The story of the founding of Sibiu by the knight Hermann.

The Legends of Sibiu

You can't visit Sibiu without at least asking yourself what the story behind the founding of this beautiful Transylvanian city is. Three legends have circulated for hundreds of years, each telling its own version of Sibiu's foundation.

The First Two Legends

Two of the legends say that the story of Sibiu begins in the mid-12th century with a certain Hermann, who one legend claims was a shoemaker, while the other suggests he was actually a knight. In the place we know today as the Small Square and Huet Square, the knight or shoemaker Hermann built the city's first defensive enclosure.

The Third Legend

The third legend is even more beautiful and also speaks of a certain Hermann, this time certainly a shoemaker. It is said that the man asked the local chieftain for land to establish a market town. The chieftain, in order to refuse his request, told him that he would give him as much land as he could encircle with the leather from one of his boots. The shoemaker complied and cut the boot into very thin strips, managing to encircle a much larger area of land than anyone could have imagined.

Conclusion

Whatever the true version may be, over time the name of the area transformed into Hermann's city (*Hermannstadt*), one of the most beautiful cities in Transylvania.

Discover Transylvania! Book a trip here now!