Capital of Culture

Sibiu. 2007's European Capital of Culture. My new favorite city in Romania.

My original plans to spend Easter here in Arad were changed when I was invited to go to Sibiu and Sighisoara for the weekend two of the oldest cities in Transylvania, that were able to maintain their old world european charm and did not fall victim to communism's hammer of destruction.

Driving back up in to the mountains we passed by the fortified churches and towns. Learned that Romania has a king and queen, they live in a small town about an hour from Sibiu and he has some political influence though he is mostly a cultural overseer and mayor of his area.

Sibiu or Hermannstadt(as the Germans who founded the city call it) was named 2007s European Capital of Culture for a very good reason. It looks nothing like the other cities in Romania, and has the "feel" of a city that has been in existence for centuries. Historical placards are on virtually every other building in the old part of town and there is so much history to breathe in it almost takes your breath away (and not just because of the altitude).

Sibiu is also where the son of Dracula is buried. He is the only Romanian buried in the German church. The story goes that he came to the church asking for sanctuary and protection from his enemies, and the priests way of doing that was to kill him and bury. He has the simplest sarcophagus on the wall, only a cross decorates among the elaborate and intricate covers of the other rich and influential German people. Unfortunately they didn't allow pictures inside the church so I can't show you.

Whilst sightseeing and obviously looking at buildings and artworks rather than looking at where I was going, Claudina and I had quite a little tumble that her husband naturally felt the need to capture on film. (Little did I know at the time that I'd be on pain killers the rest of the week as a result of my own clumsiness)

At midnight on the night before Easter, in the Orthodox tradition, the people gather outside to recieve the light of Christ and pass it on to others in the form of little candles. It was gorgeous and quite a sight to see, I look forward to next years service since I know what to expect now. Since we were first time visitors to the church we were allowed to make three wishes after having our candles lit. The giver says "Hristos a inviat" (Christ has risen) and you must respond "Adevarat a inviat" (Its true he has risen) and this greeting is repeated for the rest of April. Outside the church is a small room with two tables filled with burning candles. One table is for the living and one table is to honor the dead, and their lights will burn all night long. Again you are allowed one wish here.

Moving on up to Sighisoara the next morning we got to see the birthplace of Vlad Tepes more commonly known as Dracula. Delia says that while his more sadistic personality traits may be the source for Bram Stokers character, the real man was in no way soft on crime. To the extent that you could leave a pile of gold in the middle of the square and two weeks later pick every piece back up and take it home. He is in that way a national hero for having no crime rate during his reign.

The city is also known for its series of towers that protected the city, and each one was manned by a different trade guild. This is another German city and the cemetery is actually tiered into nationalities, Germans at the top, then Romanians, Hungarians, and finally Gypsies at the bottom. I'm kinda a weirdo that I like cemeteries but I feel its justified because they are all ivy covered with fancy headstones and flowers arrangements.