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Located upon a Neolithic settlement and on the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Cedonia, the town was mentioned in the documents as far back as the 12th century, under the name of Cibinium. The German colonists called it Hermannstadt and the Romanians called it Sibiu - a name reminding of the original "Cibinium". In 1241, it had been plundered by the Tatars. The thread for such destroying events forced the citizens of Sibiu to fortify their town. So, the 13th - 16th century writings attest it as the most important and powerful citadel of Transylvania, surrounded by strong walls and abutments, including 5 bastions and 39 towers. The capital of southern Transylvania, Sibiu was the most important of the seven cities established by the German colonists. Perhaps because of its central location, Sibiu has long distinguished itself as an economic, cultural and educational center in Romania.

Today Sibiu remains a town of monuments and beautifully ornate houses with one of the largest and best preserved medieval areas in Europe.

The Brukenthal Palace was built by Samuel Brukenthal, governor of Transylvania, in baroque style between 1777 and 1787. He gathered here a vast collection of paintings, antiques, coins and rare books. The palace hosts the Brukenthal Museum which includes the Art Gallery and the Exhibition of Etnography and Folk Arts. The Art Gallery was opened for the public in 1817, with 1090 paintings from the collection of Samuel Brukenthal.

Today the Art Gallery, which is one of the richest in Europe, contains a number of 450 paintings belongings to the Flemish and Dutch schools, about 500 paintings representing the German and Austrian schools, and 200 Italian paintings in different styles starting with Renaissance. The Romanian collection contains 1500 pieces, mostly signed by academic painters whose names are part of the national heritage. The entire collection reaches the imposing number of 10000 pieces. Brukenthal's own collection, displayed on the second floor, comprises European paintings from the 15th - 16th centuries.

Located in a historic building used to be the Old Town Hall for 450 years, the Museum of History owns a rich collection counting 250,000 exhibits from various fields: medieval, numismatics, sigillography, medals, antique and medieval lapidariums. It includes as well a medieval weapon exhibition. The building was built in the 16th century in renaissance and gothic style.

Built between 1963 and 1969 and opened for the public in 1967, the Museum of Folk Technology offers an elaborate demonstration of pre-industrial folk technology and development in Romania. Located in the middle of a magnificent landscape, with cool forests and sunny glades surrounding a 6 ha lake it is the most attractive open-air museum in the country. Spread on a huge area of 96 hectares crossed by 10 km of trails. Divided in 6 sections it includes 340 buildings, including watermills and windmills, gigantic wine, fruit and oil presses, fueling mills, forges and 16000 inventory values, structures representing architectural styles from many parts of Romania.

There is a wonderful collection of wooden farmhouses, a 'cherhana' (a traditional collecting and storage point for fish) and sheep folds, as well as a wooden church. It has a café and a traditional inn than can be hired for parties.

Another famous touristic objectives are: the Stairs Tower built in the 12th century, the Tower next to the former Town Hall, The Carpenter's Tower, the Large Square and the Small Square.

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