies from
Bucharest to Sibiu on Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday at 9:30pm. Both Tarom and
Carpatair ( & 0269/22-9161 ) have connections with German destinations, and
Carpatair flies to Timi @ oara. Extensive work on Sibu's railway station (Pia $ a 1
Decembrie) should have it in a user-friendly condition by 2007; it's about 650m
(2,132 ft.) from Pia $ a Mare, and is directly opposite the bus station. For years, the
problem has been finding connections to the city, but train access is likely to be much
improved as Sibiu is thrust into the European limelight. From the station, catch trol-
leybus no. 1 to get to the center, or use a taxi ( &

€

and 15

0269/44-4444 ). You can buy