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Sibiu

Sibiu (, , Hermannstadt , Cibinium, Transylvanian Saxon: Härmeschtat or Hermestatt, Nagyszeben ) is a middle-sized, well-preserved fortified medieval town in central Romania, situated in the historical region of Transylvania (Transilvania, Siebenbürgen or Transsilvanien). Located some 275 km north-west of Bucharest, the town straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the Olt River. Now the county seat (oraș reședință de județ) of the Sibiu County, between 1692 and 1791 and 1849–65 Sibiu was the capital of the Principality of Transylvania (Principatul Transilvaniei, Großfürstentum Siebenbürgen). During the Modern era, the Hecht hause in Sibiu served as the seat of the Transylvanian Saxon University (Universitatea Săsească, Sächsische Nationsuniversität, Universitas Saxonum).

Nicknamed The Town with Eyes (given its historical buildings with partly open rooftops), the town is a well-known tourist destination for both domestic and foreign visitors. Known for its culture, history, gastronomy or local cuisine, and diverse architecture, which includes the iconic houses with eyes that gave Sibiu its nickname, the town has garnered significant attention since the beginning of the 21st century.

In 2004, its historical center began the process of becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Sibiu was subsequently designated the European Capital of Culture in 2007, a title which it shared that year along with Luxembourg City as well. One year later, it was ranked "Europe's 8th-most idyllic place to live" by Forbes. In 2019, Sibiu was named the European Region of Gastronomy. Sibiu hosted the European Wandering Capital event in 2021, the most important tourist wandering event in Europe. A European Union summit was also hosted by the town in 2019.

Sibiu is also known nationally and internationally for its very beautiful Christmas market. Renowned personalities include Transylvanian Saxon scientists Conrad Haas and Hermann Oberth, who were both pioneers of rocketry. The company Elrond, which created the eGold cryptocurrency (among the biggest in the world), was founded by people from Sibiu.

As of 2021 census, the city has a population of 134,309, making it the 15th-largest city in Romania. The proposed Sibiu metropolitan area has a population of 267,170. The town also administers the village of Păltiniș, a ski resort located 35 kilometres to the southwest.

Historically, especially during the High Middle Ages and Late Middle Ages, Sibiu had been one of the most important cultural and administrative centres of the Transylvanian Saxons (more specifically the most important). It is called Härmeschtat in their own local dialect which is very close to Luxembourgish from which it primarily descended a long time ago, during the Ostsiedlung.

Name
The name of the city derives from the Bulgar-Turkic name Sibin<Sebin<Säbin, meaning "rejoice". An archaic version of the Romanian name Sibiu is Sibiiu, while an obsolete folk name is Sâghii, formerly spelled Sîghii. Its Hungarian name is Nagyszeben ("Big/Greater Sibiu"), or colloquially, Szeben.

In German, it is called Hermannstadt ("Hermann's town"), while in the local Transylvanian Saxon dialect, it is known as Härmeschtat. In Yiddish, it is called סעבען Seben or הערמאנשטאט Hermanshtat.

A number of other languages also have their own variants of the city's name, like Czech Sibiň, Polish Sybin, Serbo-Croatian Sibinj, Old Bulgarian Sibin (Сибин) and the proposed Esperanto name Sibio.

History
The Roman fort of Cedonia was perhaps in the same location as Sibiu. The town was founded by Saxon (German) settlers brought there by King of Hungary and King of Croatia Géza II during the mid-late 12th century, as part of the Ostsiedlung. They came from territories of the Holy Roman Empire and Kingdom of France (nowadays parts of Germany, France and the Benelux countries) and arrived at around 1147. The first references to the area were Cibinium and Cipin from 1191 when Pope Celestine III confirmed the existence of the free prepositure of the Saxons in Transylvania, having its headquarters in Sibiu. The city also used the names Prepositus Cibiniensis (1192–1196) and Prepositus Scibiniensis (1211). In 1223, it was renamed to Villa Hermanni, either in honor of archbishop Hermann II of Cologne or after a man who is believed to have founded the city, Hermann of Nuremberg. The actual German name of Hermannstadt ("Hermann's city") dates from 1366, while an earlier form, Hermannsdorf ("Hermann's village") was recorded in 1321. An alternative urban legend has it that the town was named after a certain shoemaker by the name Hermann.

In the 14th century, it was already an important trade centre. In 1376, the craftsmen were divided in 19 guilds. Hermannstadt became the most important ethnic German city among the seven cities that gave Transylvania its German name Siebenbürgen (literally seven citadels). It was home to the Transylvanian Saxon University (Universitas Saxonum; i.e. Community of the Saxons), a network of pedagogues, ministers, intellectuals, city officials, and councilmen of the German community forging an ordered legal corpus and political system in Transylvania since the 1400s. In 1699, after the Ottomans withdrew to their base of power in Hungary and Transylvania, the town became capital of Principality of Transylvania (since 1570 the principality was mostly under suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire, however often had a dual vassalage).

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the city became the second- and later the first-most important centre of Transylvanian Romanian ethnics. The first Romanian-owned bank had its headquarters here (The Albina Bank), as did the ASTRA (Transylvanian Association for Romanian Literature and Romanian's People Culture). After the Romanian Orthodox Church was granted status in the Austrian Empire from the 1860s onwards, Sibiu became the Metropolitan seat, and the city is still regarded as the third-most important centre of the Romanian Orthodox Church. Between the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 and 1867 (the year of the Ausgleich), Hermannstadt was the meeting-place of the Transylvanian Diet, which had taken its most representative form after the Empire agreed to extend voting rights in the region.

After World War I, when Austria-Hungary was dissolved and Sibiu became part of the Kingdom of Romania; the majority of its population was still ethnically German (until 1941) and counted a large Romanian community as well as a smaller Hungarian one. Starting from the 1950s and until 1990, most of the town's ethnic Germans emigrated to West Germany and Austria. The trend continued to a moderate extent after 1990 as well to unified Germany. Nonetheless, among the approximately 2,000 Transylvanian Saxons who decided to remain as per the 2011 Romanian census was Klaus Iohannis, the President of Romania and former longtime mayor of the town between 2000 and 2014, who was succeeded by Astrid Fodor since 2014 onwards, initially ad interim/acting, and then, subsequently in full constitutional powers after 2016.

Geography

Sibiu is situated near the geographical center of Romania at 45.79278°N, 24.15207°W. Set in the Cibin Depression, the city is about 20 km from the Făgăraș Mountains, 12 km from the Cibin Mountains, and about 15 km from the Lotru Mountains, which border the depression in its southwestern section. The northern and eastern limits of Sibiu are formed by the Târnavelor Plateau, which descends to the Cibin Valley through Gușteriței Hill.

The Cibin River and some smaller streams run through Sibiu. The geographical position of Sibiu makes it one of the most important transportation hubs in Romania, with important roads and railway lines passing through it, including the A1 motorway, which also serves as a heavy traffic bypass for the city.

Climate
Sibiu's climate is humid continental (Köppen: Dfb), with average temperatures of 8 to 9 C. The average precipitation is 643.7 m, and there are about 120 days of hard frost annually. Sibiu experiences 56 days per year with fog and 1.5 days with hail.

Tourism

In 2007, Sibiu was the European Capital of Culture (alongside Luxembourg). This was the most important cultural event that has ever happened in the town, and a great number of tourists came, both domestic and foreign.

The city of Sibiu and its surroundings are one of the most visited areas in Romania, as it holds one of the best preserved historical sites in the country, many of its medieval fortifications having been kept in excellent state. Its old center has begun the process for becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004. Sibiu and its surrounding area have many significant museums, with 12+ institutions housing art collections, paintings, and exhibits in decorative arts, archeology, anthropology, history, industrial archeology and history of technology and natural sciences.

The city also lies close to the Făgăraș Mountains – a popular trekking destination, close to the city of Păltiniș and Arena Platoș ski resorts – both winter holiday destinations, and it is at the heart of the former Saxon communities in Transylvania renowned for its fortified churches.

Since 2007, a traditional Christmas market has been held in Sibiu. The first of its kind in Romania, it is inspired by Viennese Christmas markets, being a project developed by the Social Attaché of the Austrian Embassy in Romania, dr.h.c. Barbara Schöfnagel. It was held in the "Lesser Square" (Piața Mică) with 38 small stalls, a small stage and an area dedicated to children, having several mechanical attractions installed there. Since 2008, the market is held in the "Grand Square" (Piaţa Mare) grew to a number of about 70 stalls, a bigger stage was set up, where Christmas carols concerts are held. An ice skating rink and a children's workshop are also attractions which have been added in the following years. It was the first Christmas Market in Romania, but soon other Christmas markets emerged across the country. In 2013, the Sibiu Christmas markets was included in the "15 Of the Most Beautiful Christmas Markets in Europe".

In 2019, Sibiu had planned to host the European Gastronomical capital, by encouraging the local producers and businesses in the field of food production and culinary and gourmet culture, traditional workshops in the villages of the region, promoting farms and gastronomic circuits, or developing public programs to support small businesses in gastronomy and of the hospitality industry in the Sibiu region.

Culture
Sibiu is one of Romania's most culturally lively cities. It has 2 theatres and a philharmonic orchestra along with other smaller private theatrical venues and a theatre studio housed by the Performing Arts and Acting section of Lucian Blaga University, where students hold monthly representations.

