BRUKENTHAL PALACE AND MUSEUM

It took ten years (1778-1788) to build this palace, now considered one of the finest museums in Eastern Europe. In addition to its rich collections, the palace itself is well worth a visit. This Baroque masterpiece, the city's landmark, was designed by Baron Samuel von Brukenthal, Governor of Transylvania from 1777 to 1787, and a favorite of Empress Maria Theresa. Brukenthal, who was also a great art lover, asked in his will that the palace and his personal collections be made accessible to the public after his death. Opened in 1817, the museum is renowned throughout Europe for the richness and diversity of its collections, including the 1,090 paintings that belonged to the baron. These include 450 works by the Flemish school (Rubens, Van Dyck...), 500 German paintings illustrating the transition between the Gothic and Baroque styles, as well as works by Italian painters of various currents. Not to mention works by Romanian artists, Transylvanian drawings and engravings from the ^17th to ^19th centuries, and exceptional silverware.

The Baron's library has also been preserved, supplemented by the collection of Sibiu's medieval libraries. It contains 280,000 volumes, including a collection of incunabula (works printed before 1500) and the Brukenthal Breviary, written on parchment with superb miniatures by Flemish painters of the ^15th and ^16th centuries. It is no longer open to the public and is reserved for students.