New York Times: The modern-day Christmas market in Sibiu has added sparkle to this ancient city

The New York Times has dedicated a feature article to the Transylvanian city of Sibiu and its beautiful Christmas market.

“While Germany’s Christmas markets are a favorite among travelers, a little-known market in Transylvania has added sparkle to an ancient city with a German-speaking community,” starts the article signed by Palko Karasz.

There are 110 wooden cottages at the Christmas market in Sibiu this year, where the visitors can find “all the traditional ingredients of a German Christmas market with local additions.” There are toys and decorations but also cakes and other goodies such as cheese from nearby farms and traditional charcuterie.

But the story looks not only at the Christmas market and its attractions – the tall spruce, the ice rink, children’s attractions, toys and sweets, but also at Sibiu’s history. The writer notes that Sibiu, the medieval old town “where a small German-speaking community has made its mark since the Middle Ages,” was reborn in 2007 when it held the European Capital of Culture Title. The number of visitors has been increasing in the city since then, and Sibiu started to develop as a winter destination as well.

“The old town of Sibiu, known to Saxons as “Hermannstadt,” has the look and feel of a German town. Visitors may be surprised to encounter fluent German-speakers in shops, restaurants and museums. Saxons are prominent in the city’s leadership, including one notable example, Klaus Iohannis, who was the city’s mayor for 14 years before his election as Romania’s president,” reads the article.

The travel story also looks at what visitors can do or see in the beautiful medieval town of Sibiu. The full New York Times article is available here.

(Photo source: Pixabay.com)