Largest post-1989 Saxon meeting takes place in Romania

Some 12,000 representatives of Saxon communities in Romania, Germany, Austria and the United States are expected to attend a meeting in Sibiu, between August 4 and August 6, Martin Bottesch, the president of the Democrat Forum of Germans in Romania (FDGR), said. President Klaus Iohannis, who was born into a Transylvanian Saxon family, will attend the meeting as well and deliver a speech there, News.ro reported. Iohannis was the mayor of Sibiu between 2000 and 2014. The meeting is expected to be the largest Saxon reunion post 1989, the organizers said. Ambassadors, MPs representing the participating countries, politicians and other personalities will also attend. “We initially estimated some 10,000 participants but, judging from the signals we are receiving from Germany there will be around 12,000 participants. It will be the largest meeting of Saxons in Romania since the 1989 revolution, with ten times more participants than at previous editions. Such an event takes place yearly in Germany, and 20,000 people attend,” Bottesch explained. Various events are included in the program, including exhibitions, book launches, concerts, and a traditional dress parade. A Saxon population of around a quarter of a million was living in Transylvania in 1990. Today, they are less than 15,000. One of their most significant cultural legacies are the fortified churches in Transylvania, many of which are included in the UNESCO heritage list. Several such churches will be restored with the help of the Prince of Wales Romania foundation. Which is the most visited Saxon church in Romania? editor@romania-insider.com