The Sibiu People Monthly State of the City, February 2007

The Fastest Growing Branch

Nothing has grown faster in Sibiu during these last months than the number and the quality of cafés. Driven by the anticipation of the sudden growth of tourism incomes that the Cultural Capital is expected to bring about, countless cafés (as well as pubs and restaurants) have sprung to life all over the Old City.

Some of these places have the rare charm of real pre-corporate cafés, where the owners are themselves employees and truly live and work among their customers. One such place is the Erasmus Book Café, where you can get books, coffee, jazz music and sunshine: 

A similar place is the Cocoon Café, located at the corner of a secret street called Sofocle: 

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The narrow competition for the customers' attention has naturally led the cafés to unusual efforts. It is invigorating to notice that these efforts consist to a large degree in cultural performances, and that the people of Sibiu are receptive to such offers. A new cultural scene is hence thriving in some of the newer - and older - cafés. Café del Sol and Atrium Café feature weekly café theatre shows:

The Imperium Pub is host to frequent jazz concerts: 

The Art Café continues its decade-long tradition of playing host to art exhibitions:

While many of the Sibiu cafés enrich the city's social and cultural life beyond expectation, some of them seem to exist with a single goal in mind: profit! They apparently try to play no role in our lives at all except for standing in the way of foreign tourists and getting them to dispense of their pennies:

In a stunning display of reckless capitalism, a new restaurant has somehow managed to take control not only of the former city Art Gallery's halls, but also of the name itself:

The Impenetrable Gate

The Sibiu Railway Station is an impenetrable gate. The most important tourist entry point to the city is blocked by two building sites. One of them is run by the City, which is struggling to renovate the Railway Plaza (Piaţa Gării) and the surrounding streets. The other building site is run by the CFR (Romanian Railway Society), and it's supposed to consist in the renovation of the railway station proper, although signs thereof are at the present time scarce.

After their infrastructure has been completely rebuilt, with the help of a European loan, the surroundings of the Railway Station are currently being polished to fit the new personality of the Old City. Sidewalks and, partially, roads are paved in Old City style:

A lighting system matching the Old City's theme is being implemented:

While the City seems to be getting along fine with its plans, the CFR's railway station is horribly behind schedule. It takes a very optimistic mindset in order to expect the whole project to be implemented by the midst of spring, considering that no work at all is being done at this point, although there is obvious need for it:

If the Railway Station is not ready in time, this will deal a staggering blow to the tourist influx. The CFR is reported by the local Hermannstädter Zeitung to be utterly unwilling to explain why this is happening. There is much room for speculation and none for certainty.

Regardless of when the two building sites will reach their targets, the area will still pose considerable urbanistic problems. Although it will be far from the urban wilderness of a couple of years ago, it will continue to be marred by two aesthetical plagues: the nearby bus station, unwisely painted in very visible colors, and a noisy and patchy temple of contemporary capitalist culture:

Hotels for the Countless Rich

Sibian businesspeople seem to entertain a deeply seated, irrational belief in the existence of uncountable masses of rich people, most of whom are said to be planning to invade Sibiu during next summer, driven by the insatiable thirst to squander their fortunes and indulge in mystical contemplation of - of us. The number of prospective tourists is estimated to anything from 500 000 to 1 500 000, and since they are all assumed to come from filthy rich Western Europe, all efforts of hotel owners currently focus on providing shelter and opportunities for vice and debauchery to the sons and daughters of the Occident.

While there is indeed some truth in the assumption that cultural tourists might spend more than standard tourists, Sibian hotels relentlessly pursue their obsession of exclusively targeting the upper-middle and upper classes, as if the rest of the people didn't even exist. All new hotels are three or four-star, and older hotels are renovated in order to gain one or even two stars - and few if any supplemental charms.

As if the city of Sibiu hadn't been disfigured enough by the Stalinistic-Utilitarian architects of the past, their Corporatistic-Consumerist heirs of today happily continue the struggle against beauty, harmony and proportion. Scarcity of artistic vision and abundance of megalomaniac delusion conspire to breed a generation of monsters what will mark the city's face for decades:

Finally, the blissful ignorance as to the existence of less-than-rich people in Europe comes to particularly vivid expression through the counter-targeting of young tourists: the whole city of Sibiu is host to only one (1) youth hostel! European young people are apparently expected to be able and willing to spend hundreds of euros on accommodation alone. - Well, but then at least some people are still in their right minds: the Culture Ministry and the Defense Ministry of Romania have partnered to provide affordable accommodation to students and pupils at military facilities located very close to downtown Sibiu. 

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For better or worse, everything is changing these days in Sibiu. We are truly witnessing history. And driving this process towards a happy ending is only a matter of good will.