The Radu Stanca National Theatre is one of the leading Romanian theatres. With origins dating back to 1787, it attracts some of the best-known Romanian directors, such as Gábor Tompa and Silviu Purcărete. It has both a Romanian-language and a German-language section, and presents an average of five shows a week.

The Gong Theatre is specialised in puppetry, mime and non-conventional shows for children and teenagers. It also presents shows in both Romanian and German.

The State Philharmonic of Sibiu presents weekly classical music concerts, and educational concerts for children and teenagers. The concerts take place in the newly restored Thalia Hall, a concert and theatre hall dating from 1787, situated along the old city fortifications. Weekly organ concerts are organised at the Evangelical Cathedral during summers, and thematic concerts are presented by the Faculty of Theology choir at the Orthodox Cathedral.

The Sibiu International Theatre Festival is an annual festival of performing arts. Since 2016, it is the largest performance arts festival in the world.

Museums and parks
Sibiu's museums are organised around two entities: the Brukenthal National Museum and the ASTRA National Museum Complex. The Brukenthal Museum consists of an Art Gallery and an Old Books Library located inside the Brukenthal Palace, a History Museum located in the old town hall building, a Pharmacy Museum located in one of the first apothecary shops in Europe, dating from the 16th century, a Natural History Museum and a Museum of Arms and Hunting Trophies.

The ASTRA National Museum Complex focuses on ethnography, and consists of a Traditional Folk Civilisation Museum, a 96-hectare open-air museum located in Dumbrava Forest south of Sibiu, a Universal Ethnography Museum, a Museum of Transylvanian Civilisation and a Museum of Saxon Ethnography and Folk Art. Also planned is a Museum of the Culture and Civilisation of the Romany People.

The Dumbrava Sibiului Natural Park stretches over 960 ha and it is 4 km away from the center of the city in the southwest direction along the road towards Rășinari. Also, here you can find the Zoological Garden and Ethnography Museum.

There is a Steam Locomotives Museum close to the railway station, sheltering around 40 locomotives, two of which are functional.

The first park in the city was The Promenade, later called "The Disabled Promenade." established in 1791, today part of Parcul Cetății (Citadel Park). Current arrangement of the park, including the space between the walls, dates from 1928.

The Sub Arini Park, established between 1857 and 1859 based on plans of military engineer Michael Seyfried, is one of the biggest and best-maintained parks in Romania. There are other green spaces in the city center, the best known being Astra Park, established in 1879.

Other parks:

Tineretului Park, Reconstrucției Park, Corneliu Coposu Park, Petöfi Sándor Park, Piața Cluj Park, Ștrand Park, Cristianului Park, Țițeica Park, Vasile Aaron Park, Lira Park.

The distribution of green space is good compared to other Romanian cities.

Events

Several festivals are organised yearly in Sibiu, the most prestigious of them being the Sibiu International Theatre Festival, organized each spring at the end of May. Medieval Festival organized every year in August, reviving the medieval spirit of Transylvania. The Artmania Festival is held every Summer since 2006 and as of 2008 the Rockin' Transilvania Festival is also held in Sibiu. The oldest Jazz Festival in Romania is organized here, as well as the "Carl Filtsch" festival for young classical piano players, the "Astra Film" documentary film festival, the Transylvania calling Festival a Multi Cultural 6-day Open Air Music festival! 26–31 July 2007, a medieval arts festival and many more smaller cultural events. Feeric Fashion Week is also hosted here. Sibiu was awarded by IGCAT (International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism) to be part of the European Regions of Gastronomy program, event that will promote in 2019 the region's culinary heritage, multi-ethnic traditions and multi-cultural community.

European Cultural Capital
The designation of Sibiu/Hermannstadt as European Cultural Capital in 2007 was owed greatly to the excellent collaboration with Luxembourg (and to the noteworthy historical ties between the Transylvanian Saxon community and Luxembourg), but also to what many regard as a miraculous social rebirth taking place in the town during the last years. The Cultural Capital status was expected to bring about an abrupt increase in quantity and quality of cultural events in 2007 and so it did.

Administration

The town government is headed by a mayor. Since 2014, the office is held by Astrid Fodor from the Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania (FDGR/DFDR), who replaced Klaus Iohannis, the latter having become the 5th president of Romania. Iohannis, a Transylvanian Saxon, was mayor from 2000 to 2014, despite ethnic Germans nowadays making up less than 2% of Sibiu's population. Decisions are approved and discussed by the local government (Consiliu local) made up of 23 elected councillors. Sibiu is the capital of the Sibiu County.

City districts
Sibiu is divided into the following districts:

 * Historical center (divided into the Upper and Lower Town)
 * Center (south-west of the historical center)
 * Broscărie
 * Dumbrăvii
 * Gușterița (Hammersdorf)
 * Hipodrom I, II, III, IV
 * Lazaret
 * Lupeni
 * Piața Cluj (named after Cluj)
 * Reșița (named after Reșița)
 * Ștrand
 * Terezian
 * Tilișca
 * Tineretului
 * Trei Stejari
 * Turnișor (Neppendorf)
 * Țiglari
 * Valea Aurie
 * Vasile Aaron
 * Veteranilor de Război
 * Viile Sibiului

Some of them were villages annexed by the city as it grew, others were built as the city developed and increased its surface.

The ASTRA National Museum Complex and the Zoo, located in the south, also fall within city limits. The Păltiniș ski resort, located 35 kilometres to the south, is also administered by Sibiu.

While Șelimbăr and the Arhitecților district of Cisnădie are not part of Sibiu proper, they are adjacent to the city limits and often considered part of it.

Demographics
At the 2011 census, Sibiu had a population of 147,245, a 5% decrease from the figure recorded at the 2002 census. The ethnic breakdown was as follows: Romanians 95.9%, Hungarians 1.6%, Germans (Transylvanian Saxons) 1.1%, and Roma 0.4%.

A 2017 estimate placed the population at 169,316, a 14.98% increase since 2011. This increase made Sibiu's population surpass the numbers observed in 1992 when the previously highest population was recorded.

As of the 2021 census data, 134,309 inhabitants live within the city limits, an 8.8% decrease from the figure recorded at the 2011 census.

Population by religious denomination
Today, most of the population is Romanian Orthodox. Protestants and Roman Catholics represent about 5% of the population.

Economy
Sibiu is an important economic hub for Romania, with a high rate of foreign investments. It is also an important hub for the manufacturing of automotive components and houses factories belonging to ThyssenKrupp Bilstein-Compa, Takata Corporation, Continental Automotive Systems, Marquardt Group and NTN-SNR ball bearings. Other local industries are machine components, textiles, agro-industry, and electrical components (Siemens).

The city also contained Romania's second-largest stock exchange, the Sibiu Stock Exchange, which merged with the Bucharest Stock Exchange in 2018.

The main industrial activities of Sibiu take place in two industrial zones located on the outskirts of the city:
 * East industrial zone (East Economic Center), alongside the railway to Brașov and Râmnicu Vâlcea
 * West industrial zone (West Economic Center), near the exit to Sebeș, close to the Airport

A commercial zone located in the Șelimbăr commune plays an important role in the economy of Sibiu. It houses a mall and other large retailers.

Another factor that plays an important role in the economy of the city is tourism, which has been increasing at a steady rate since 2007.

Transport
Sibiu is well served in terms of transport and infrastructure. In 2010 a city bypass was opened, significantly reducing the road traffic inside the city.

Tursib is the city's internal transportation system operator.

Air
Sibiu International Airport is one of the most modern international airports in Romania, with direct connections to Germany, Austria, United Kingdom, Ireland and Spain.

Road
Sibiu is an important node in the European road network, being on two different European routes (E68 and E81). At a national level, Sibiu is located on three different main national roads, DN1, DN7 and DN14.

The Romanian Motorway A1 will link the city with Pitești and the Romanian western border, near Arad. From the remaining 332 km of motorway towards the border with Hungary Nadlac, a total of 276 km is completed and the last 56 km are currently under construction, while the timeline for the segment towards Pitești is targeted for completion for the year 2025 (construction will start no sooner than 2019). Sibiu' s ring road as part of A1 motorway was completed on 1 December 2010.

Sibiu is also an important hub for the international bus links with the biggest passenger transporter in Romania, Atlassib, based here. Transport companies are also providing coach connections from Sibiu to a large number of locations in Romania.

Rail
Sibiu is situated on the CFR-Romanian Railways Main Line 200 (Brasov – Făgăraș – Sibiu – Simeria – Arad – Romanian Western Border) and on Line 206 (Sibiu – Mediaș).

The city is served by five rail stations: the Main Station (Gara Mare), the Little Station (Gara Mică), Turnișor, Sibiu Triaj, and Halta Ateliere Zonă. It has an important diesel-powered locomotive depot and a freight terminal.

Numerous interregional trains (nicknamed Blue Arrows) connect Sibiu to other major cities in Romania: Cluj-Napoca, Brașov, Craiova, Timișoara, and Bucharest.

Cycling
Over the last six years, Sibiu has enjoyed a revival of cycling. The city has 43 kilometers of bicycle lanes. A new bike path with a completion date in 2023 will run the length of the Cibin River, creating a green corridor from the Ștrand to Broscărie neighbourhoods, via Gușterița.

