Romania - Eastern Europe - page 533

Pia$a Mare 4-5. & 0269/21-7691. www.brukenthalmuseum.ro. Summer Tues-Sun 9am-5pm; winter Tues-Sun
10am-4pm. Adults L6 ($2.15/£1.15), seniors and students L3 ($1.10/60p).
Evangelical Cathedral Work on this late-Gothic church began in 1320, and
continued for 200 years. Gray-stone walls with curved vaulting form the interior stark;
at the back of the church, the 6,000-pipe organ is the biggest in the country. The
north wall of the nave is studded with stone epitaphs, including that of Prince Mih-
nea the Bad (Vod â cel R â u), the son of Vlad the Impaler, who was assassinated on the
church square in 1510 just after attending a service here. Also don't miss the fantastic
9m (30-ft.) fresco in the choir; known as the “Rosenauer Painting,” it is a superb cru-
cifixion scene rendered in 1445; above this, note the Hungarian royal insignia featur-
ing a lion and Bohemian vulture; below the fresco are the first Christian Hungarian
kings (Ludovic with an ax and Stephen with scepter). Rising to a height of 73m (239
ft.), the bell tower was built as part of the city's defense system when a pair of guards
would keep watch and use flags to signal the arrival of enemy armies. You can join a
tower tour, offered by a Kultours guide who'll be hanging around the entrance (in
summer, daily 9am-7pm; L3/$1.10/60p), climbing a steep 192 steps to get to the top,
but it's worth it for the views.
Pia$a Huet. Open daily, summer 10am-6pm; winter 11am-4pm. Organ concerts on Wed evenings June-Sept.
Orthodox Church Marked by a pair of entrance towers, Romania's second-
largest Orthodox church was built between 1902 and 1906; its sandy yellow and
ocher-colored brickwork apparently a miniature copy of the cathedral of St. Sophia in
Istanbul. The huge carved door bears a German symbol, while inside, incense wafts
through a majestic space hung with fantastic chandeliers and glorious frescoes cover
almost every inch.
Str. Mitropoliei 35. Daily 6am-8pm.
Astra Museum of Traditional Folk Civilization Rent a bicycle from Kultours
and get directions for the 5km (3-mile) ride to this pleasant and fairly well-organized
outdoor exhibition that doubles as sociopolitical demonstration. It's all about hanging
on to traditional heritage, with the emphasis on village homesteads as well as folk pas-
times. And it's decidedly pro-Romanian.
Calea Râ@inarilor 14. & 0269/24-2599. 2 € ($2.50) adults; 1 € ($1.25) children. June-Sept Tues-Sun 10am-6pm;
Oct-May Tues-Sun 9am-4pm.
SIBIU AFTER DARK
Most fun for idling at a terrace cafe is probably Pia $ a Mic â , and there are always
watchable people trundling between Pia $ a Mare and Lower Town. With its warren of
nooks and crannies, Kulturcafe (Pia $ a Mic â 16; & 0788-154-475; daily 9am-
3am) is an atmospheric cellar-style venue in the basement of Casa Luxemburg; exhi-
bitions of photographs or installation art often set the mood, while the music ranges
from jazz or blues to retro and experimental electronica. German beer is served along
with tequilas, cocktails, and “absolutely anything.” In summer, there's a terrace out on
Pia $ a Mic â . Art Café (Str Filarmonicii 2; & 0722-265-992; daily 11am-midnight)
is inside the building of the philharmonic; graffiti and musical instruments decorate
the walls that embrace a bohemian bonhomie well into the night. The Philharmonic
( & 0269/21-0264 ) itself has been going since 1949, and lends the city of Sibiu a cul-
turally glamorous air.