Large Square of Sibiu

<p>Sibiu's Large Square is the heart of this Saxon city — one of the best-preserved medieval squares in southeastern Europe. The current outline dates from the 14th-15th centuries; the oldest buildings from the 15th. Sibiu (Hermannstadt) was the capital of the Transylvanian Saxons, an imperial free city, a center of trade and craft guilds. You feel all of that here.</p><p>Above, on the patinated green-tile rooftops, are the famous "eyes of Sibiu" — the attic windows that look like half-open eyes. They're ventilation, but they seem to watch. What to see: the Roman Catholic Cathedral, Haller House, the Brukenthal Palace (housing Romania's oldest art museum, founded 1817), the Council Tower, the Liars' Bridge.</p><p>Tip: it's a pedestrian zone, walk slowly. Get lost in the alleys behind the square — each hides something (a ceramic workshop, an old confectioner, an inner courtyard). Combine with Small Square (next door), Huet Square (Evangelical Cathedral), and the Stairs Passage (down to the lower town).</p><p>Sibiu is known for festivals — the Sibiu International Theatre Festival (June, the world's third-largest), Astra Film Festival (October). And if you drive Sibiu-Bâlea on the Transfăgărășan, you have one of the world's most beautiful roads.</p>