Bicycle rentals have offered a boost for the local economy with several small rental centers and a bigger rental center that is administered by the I'Velo Bike Sharing group.

Health
Sibiu is one of the important medical centers of Romania, housing many important medical facilities:
 * County Hospital
 * Academic Emergency Hospital;
 * Hospital of Pediatrics;
 * Military Emergency Hospital;
 * CFR Hospital (Romanian Railways Hospital);
 * "Dr. Gheorghe Preda" Psychiatry Hospital
 * other smaller private clinics

The city also houses one of the largest private hospitals in the country, Polisano.

Education

Sibiu is an important centre of higher education, with over 23,000 students in four public and private higher institutions.

The Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu was founded in 1990, with five faculties: Engineering and Sciences; Language Sciences; History and Law; Medicine; Food and Textile Processing Technology. Nowadays, there are 10 faculties and departments.

Sibiu also houses the Nicolae Bălcescu Land Forces Academy and the Military Foreign Language Center as well as two private universities, Romanian-German University and Alma Mater University.

In Sibiu there are 20 educational institutions on the secondary level, the most important of which are:
 * Gheorghe Lazăr National College – sciences and informatics, first opened in 1692 as a Jesuit College
 * Gheorghe Lazar National College in Sibiu.jpg]] Samuel von Brukenthal National College – linguistics, sciences and informatics, German language high school
 * Octavian Goga National College – social sciences, sciences, informatics and linguistics
 * Onisifor Ghibu Theoretical Highschool – informatics, sciences, sports, theater and linguistics
 * Andrei Șaguna National College – training for school teacher and linguistics
 * Constantin Noica Theoretical Highschool – sciences and linguistics
 * Daniel Popovici Barcianu Highschool – agricultural sciences
 * George Baritiu National College – economic sciences
 * Nicolae Iorga Elementary school
 * Regina Maria Elementary school

Sports

The city houses a football stadium, a multi-functional arena building (Sala Transilvania), a rugby court, a municipal pool and several private tennis courts.

Also, several sports international competitions are taking place every year: Sibiu Cycling Tour (in July), Red Bull Romaniacs Hard Enduro Rallye (around July), Sibiu Open (formerly held in September), Sibiu Rally (currently held in October).

Football

Sibiu has had a long football tradition, starting in 1913 with the founding of Șoimii Sibiu, which was the launchpad of Ilie Oană's career, who later became a star of FC Petrolul Ploiești. Later came Societatea Gimnastică Sibiu, a sport club of Sibiu's Transylvanian Saxon community, which's best performance was reaching the Divizia A final in the 1930–31 season. The best ever football team from Sibiu, based on performances, was Inter Sibiu, which had finished 4th after the 1990–91 season and had won the Balkans Cup during the same season. During the 21st century, the city has been represented by FC Sibiu and Voința Sibiu (of which only the latter has reached Liga I). Currently, FC Hermannstadt is the only major football team representing Sibiu, playing in the top level of the Romanian football pyramid, the Superliga, season 2022–2023. Starting with the 10th of December 2022, the team's home ground is the rebuilt 13000 seats Sibiu main stadium in the Sub Arini Park, the Stadionul Municipal Sibiu, the inaugural match ending with a 4–0 victory over first placed Farul Constanța.

Basketball

CSU Sibiu, one of the best Romanian basketball teams at the moment, represents Sibiu in the top tier of Romanian basketball, Liga Națională.

Handball

The city's handball team is called CSM Sibiu. Additionally, the nearby town of Cisnădie has a women's team in the first league, CS Măgura.

Rugby
 * CSM Sibiu

Volleyball
 * CSM Sibiu (men)
 * CSS Sibiu (women)

Speed Skating
 * CSS Sibiu

Natives

 * Michael Gottlieb Agnethler, botanist
 * Alexandru Apolzan, football player
 * Arthur Arz von Straussenburg, Austro-Hungarian general
 * Florin Barbu, bass player in Romanian bands Timpuri Noi and Proconsul
 * Claudiu Baștea, judoka
 * Ion Besoiu, Romanian actor
 * Miklós Borsos, Hungarian sculptor
 * Dan Burincă, Olympic artistic gymnast
 * Andrei Codrescu, American writer
 * Sabina Cojocar, Romanian gymnast
 * Alexandru Curtean, football player
 * Florin Diacu, Romanian-Canadian mathematician
 * Steve Holmes, German pornographic actor
 * Victor Iliu, Romanian film director
 * Klaus Iohannis, 5th President of Romania
 * Hermann Kusmanek von Burgneustädten, Austro-Hungarian general, see also Siege of Przemyśl
 * Mircea Mureșan, Romanian film director
 * Alexandru Mușina, Romanian poet
 * Steliana Nistor, Romanian gymnast
 * Hermann Oberth, space flight technology pioneer
 * Nicolaus Olahus, Catholic archbishop of Esztergom
 * Valerian Onițiu, chess problemist
 * Oskar Pastior, poet and translator
 * Dan Perjovschi, Romanian artist
 * Claudia Presecan, Romanian gymnast
 * Erna Rubinstein, Hungarian violinist
 * Iancu Sasul, Moldavian ruler
 * Tobias Stranover, Transylvanian Saxon painter
 * Jenő Szemák, Hungarian jurist
 * Viorel Tilea, Romanian diplomat
 * Melania Ursu, stage and film actress
 * Radu Vasile, politician, Prime Minister of Romania
 * Delia Velculescu, Romanian-American economist
 * Adele Zay, Transylvanian-Saxon who established the kindergarten system in Hungary and then Romania

Twin towns
Sibiu has twinning agreements with:

 * 🇧🇷 Bauru, Brazil, since 1995.
 * 🇵🇭 Butuan, Philippines
 * 🇺🇸 Columbia, Missouri, USA, since 1994.
 * Deventer, Netherlands, since 2007.
 * 🇦🇹 Klagenfurt, Austria, since 1990.
 * 🇩🇪 Landshut, Germany, since 2002.
 * 🇩🇪 Marburg, Germany, since 2005.
 * 🇧🇪 Mechelen, Belgium, since 1996.
 * 🇫🇷 Rennes, France, since 1999.
 * 🇻🇪 Valencia, Venezuela, since 1993.
 * 🇬🇧 Wirral, United Kingdom, since 1994.
 * 🇯🇵 Takayama, Gifu, Japan, since 2009.
 * 🇺🇸 Durham, North Carolina, United States, since 2019

Consulates
The following countries have consulates in Sibiu:
 * 🇩🇪 Germany – Consulate-General
 * 🇦🇹 Austria – Honorary consulate
 * 🇱🇺 Luxembourg – Honorary consulate
 * 🇲🇹 Malta – Honorary consulate

title: Sibiu


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Mărășești

Mărășești is a small town in Vrancea County, Western Moldavia, Romania. It administers six villages: Călimănești, Haret, Modruzeni, Pădureni, Siretu, and Tișița.

Geography
The town is located in the eastern part of the county, on the border with Galați County. It is 20 km north of the county seat, Focșani. Mărășești lies on the right bank of the river Siret, which separates it from Galați County, in the area where the Siret receives the waters of the rivers Șușița and Zăbrăuț.

History
King Milan I of Serbia was born in Mărășești on 22 August 1854.

In 1917 during World War I, the Battle of Mărășești between the Kingdom of Romania and the German Empire was fought near the town. It was the last major battle between the German Empire and the Kingdom of Romania on the Romanian front during World War I. A mausoleum containing the remains of 5,073 Romanian soldiers was built to commemorate the Romanian victory.

Maria Zaharia (1905–1917) was born in Pădureni village. She acted as an impromptu artillery observer for the Romanian Army and was killed during the Battle of Mărășești. She is buried at the Mausoleum of Mărășești, the only child who is laid to rest there.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Mărășești


text:
West Hampstead tube station

West Hampstead is a London Underground station in West Hampstead. It is located on West End Lane between Broadhurst Gardens and Blackburn Road and is situated in Travelcard Zone 2. It is on the Jubilee line between Kilburn and Finchley Road stations. It is 100 m from West Hampstead station on the London Overground North London line and 200 m from West Hampstead Thameslink station. Metropolitan line trains also pass through the station, but do not stop.

History
The station was opened on 30 June 1879 by the Metropolitan Railway (now the Metropolitan line) when it extended its tracks from Swiss Cottage. The station acted as the temporary terminus of the branch until it was further extended to Willesden Green on 24 November that year. The original station had two tracks with facing platforms; the booking office was to the south of the current surface building location with separate stairs to each platform. Consequential to the extension of the Great Central Railway displacing the Metropolitan Railway toward the north, this construction was replaced by an island platform overlapping the position of the previous Up platform.

On 20 November 1939, most stopping services were transferred to the Bakerloo line when it took over operations on the Stanmore branch; at this time the platform was rebuilt in the Underground's standard style, but the station building was retained. Stopping services were transferred to the Jubilee line on 1 May 1979. Metropolitan line services run past the station on their own tracks either side of the Jubilee Line having not served the station (a few trains in the early morning and late at night) since the connection between the Metropolitan and Jubilee Lines at Finchley Road was removed as part of the preparation for automatic operation of the Jubilee Line.

Access and interchanges
Due to stairs leading from the ticket hall to the platform, the station is not accessible. Facilities include an automatic ticket machine, two quick ticket machines, a ticket booth, countdown timers, a waiting room and both male and female toilets.

