Day 70 - Sept. 16: Hermannstadt / Sibiu: Diverse Church Life

Today I woke up early and had to start cycling early because I had a longer and not exactly easy route ahead of me. The destination for the day was Hermannstadt (German), Sibiu (Romanian). Hermannstadt used to be the center of the Transylvanian Saxons and is therefore a 'must' on my journey to Protestant churches in Romania. In 1920, about 70% of the city's residents were German.

On the way to Hermannstadt, I had about 75km ahead of me on the heavily trafficked E68 European road. The density of trucks was very high. Sometimes a few trucks passed by me very closely, creating critical air turbulence. However, the route led along the scenic northern side of the Fagaras Mountains. The problem was sometimes the passages through towns, because there was no shoulder where I could ride. The same was true for bridges, where I sometimes had to wait for a while just to be able to pass the bridge on the far right edge. By taking the country road, the distance would have been about 35km longer and I would have had to pass several mountains. Every 1.5 hours, I took a break to relax, because I had to fully concentrate in the dense traffic the whole time. Occasionally - when there were no cars passing by for a few seconds - I took a look at the peaks of the Fagaras Mountains, which were still covered in morning fog.

Before Hermannstadt, there was a hill of about 100 meters to overcome and I couldn't afford to stop in the dense traffic. After about five and a half hours, I arrived in Hermannstadt in the early afternoon and was glad to have completed this so far most difficult stretch and looked forward to the city, which was the European Capital of Culture in 2007.

In the tourist center, I quickly found the large and extensively renovated Protestant parish church. I got a guest room for two days from the parish office next door. I rested a bit and then bought a new spare tube at a bicycle shop to have a replacement in case of another flat tire. Afterwards, I visited the church and the touristy city center, because the planned conversation with Minister Dörr about the church life was scheduled before the evening service, which takes place every Friday.

After the major wave of emigration in the early 1990s, the Hermannstadt Protestant community remained the largest for many years. After a revision of the membership register, Hermannstadt is currently 'only' the second largest community in Transylvania - Brasov has slightly more members - but is served by two ministers. Additionally, there is a full-time cantor. The community has numerous active community groups.

For the children, there are children's services, as well as children's Bible days and recreational activities. The youth meet regularly in a separate building, organize summer camps, and even have a youth choir. There are also various women's, helpers', and senior citizens' groups.

Of course, there is a church service every Sunday. There is a midday prayer in the city church three times a week and the Compline prayer service every Friday, which I was able to attend. Additionally, between 5 and 10 visitors regularly come.

Before the Compline prayer, I met with the minister and we talked about the community activities. He particularly emphasized the street children's house for socially disadvantaged families and the unique accommodation for traveling craftsmen, which the church community has been running for over 25 years. In the diaconal area, there is also a 'poor pharmacy' supported from Germany. For senior citizens, there is a 'meal on wheels' service, a group for the blind, and a diaconal farm.

In the musical field, there is the Bach community choir, early musical education, and regular organ concerts take place in the summer. During my visit, I was able to attend an organ concert, which attracted about 50 listeners. The cultural and tourism work of the church community is closely linked to this. For example, the community has regained the well-known Brukenthal Museum, which was nationalized during communist rule. Additionally, the community is actively involved in local environmental projects.

Overall, I was impressed by the richness of the attractive church life in Hermannstadt, especially considering the strong diaspora situation. A well-made German-language homepage rounds out the positive picture.

After the Compline prayer, I wrote a bit more on my blog and planned the onward journey to Wallachia, in southern Romania. In bed, I was grateful for God's protection and preservation on my so far most dangerous stage of the day.