Most maps show the three stations as connections. Through ticketing is allowed.

Development
There have been proposals since before 1990 for a new West Hampstead interchange linking all three stations in the area and additionally serving two further lines that currently pass through the site. In 2008 it was proposed that the North and West London Light Railway could serve the station.

Connections
London Buses routes 139, 328 and C11 serve the station.

title: West Hampstead tube station


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Strathearn

Strathearn or Strath Earn, also the Earn Valley, is the strath of the River Earn, which flows from Loch Earn to meet the River Tay in the east of Scotland.

The area covers the 30 mile stretch of the river, containing a number of settlements in Perthshire. It shares a name with a modern ward used for elections to Perth and Kinross Council.

Strathearn was also the name of a ancient province of the Kingdom of Alba, under the authority of a mormaer and then an Earl. More recently, the name has since been used in a number of titles used by the British Royal Family.

History
The historic province of Strathearn was bounded on the north by Atholl, north west by Breadalbane, south west by Menteith, south east by Fife, and on the east by Perthia.

The earliest attested mormaer of Strathearn is Mael Ísu I, who is recorded fighting alongside David I at the Battle of the Standard in 1138. Unlike some provinces where the holder of the office of mormaer rotated between kin-groups, the mormaership of Strathearn was dominated by a single family, with a Mael Ísu in every generation until the death of Mael Ísu V in the mid 14th century.

Battle of Strathearn
In 904, during the reign of Constantine II of Scotland, sons of Bárid mac Ímair sent a Danish army to attack Strathearn, and were ultimately defeated, the Kingdom of Scotland wasn't attacked by Vikings for the next 50 years.

Modern administrative history
Strathearn became a stewartry under the authority of the Earls of Perth and part of Perthshire for administrative purposes, until the abolition of heritable jurisdictions in 1748. It continued to be recognised as one of the ancient divisions of the county, without administrative or judicial function.

The Strathearn ward of Perth and Kinross Council was created in 2007.

Settlements
The primary settlements of Strathearn are:
 * Lochearnhead
 * St Fillans
 * Comrie
 * Crieff
 * Muthill
 * Auchterarder
 * Dunning
 * Forteviot
 * Forgandenny
 * Bridge of Earn
 * Abernethy

Royal title
Following the demise of the ancient Earls of Strathearn, with the title in its later creation being forfeited by Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl, the Strathearn title was resurrected for use for a number of Royal dukedoms, awarded to members of the British Royal Family.

The name appeared in the titles of the Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn, Duke of Kent and Strathearn] and [[Duke of Connaught and Strathearn.

More recently, Prince William, now Prince of Wales and Duke of Rothesay, was created Earl of Strathearn, as a subsidiary title to Duke of Cambridge, on 29 April 2011, the day of his wedding to Catherine Middleton.

Other uses

 * "Strathearn" / "Strathern" is also a surname in the United States and Northern Ireland, predominantly in the Bellaghy area of County Londonderry.

title: Strathearn


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Finchley Road tube station

Finchley Road is a London Underground station at the corner of Finchley Road and Canfield Gardens in the London Borough of Camden, north London. It is on the Jubilee line between West Hampstead and Swiss Cottage stations, and on the Metropolitan line between Wembley Park and Baker Street stations. From this station, Metropolitan line trains pass through the Jubilee line stations towards Wembley Park but do not stop in them until there. It is in Travelcard Zone 2.

The station is 100 yards south of the O2 Centre. It serves the Frognal and South Hampstead areas. It is also a five-minute walk from the Finchley Road & Frognal station on the London Overground's North London line, and this is marked as an official out-of-system interchange. The station is in a cutting covered by a single glass and metal canopy and is the northernmost station below street level on the line.

History
The station was opened on 30 June 1879 by the Metropolitan Railway (MR, now the Metropolitan line) on its extension from its now closed station at Swiss Cottage (a different station from the current Swiss Cottage Jubilee line station). The station was rebuilt in 1914 with entrances incorporated into a new parade of shops.

By the mid-1930s the Metropolitan line was suffering from congestion on its main routes from north-west London, caused by the limited capacity of its tracks between Finchley Road and Baker Street stations. To alleviate this congestion new sections of deep tube tunnels were bored between Finchley Road and Baker Street to carry some of the traffic from the Stanmore branch and stations south of Wembley Park. These new tunnels opened on 20 November 1939 and from that date Finchley Road station was also served by Bakerloo line trains running from Baker Street using the new tunnels. The Bakerloo line services were subsequently transferred to the Jubilee line when that line commenced operation on 1 May 1979.

There is a proposal to add a new entrance to the station from the site of the O2 Centre, as a part of the proposal to redevelop the site for housing.

Services
Finchley Road is served by London Underground Jubilee and Metropolitan line services. The Jubilee line, which is a stopping (or local) service, operates a service frequency of 16 tph (trains per hour) between Stanmore and Stratford. The Metropolitan line offers "stopping services" (with some peak hour "fast" and "semi-fast" services) (no Metropolitan line services stop at stations between Finchley Road and Wembley Park) from Aldgate and Baker Street to the north-west of London and certain stations in the home counties.

Connections
London Buses routes 13, 113, 187, 268, C11 and night route N113 serve the station.

title: Finchley Road tube station


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Swiss Cottage tube station

Swiss Cottage is a London Underground station at Swiss Cottage, north London. It is on the Jubilee line, between and  stations. It lies in Travelcard Zone 2 and is located at the junction of Finchley Road, Avenue Road and College Crescent. The station is a local station, with the Metropolitan Line bypassing the station nearby.

History
The station was opened on 20 November 1939, on a new section of deep-level tunnel constructed between and  stations when the Metropolitan line's services on its  branch were transferred to the Bakerloo line. It is named after a nearby pub built in 1803–4, originally called The Swiss Tavern and later renamed Swiss Cottage.

The new station initially operated as part of a combined station with the Metropolitan line's adjacent sub-surface Swiss Cottage station (platforms 1 and 2 were Metropolitan line and 3 and 4 were Bakerloo line), but the Metropolitan line station was closed on 17 August 1940. The Bakerloo line station was subsequently transferred—along with the rest of the Stanmore branch—to the Jubilee line when it opened on 1 May 1979.

The station was used extensively during The Blitz of World War II as an air raid shelter.

Connections
London Buses routes 13, 31, 46, 113, 187, 268, 603 and C11 and night routes N28, N31 and N113 serve the station.

title: Swiss Cottage tube station


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St John's Wood tube station

St. John's Wood is a London Underground station located in St John's Wood in the City of Westminster, north-west London. It was opened in 1939 as a stop on the Bakerloo line. Today St. John's Wood is served by the Jubilee line, between Swiss Cottage and Baker Street stations and is in Travelcard Zone 2. Essentially, St. John's Wood station is a local station with the nearby Metropolitan Line bypassing this station. A journey between St. John's Wood and Baker Street typically takes less than three minutes.

Location
The station building is located on the corner of Acacia Road and Finchley Road and tube maps from late 1938 and early 1939 indicate that it was originally to be given the name Acacia Road or Acacia. This station is the nearest to Lord's Cricket Ground and Abbey Road Studios. The station is therefore not to be confused with Abbey Road DLR station in east London.

Station origin as Lord's Tube Station
Further Information: Lord's Tube Station

In 1868, the original Tube network extended from St John’s Wood to Swiss Cottage stopping at St John’s Wood and Marlborough Road. St John’s Wood station was right next to Lord’s Cricket Ground and during matches, it even had its own ticket office at the ground. The following year, the Finchally Line tried to extend to Finchley Road in order to get a bigger catchmatch area, but it was not successful. Eventually, they wanted to extend the line to West Hampstead, but were not successful at doing so.

Transfer from Lord's to St John's Wood
St John’s Wood Station was not always named St John’s Wood and nor was it always in the same location. The original station in St John’s Wood was named St John’s Wood Road, then St John’s Wood and finally Lords, which was on the Metropolitan Line. and it was originally used to store milk and frozen food while some other nearby stations were used in order to simply game golf. Lord’s was once the only station that allowed customers to park their cars on the roof instead of in a ground-level car park or parking garage.

Right after the start of World War II, Lord’s was renamed to St John’s Wood and the new station served the present-day Bakerloo line. Meanwhile both Lord’s and nearby Marlborough Road shut down due to the close proximity.

During the Second World War, the station was used as a shelter and even had flats that had rooms for servants. Most of the recreational facilities were a short Tube ride away near present day Finchley Road. Despite this, there were still canteens, libraries, bunks and drinking water.

The station was opened on 20 November 1939 on a new section of deep-level tunnel constructed between Baker Street and Finchley Road when the Metropolitan line's services on its Stanmore branch were transferred to the Bakerloo line. The new station replaced two nearby stations on the Metropolitan line which had closed the previous day. These were Lord's (originally named St. John's Wood Road, then St. John's Wood and, finally, Lord's) and Marlborough Road.

The station was transferred along with the rest of the Stanmore branch to the Jubilee line when it opened on 1 May 1979.

The station building designed by Stanley Heaps is Grade II listed.

The platform design remains the same as when opened in 1939, as designed by Harold Stabler. In 2006, the tiles were cleaned up and replaced.

Transfer from Bakerloo Line to Jubilee Line
After the start of World War II, Lord's station closed and was replaced by St John's Wood, which was on the Stanmore branch of the Bakerloo line. At the time, there were two branches of this line: the Stanmore Branch and the Watford branch, although getting to Watford required a change at Harrow and Wealdstone. In 1979, the Jubilee line was opened and replaced the Stanmore branch of the Bakerloo line while the Watford branch remained the Bakerloo line.

Services
Train frequencies vary throughout the day, but generally operate every 2–5 minutes between 05:54 and 00:18 in both directions. During some events at Lord's Cricket Ground, this station sometimes becomes exit only. Other nearby stations are Maida Vale, Warwick Avenue, Swiss Cottage and Baker Street.

Today, Wifi is available in the station which means it is easier for people to stay connected on the go. Additionally, with the rise of Amazon, machines, nearby ticket stores and the ability to use a contactless payment card, the ticket offices have closed down. Back in 2015, TFL had a huge cut of funds from the government so they needed to find a way to earn more funds without raising the fares. They even predicted that new Oyster Card shops would help increase their revenue.

Up-lighters
Up-lighters are lights that are seen along the escalator as a way to help see and provide light all the way from the street to the platform. It also helps keep the passengers in line with where they are going at all times. The up-lighters date back to 1939 when the station first opened.

Incidents
In the spring of 2021, there was an incident where a passenger was found on the tracks. It led to life-changing injuries and the individual was taken to the hospital. There were no grounds for suspicion but police and fire officers were sent to St John’s Wood station in order to investigate the issue. This caused the Jubilee line to be suspended and then it was running on severe delays due to the incident.

Accessibility
There is one gate inward and one gate outward from the Tube that is big enough to fit a buggy or wheelchair. The station is not step free and the only way to access the platforms is by escalator or stairs. Prior to 1993, it was illegal to have a wheelchair anywhere on the London Underground due to fire safety concerns.

Connections
London Buses routes 13, 46, 113, 187 and night route N113 serve the station.

Nearby points of interest

 * Abbey Road Studio
 * Lord’s Cricket Ground
 * MCC Museum
 * St John’s Wood Park
 * London Central Mosque
 * Regents Park
 * The Star turned into a gastropub and is no longer named the Star, but it was around for 200 years until it closed in 2015.

In popular culture
The station appeared in the music video for "Bedsitter" by Soft Cell.

The recording of the underground train heard at the beginning and end of The Jam's 1978 song "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight" was recorded at St John's Wood.

A common trivia question is, "Which London Underground station does not contain any of the letters in the word "mackerel"? The answer is St John's Wood, which does not contain any of the letters A-C-E-K-L-M-R. This is only true because the word "Saint" is always abbreviated "St" in the name, and because Hoxton is on the London Overground but not the Underground. Victoria Coren Mitchell described this as her favourite trivia question.  Two former stations also fulfill the mackerel test: Wotton and Wood Siding, which were part of the Underground network between 1933 and 1935.

title: St John's Wood tube station


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Bond Street station

Bond Street is an interchange station in Mayfair, in the West End of London for London Underground and Elizabeth line services. Entrances are on Oxford Street, near its junction with New Bond Street, and on Hanover Square.

The London Underground station is served by the Central and Jubilee lines. On the Central line, the station is between Marble Arch and Oxford Circus stations. On the Jubilee line, it is between Baker Street and Green Park stations. The Elizabeth line station is between Paddington and Tottenham Court Road stations.

The station is in fare zone 1.

History
The station was first opened on 24 September 1900 by the Central London Railway, three months after the first stations on the Central line opened. The surface building was designed, in common with all original CLR stations, by the architect Harry Bell Measures. The original plans for the railway named the station as Davies Street rather than Bond Street.

In 1920 a possible joint venture was considered by London Underground and the nearby Selfridges store. This would have involved rebuilding the station, to include an entrance in Selfridge's basement. The idea was revisited in the early 1930s, leading to a concept of a subway connecting the station to the store, with a new ticket office in the basement of Selfridge's. However, these plans were not pursued, probably due to the cost of the construction.

The station has had several major reconstructions. The first, which saw the original lifts replaced by escalators, and the addition of a new sub-surface ticket hall and new station façade, designed by the architect Charles Holden, came into use on 8 June 1926. The tiling to the new ticket hall used the same tiling scheme used by Holden on other station projects at the time (notably the extension of the City and South London Railway to Morden).

Jubilee line era
In the 1970s, the Jubilee line was extended through central London to Charing Cross, via Bond Street. As part of the construction of the line, the station ticket hall was extended and new entrances were provided on the north side of Oxford Street and to the east of Davies Street. The Holden facade was demolished along with the Grosvenor Court Hotel that occupied the corner of Oxford Street and Davies Street, being replaced by the "West One" shopping arcade with offices above. The Jubilee line opened on 1 May 1979.

In 2007, the station underwent a visual modernisation, removing the murals installed on the Central line platforms in the 1980s and replacing them with plain white tiles, in a style similar to those used when the station opened in 1900.

21st century
In the 2010s, the station was upgraded and expanded in preparation for the arrival of the Elizabeth line, bringing Bond Street into the National Rail network. As part of these works, the Central line platforms closed from April to June 2014, and the Jubilee line platforms closed from July to December 2014.

The £300m upgrade increased the capacity of the station entrances and exits by 30 per cent, added a new entrance to the station on Marylebone Lane on the north side of Oxford Street, and installed lifts to make the station step-free. It was completed in November 2017, prior to the completion of the Elizabeth line.

During London Fashion Week in September 2023, TfL renamed the station to Burberry Street, as a publicity for the fashion company, Burberry. The name was reverted to Bond Street at the end of the fashion week.

Elizabeth line
Between 2009 and 2022, the Crossrail project built a new Elizabeth line station at Bond Street. Originally planned to open in 2018, Bond Street did not open with the rest of the central London Elizabeth line stations in May 2022, due to tunnelling problems dating back to 2014. The various delays meant that the station was approximately £500m over budget.

The Elizabeth line station was opened on 24 October 2022 by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.

Two new ticket halls were built by Crossrail at Davies Street and Hanover Square. Architects included John McAslan and Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands. Although there is no connecting corridor, the Hanover Square exit of the Bond Street Elizabeth line station is approximately 250 m from Oxford Circus tube station and out-of-station interchange is permitted, allowing interchange with the Bakerloo and Victoria lines. The escalators to the Hanover Square exit, at 60 m are the longest on the Elizabeth line, and the second longest on the Transport for London (TfL) network, 1 m shorter than those at Angel station on the Northern line.

Services
Services at Bond Street are operated by the Elizabeth line, and London Underground's Central and Jubilee lines.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour (tph) is:

The station also served by a night service on Friday and Saturday nights as part of the Night Tube. The station is served by Central line and Jubilee line trains every 10 minutes in each direction.

Artwork
The station features multiple pieces of artwork. On the Jubilee line platforms, Tom Eckersley designed a stylised "hat box" motif. The Elizabeth line station has three artworks by British artist Darren Almond. Located in and around the western Davies Street entrance, these artworks reference nameplates attached to railway locomotives.

Cultural references
The westbound Central line platform of the station is featured on the cover art for The Jam's 1978 single "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight", with the band standing at the end of the platform as a 1962 Stock train rushes into the station.

Connections
A large number of London Bus routes serve the station during the day and night.

Nearby places of interest

 * Bond Street
 * Claridge's Hotel
 * Handel House Museum, Brook Street
 * Wallace Collection, Manchester Square
 * Wigmore Hall, Wigmore Street

title: Bond Street station


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Târgu Mureș

Târgu Mureș (, ; Marosvásárhely ; German: Neumarkt am Mieresch) is the seat of Mureș County in the historical region of Transylvania, Romania. It is the 16th-largest city in Romania, with 116,033 inhabitants as of the 2021 census. It lies on the Mureș River, the second-longest river in Romania (after the Danube).

Names and etymology

The current Romanian name of the city, Târgu Mureș, is the equivalent of the Hungarian Marosvásárhely, both meaning "market on the Mureș (Maros) [River]". Târg means "market" in Romanian and vásárhely means "marketplace" in Hungarian. Local Hungarians often shorten Marosvásárhely to Vásárhely in speech.

The Jesuit priest Martin Szentiványi provides the first known written reference naming the city; in his work Dissertatio Paralipomenonica Rerum Memorabilium Hungariae (written in 1699) he records the name as Asserculis by stating, in Latin, Asserculis, hoc est Szekely Vasarhely, meaning, Asserculis, here is Szekely Vasarhely. He provides the year 1230 for the reference. A second work of his, Curiosiora Et Selectiora Variarum Scientiarum Miscellanea (dated 1702) also mentions this name.

Another written reference of the city was in the Papal registry in Latin as Novum Forum Siculorum in 1332, and later as Sekulvasarhel (modern Hungarian: Székelyvásárhely), meaning "market of the Székelys", in 1349. Greek traders called it "Agropolis". Another name for it was "Areopolis".

In 1616, Gabriel Bethlen gave the name Marosvásárhely to the newly upgraded royal free city. The Romanian name for the city, Oșorhei was a phonetic derivation from Vásárhely while the German name for the town, Neumarkt am Mieresch (also shortened to Neumarkt or Marktstadt; in Transylvanian Saxon, Nai Mark or Nai Muark), can be translated as New Market.

Other historical Romanian names for the town besides Oșorhei were Mureș-Oșorhei and Târgul-Mureșului; other historical Hungarian names in addition to Székelyvásárhely included Újszékelyvásár and Újvásár.

After World War I, Marosvásárhely became part of Romania and was renamed Oșorheiu. The name Târgu Mureș became common in the interwar period. After World War II, the spelling of the city's name was changed to Tîrgu Mureș, following a 1953 spelling reform that replaced the letter â with î in all words. Another spelling reform in 1993 replaced the letter î with â in many words and the city's name has since been officially spelled "Târgu Mureș".

History
The first known recorded documentation of the city dates to 1332. It is mentioned in the papal registry under the Latin name Novum Forum Siculorum meaning New Szekler Marketplace, and under the Hungarian name Sekulvasarhel (Székelyvásárhely) meaning Szekler Marketplace in 1349.

Prior to 1332 a Dominican church stood where the Fortress' Church is now sited, up until the Mongol invasion, when it was destroyed. The current Fortress' Church was built by the Franciscans in a new Gothic-style around 1332.

In 1405, the King of Hungary Sigismund of Luxembourg granted the city the right to organize fairs. Since 1439 the town was the scene of the sessions of the Transylvanian parliament (diet) 36 times. In 1470 King Matthias Corvinus granted the first judicial privilege to the city, and in 1482 declared the city a royal settlement. In 1492, wayvoda (prince) István Báthory strengthened a monastery with fortifications.

In 1506, the troops of Pál Tomori were beaten by the Székelys who were rising against the payment of an extraordinary Ox tax imposed on them on occasion of the birth of Louis II of Hungary. In 1557, the Reformed Church College (i.e., Presbyterians) was established as the oldest Hungarian school of Transylvania. In 1571, the session of the Transylvanian parliament under prince John II Sigismund Zápolya accepted the free preaching of the word of God, including by the Unitarian Church. In 1600–1601, as a result of the siege of Giorgio Basta under the direction of Emperor Rudolf II, the fortress crumbled to ruins. In 1602, the troops of Gergely Németh put on fire the remaining houses of the town, therefore, in 1602 the reconstruction of the fortress was started on the advice of mayor Tamás Borsos, but it was actually built between 1614 and 1653. Mózes Székely the only prince of Szekler origin visited the city in 1603 when he liberated Transylvania from foreign domination. In 1616, Târgu Mureș was granted the status of a free royal city under the name of Maros-Vásárhely by fejedelem (prince) Gábor Bethlen.

In 1658 Ottoman and Tartar troops invaded the city and burned it, where 3,000 people were taken into captivity. In 1661, as no one showed willingness to accept the duty of prince, under Turkish pressure Mihály Apafi was elected prince of Transylvania here. In 1662, resulting from the negligence of the Turkish military residing here, the city almost completely burnt down. In 1687 it was devastated by German imperial troops. In 1704, the kuruc troops of Pál Kaszás occupied the fortress, which was re-occupied by Austrian troops led by Lőrinc Pekry in 1706. On 5 April 1707 Francis II Rákóczi was raised to the chair of princes here. In 1707 the city was struck by the plague with more than 3,500 deaths. The plague renewed in 1709, 1719 and in 1738–39.

The city received a major boost to its social and economic life when it became home to the Supreme Court of Justice of the Principality of Transylvania in 1754. In 1802, the Teleki Library founded by count Sámuel Teleki opened to the public with 40,000 volumes.

Avram Iancu, the leader of the 1848 Romanian revolution in Transylvania, was a young lawyer in the city of Marosvásárhely before engaging in the fight for the rights of the Romanians living in Transylvania. On 4 November 1848, the Szekler troops were beaten by the Austrian imperial troops under its walls, and the city was also captured. On 13 January 1849 the troops of major Tolnay recaptured it. On 30 July 1849, Sándor Petőfi and Józef Bem set out from here for the Battle of Segesvár. Finally, the Austrian commander Karl von Urban captured the city on 2 August 1849, closing the chapter of the Revolutionary War in the city.

In 1854, Szekler martyrs Károly Horváth, János Török, and Mihály Gálfi were executed on the Postarét for plotting against Austrian rule. Since 1874 a monument marks the place. In 1861, Marosvásárhely became the seat of Marosszék, in 1876 that of Maros-Torda County. In 1880 the statue of Bem was inaugurated in Roses Square, in downtown area; in 1893 the statue of Kossuth was as well. The statue of Rákóczi was also inaugurated in 1907. All three statues were demolished between 1919 in 1923, after Transylvania became part of Romania.

The provincial appearance of the city changed greatly in the late 19th century and early 20th century. In 1913, the Hungarian Art-Nouveau style city hall complex and Palace of Culture was inaugurated, as part of mayor Bernády György's urban renewal. After World War I, together with the rest of Transylvania, Marosvásáshely became part of Romania and became known as Târgu Mureș. From having been an 89% Hungarian-populated city (in 1910), the Romanian population increased throughout the second half of the 20th century.

From 1940 to 1944, as a consequence of the Second Vienna Award, the city was ceded back to the Kingdom of Hungary. After Hungary was occupied by Germany in 1944, a Jewish ghetto was established in the city. Târgu Mureș re-entered the Romanian administration in October 1944. However, on 12 November 1944 General Vladislav Petrovich Vinogradov of the Soviet Red Army expelled the returning Romanian authorities from Northern Transylvania with reference to the massacres committed by members of the so-called Maniu Guard, and the Romanian authorities were not allowed to return until the government of Petru Groza was formed on 6 March 1945.

After World War II, the communist administration of Romania conducted a policy of massive industrialization that completely re-shaped the community. Between 1950 and 1968, Târgu Mureș was the center of the Magyar Autonomous Region, later renamed as Mureș-Magyar Autonomous Region. On 7 September 1959, Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej, Secretary-General of the Romanian Workers Party, and Prime Minister Chivu Stoica visited the city. It was decided at the time where to build the fertilizer production plant, and the new residential quarters of the city. It was decided that the residential quarters would not be built in the Mureș valley, but on the surrounding hills.

In March 1990, shortly after the Romanian Revolution of 1989 overthrew the communist regime, the city was the scene of violent ethnic clashes between ethnic Hungarians and ethnic Romanians.

In the 21st century, the local economy started to get stronger after various investors settled in the area. In 2020, the city elected an independent candidate as mayor, Zoltán Soós, the first ethnic Hungarian to win in twenty years.

Geography
The city is located in the Mureș River valley. The city spreads out from Fortress Church in the center of the town, built in the 14th century, to form an area of 49.3 km2. The city is located at the centre of the historical region of Transylvania and covers an area of 49.3 km2. It lies at the junction of three geographical regions of Transylvania (Transylvanian Plain, Mureș Valley and Niraj Valley) at 330 m above sea level. The city extends onto both banks of the Mureș river, however, the downtown area and the greater part of the districts are located on the left bank. The Cornești plateau (Somos-plateau) is the city's highest point (465 m above sea level, co-ordinates: 46.5531°N, 24.5984°W).

Târgu Mureș is 337 km from Bucharest, 475 km from Chișinău, 480 km from Belgrade, 515 km from Budapest, 598 km from Sofia and 845 km from Kyiv. It is surrounded by the following communes: Sângeorgiu de Mureș, Livezeni, Sântana de Mureș, Sâncraiu de Mureș, Corunca, Cristești and Ceuașu de Câmpie. Two villages, Mureșeni (Meggyesfalva) and Remetea (Remeteszeg), are administered by the city.

Distances between the city and some of the major cities in Romania:

 * Bucharest: by rail 448 km, by road 330 km
 * Brașov by rail 282 km, by road 168 km
 * Constanța by rail 642 km, by road 548 km
 * Cluj-Napoca 127 km by rail, by road 101 km
 * Iași by rail 505 km, by road 310 km
 * Sibiu by rail 189 km, by road 112 km
 * Timișoara by rail 344 km, by road 327 km

Climate
Târgu Mureș has a continental climate characterised by warm dry summers and relatively cold winters. Winter temperatures are often below 0 C. Throughout the year there are 38 days with snow, and more than 60 days when the snow covers the ground. In summer, the average temperature is between 18 C and 19 C (the average for June, July and August), even though temperatures sometimes reach 36 C during this period. On average, there are 143 days with precipitation over the course of the year, most frequently in December with 16 days and the least in August, September and October with 8 rainy days. The average annual temperature for Târgu Mureș is 8.6 C. The lowest temperature registered in the city is -32.8 C, recorded in 1942 and 1963. The highest temperature, 39 C, was recorded in 1936.

Demographics

According to the 2021 census, Târgu Mureș had a population of 116,033, a decrease from the figure recorded at the 2011 census. The city is home to the largest urban Hungarian community in Transylvania, surpassing those of Sfântu Gheorghe, Cluj-Napoca and Oradea. The 2002 census was the first to show the Hungarians as a local minority. The city is officially bilingual and both Romanian and Hungarian languages are recognised as official and used in public signage, education, justice and access to public administration; however, in case of commercial signage and advertisements, the bilingual signage is usually used only by Hungarian-owned companies. Roma people make up 2.97% of the city's population, which is considerably lower than their proportion of 9.68% in Mureș County.

Ethnic communities
Ethnic structure evolution from 1850 until 2021:

Economy

At present in Târgu Mureș there are over 8,500 private companies and several state-owned companies.

The various industrial sectors are:
 * Chemical industry (Azomureș)
 * Pharmaceutical industry
 * Food industry:
 * Bread industry (Mopan)
 * Dairy industry
 * Wood industry
 * Textile industry

Personalities
Many personalities have been born or lived in the city and helped shape it in different fields: Natives

Tamás Borsos (1566–after 1633)

Petru Maior (1756–1821)

Elek Dósa (1803–1867)

Farkas Deák (1832–1888)

Vasile Hossu (1866–1916)

Gyula Vályi (1855–1913)

Gyula Ostenburg-Moravek (1884–1944)

József Molnár (graphic designer) (1907–1983)

József Dudás (1912–1957)

Residents

János Baranyai Decsi (1560–1601)

Péter Csokás (d. 1587)

Péter Apor (1676–1752)

György Aranka (1737–1817)

Sámuel Teleki (1739–1832)

Gheorghe Șincai (1754–1816)

Farkas Bolyai (1775–1856)

János Bolyai (1802–1860)

Avram Iancu (1824–1872)

Places of worship
The Reformed Fortress Church is the oldest church in the town. According to historical evidence, less than a century had passed after the first appearance of the Franciscan order in Transylvania, Hungarian Kingdom, that the Franciscan friars arrived at Vásárhely. The building of the church took an entire century, from the middle of the 14th century until the middle of the 15th and it consisted of a monastery building, an older chapel, the church and the steeple. The church was finalized between 1400 and 1450. The church may have been originally decorated with frescos, as traces of mural paintings were found inside. The almost complete disappearance of these paintings is due to the fact that the church became the property of Protestant believers in 1557. The religious reform required for churches to have no paintings, statues or religious frescos.

The existence of the Franciscan order in Vásárhely was directly affected by the religious reform which was largely spread in Transylvania during the 16th century. In 1557, the influence of the Reformed Church over the Hungarians in the town was so strong that it eventually led to the confiscation of the properties of Catholic monastic orders. Franciscan friars, who until that time had been attending the church in the fortress, were forced to leave town. They returned after nearly two centuries when the political climate had become favorable to Catholicism due to the instauration of the Habsburgs in Transylvania. They bought the land in the center of the town where they built a new church and monastery by 1777. The tower, the only part that is still standing, was added to the church's façade in 1802 by architect János Topler. In 1971 the municipality decided to demolish the monastery to create the necessary space for the construction of the National Theater and the square in front of it. A new church was built in 1972 for the Franciscans on Libertății street.

At the beginning of the 18th century, one of the most representative Baroque churches of Transylvania was built in the town. St John the Baptist Church was erected in the North-Eastern part of the city center and belongs to the Roman Catholic parish. The inside of the church is luxurious, with liturgical objects that are true works of art. The main altar, made in 1755 by Anton Schuchbauer and Johannes Nachtigal is of monumental dimensions and has a pseudo-architectural structure. The paintings of the altars in the lateral chapels: Saint Ladislaus I of Hungary, Saint Joseph, Saint John of Nepomuc, Holy Cross belong to the same Michael Angelo Unterberger. The stained glass windows made by the Türke Company of Grottau were installed in 1898.

The Great Synagogue (also known as the Big Synagogue) was built between 1899 and 1900 at the initiative of the Jewish community "Status Quo". The design of the building was drawn up by Gartner Jacob from Vienna and the construction works were coordinated by the Hungarian Pál Soós. The entire edifice is dominated by the central cupola. Each side of the central spire is decorated with a floral rosette similar to the ones on the façade. This type of window is also used several times on the lateral façades. The vast interior is richly decorated, both with shapes and color. The synagogue has 314 seats on the ground floor and 238 on the top floor. The most recent large scale remodeling of the building took place in 2000 when the walls were reinforced and the interior decoration was re-done.

The existence of the Unitarian faith in the town is linked to the name of Ferenc Dávid, founder of Unitarianism and the first Unitarian bishop. The political circumstances in Transylvania became favourable for Ferenc Dávid's activity as the Diet of Torda held between 1557 and 1568 granted freedom of faith to all religions in Transylvania. The Unitarianism became religio-recepta together with all the other Protestant faiths. The king of the state himself, John II Sigismund Zápolya became Unitarian. The Unitarian Church was built between 1929 and 1930 next to the old Unitarian prayer house dating from 1869.

Other sights
The first fortress in the town was erected in 1492 upon order of voivode Stephen Báthory, and was accomplished somewhere between 1602 and 1652 under judge Tamás Borsos. Having a pentagon plan, surrounded by a defense wall, the Citadel has seven forts, five of them bearing the names of the guild which – according to tradition – supported its maintenance: the leather dressers', the tailors', the butchers', the ironmongers', the coopers'. After the Citadel was taken over by the Austrian troops, it became the headquarters of the military garrison based in the town. In the meantime the Baroque style building was built (on the left hand side of the road in front of the entrance gate) and in the second half of the 18th century the construction works of the "barkey" were started, an addition finished in the 19th century. On the occasion of the Târgu Mureș days – which have as central point of performance the Citadel – a museum center was opened in the gate fort (erected in 1613) presenting the history of the town and of the Citadel.

The Teleki-Bolyai Library is a historic public library and current museum in the town. One of the richest Transylvanian collections of cultural artefacts, it was founded by the Hungarian Count Sámuel Teleki in 1802, at the time when Transylvania was part of the Habsburg monarchy, and has been open to the reading public ever since. It was among the first institutions of its kind inside the Habsburg-ruled Kingdom of Hungary. It houses over 200,000 volumes, of which many are rarities, constituting a comprehensive scientific database. The book collection is divided into several smaller libraries, of which the two main donations are the original 40,000-volume Teleki Library and the 80,000-volume Bolyai Library; the rest, grouped as the Miscellaneous Collection, is made up of several private libraries, volumes previously held by religious schools and those of a Franciscan friary. Overall, the library constitutes a collection of most traditional types of Transylvanian book.

The old City Hall was built in 1906–1907 after the construction plans of Márcell Komor and Dezső Jakab. The entrance area, including the corridor and the staircase leading to the first floor, is the most representative in this regard. The ribbed stellar vaults that cover this area were inspired by Gothic architecture. The vaults are supported by columns with composite caps, and the keystone is a large floral shape which includes the lighting appliance. The vaults are painted with spiraling vegetal motifs. Elements of the front hall include the stone bench with its legs shaped as those of an animal and with wing-shaped handles. Its shell-shaped, golden back has a shield flanked by two volutes on its upper side. Features of the monumental staircase leading to the first floor include the upper side of the banister resembling a slithering animal or a wave. The exterior decoration is simpler and is based on Hungarian-Székely folk motives made of polychromatic ceramics. The ground floor is marked by a solid, embossed pedestal. Windows with large openings tend to be predominant in the façade. The three semicircular windows in the middle area of the façade are those of the honor hall that has a double elevation with respect to the other rooms. The glass paintings which illustrated Gábor Bethlen, Francis II Rákóczi, Lajos Kossuth, Ferenc Deák and Franz Joseph I of Austria are missing from the halls.

The Palace of Culture is a remarkable construction in the city center. It was built upon initiative of the mayor of the town, György Bernády. Building works started in the spring of 1911. They contributed to the establishment of the distinctively flavored Hungarian Art Nouveau school in Transylvania by their works in Deva and Oradea. The plan is an irregular rectangle, with protuberances on the sides and at the extremities. The building has five floors: a tall ground floor, a mezzanine and three floors differentiated by the use of various construction materials. The façades are characterized by bi-dimensionality and by a liniar-rectangular style, with only a few curvilinear elements: the six bow-windows covered by semi-caps above the main portal and the circular balconies on the edges. The main entrance is in the middle of the façade on Enescu street and is made up of four massive doors, protected by an architectural element made of glass and with an iron framing. This element, as well as the doors decorated with iron floral motifs are typical for the early 20th century style. The exterior is richly decorated, with colored mosaic panels, with relieved scenes and busts of Hungarians. The mosaic on the main façade is an allegorical scene inspired by the Hungarian folklore. The cardboards were made by Nagy Sándor, a Hungarian artist, who founded with Körösföy Kriesch Aladár the School of Gödöllő. The art is characterized by bi-dimensionality and vertical rhythmicalness. Most of the mosaics and stained glass windows were authored by Róth Miksa, particularly those on the side facing Square.

The city skyline can be seen from Cornești Heights [in Hungarian: Somostető].

Culture
Târgu Mures is home to the Palace of Culture concert hall which is situated in the heart of the city. Weekly classical concerts are performed here by the Târgu Mureș State Philharmonic Orchestra.

On the other side of the city center is the Târgu Mureș National Theater with two companies, Tompa Miklós (performances in Hungarian language) and Liviu Rebreanu (performances in Romanian language). Beside the main companies, there are also alternative underground theater companies called Yorick Studio and Teatru 74.

The city was home to the Peninsula / Félsziget Festival, Romania's former biggest music festival.

Mayor
Dorin Florea had three investigations from National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) and did not run for another term in 2020.

In 2016, Dorin Florea obtained 42.95% of votes and won against Soós Zoltán (40.23%).

In 2020, Zoltán Soós obtained 50.53% of the vote (considerably more than supported UDMR for the local council: 44.57%). The runner-up obtained 17.06%.

Local Council
The local Municipal Assembly has 23 members:

Turnout at the 2016 elections was 50.87% and in 2020 was 45.92% of the total registered voters.

Education
Târgu Mureș is an important centre for general and higher education. The most important high schools are the Alexandru Papiu Ilarian National College, Unirea National College and the Hungarian-speaking Bolyai Farkas Elméleti Líceum. The latter is a continuator of the traditions of the Schola Particula, established in Târgu Mureș in 1557, and of the Reformed College banished from Sárospatak at the beginning of the 18th century. The establishment was one of the first schools of the Reformed Church in Transylvania, was first working in the old building of the Franciscan friary in the fortress, and had Baranyai Decsi Czimor János, Tordai Ádám, Laskói Csókás Péter as teachers, as well as others. After being sacked in 1601 and 1602, the Schola was moved into another building, on the place of the present high school. For centuries it had accommodated the Reformed College and the present high school. The present aspect was acquired at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. The main statue, facing Bolyai square was erected following the design of architect Baumgarten Sándor in 1908–1909, in Hungarian Secession style. Târgu Mureș also has a "School of Arts" (in Romanian Liceul de Artă; in Hungarian Művészeti Líceum) which was set up in 1949. The school offers young musicians and children interested in graphic arts the best education in the county. Along the book-learning, the children attend music theory classes, musical instruments (violin, piano, violoncello, viola, double bass, flute, harp, trumpet, tube, trombone, bassoon, clarinet, oboe, horn, percussion instruments etc.) and graphic arts classes.

Renowned public universities like the University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology (UMFST) (founded in 1945) and University of Arts (1946) account for more than 10,000 students. Other universities are the Sapientia University (2001), a private institution of Hungarian higher education in Transylvania, and Dimitrie Cantemir University (1991).

Health care
Târgu Mureș has a well-developed healthcare system. It consists of:
 * 3 hospitals
 * Târgu Mureș Emergency Clinical County Hospital (the biggest in the county) with 11 specialized units
 * Târgu Mureș Emergency Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases and Transplant
 * Mureș County Clinical Hospital with 7 specialized units
 * 36 medical offices
 * 9 clinics
 * Over 80 pharmacies
 * Ambulance service and SMURD

In medicine, units in the city are equipped with efficient equipment and highly specialized medical staff, among which stand out: the County Hospital, Emergency County Hospital (which is a regional unit), Institute of Prehospital Emergency Medical Care, Mobile Service Emergency Resuscitation and Extrication (SMURD), who at the time of its appearance was a national pilot project, and the Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases and Transplantation units under the direct authority of the Ministry of Health.

The city's medical services are exerted beyond city and county, with more than 30% of hospital patients in the Târgu Mureș Emergency County Hospital coming from other counties.

Târgu Mureș is a major academic center in medicine. The Faculties of Medicine and Pharmacy of the UMFST offers a wide range of fields, such as medical and military medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, dental technology, surgical and emergency care. It has a multicultural and multilingual status, national education law. Education is available both in Romanian and Hungarian, and also in English. Research programs are carried out both within the institution and in the hospital, there are several research projects conducted with partner institutions abroad.

Road
There are several important roads that pass near the city or even through it: DN13, DN15, DN15E, and E60. The Transylvania Motorway (also known as A3), which is still under construction on some segments, passes near Târgu Mureș. Another highway that will be connected to the city is the East-West Motorway (A8) (also known as The Union Motorway), which starts in the eastern part of the country, at the Romanian border with Moldova in Ungheni, and will connect Iași to the A3 near Târgu Mureș. The contract for the design and execution of two sections of the A8 was signed in September 2023 and February 2024 respectively, while other sections of the motorway are being tendered or in various stages of planning.

Rail
Romanian main-line railways are operated mainly by Căile Ferate Române (CFR). There are three railway termini in Târgu Mureș, South (southbound), Central, and North (northbound), operating both domestic and international rail services. The town is one of the main stops of the routes of MÁV: Mureș InterCity, Hargita InterCity. A tourist narrow gauge line (which formed part of an extensive narrow gauge system closed in the 1990s) to Band is operated at certain times of the year.

Air
The city is served by Târgu Mureș Transilvania Airport, which provides both domestic and international flights. The airport was renovated in October 2005. It is the second busiest airport in Transylvania after the Cluj International Airport.

Public transport
Only buses are used for public transport. The city's transport operator is SC Transport Local SA. Since 2020, there have been various modifications related to transport in Târgu Mureș, including the addition of new bus lines (three of which are exclusively used for students), the modernization of the bus fleet, and the implementation of digital ticket payment. On Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays, trips are free. Additionally, students can use public transport for free with a special bus pass.

Sports
Târgu Mureș is represented in many sports, including: football, handball, basketball, futsal and volleyball.

Two football teams are based in the city: CSM Târgu Mureș and ACS MSE Târgu Mureș. Historically, the city's most successful clubs are ASA Târgu Mureș and ASA 2013 Târgu Mureș. The former was dissolved in 2007, its biggest achievement being its participation in three editions of the UEFA Cup during the '70s. The latter, founded in 2008, had a relatively short existence, being dissolved in 2017, but managed to win the 2015 Romanian Super Cup.

BC Mureș is the city's basketball team. It plays in the First Romanian League. In the 2012–13 season, the club reached its highest achievement yet. It was the first time in club history when BC Mureș won the regular season. Eventually they finished second after losing in the final 4–2 to CSU Asesoft Ploiești.

CSU Medicina represents Târgu Mureș in the women's volleyball league. The team has been a constant presence in the top flight of Romanian volleyball in the last 15 years.

Târgu Mureș is also known for its bowling team, Electromureș.

The city has the 3 times national champion futsal team City'us Târgu Mureș, team who also competed in the UEFA Futsal Champions League.

Romania's largest racetrack, Transilvania Motor Ring, is located near the city.

Military
The Romanian Special Operations Forces Command is headquartered in Târgu-Mureș.

Local media

 * Printed media
 * Cuvântul liber
 * Zi de zi
 * 24 de ore mureșene
 * Vásárhelyi Hírlap
 * Népújság
 * Ziarul de Mureș (weekly paper)
 * Infomația de Mureș (weekly paper)
 * Flash (weekly advertisement)
 * Piața Mureșeană (weekly advertisement)
 * Központ (weekly paper)
 * Ziarul de Mureș (weekly paper)
 * Infomația de Mureș (weekly paper)
 * Flash (weekly advertisement)
 * Piața Mureșeană (weekly advertisement)
 * Mediatica.ro
 * EuroMaros.ro
 * kakukk.ro

 * Radio
 * Radio Tîrgu Mureș/Marosvásárhelyi Rádió
 * Rock FM
 * Kiss FM
 * Radio GaGa
 * Radio 21
 * Magic FM
 * Europa FM
 * Erdély FM

 * Television
 * TTM – Televiziunea Tîrgu Mureș
 * TVR Târgu Mureș
 * Știi TV
 * Mureș/Maros TV
 * ProTV Tîrgu Mureș
 * Prima TV Tîrgu Mureș
 * Antena 1 Tîrgu Mureș
 * Erdélyi Magyar Televízió
 * Realitatea TV Tîrgu Mureș
 * Duna TV Marosvásárhely

Twin towns – sister cities
Târgu Mureș is twinned with:

title: Târgu Mureș


text:
Southwark tube station

Southwark is a London Underground station in the London Borough of Southwark at the corner of Blackfriars Road and The Cut. It is between and  stations on the Jubilee line, and is in Travelcard Zone 1. It was opened on 20 November 1999 as part of the Jubilee Line Extension. The station is somewhat west of historic Southwark, which is served by Borough and London Bridge stations. Its entrance is across the road from the disused Blackfriars Road railway station.

History
The original plan for the Jubilee Line Extension did not include a station between those at Waterloo and London Bridge; Southwark station was added after lobbying by the local council as well as North Southwark and Bermondsey MP Simon Hughes.

The architects MacCormac, Jamieson, Prichard were appointed in January 1991 by the Jubilee Line Extension design team led by Roland Paoletti. Planning approval for the station was given in 1992, with the contract to built the station and adjacent tunnels awarded to a joint venture of Aoki Corporation and Soletanche in November 1993 at a cost of £64 million. Construction began in 1994, with tunnelling beginning in April 1995.

Built on a cramped site, with its platforms underneath the Victorian main line viaduct between Waterloo East and London Bridge stations, the station presented significant technical and architectural difficulties which were resolved by constructing two concourses at different levels. Substantial compensation grouting was required to stablise the railway viaducts. The station opened with the final phase of the Jubilee Line Extension on 20 November 1999.

Although it is close to Waterloo, not near the Bankside attractions it was intended to serve, and its only National Rail interchange is to London Waterloo East main line station; the passenger usage matches those of other minor central stations. It does however get over twice the traffic of nearby Borough station, and around three times that of Lambeth North.

Design
The station was designed by Sir Richard MacCormac of MacCormac, Jamieson, Prichard. Jubilee Line Extension project director Hugh Doherty called the station a "remarkable feat of engineering".

The upper concourse is the centrepiece of the station. It is a space 16 m high with a glass roof that allows daylight to enter deep into the station. It is faced with a spectacular glass wall, 40 m long, consisting of 660 specially cut pieces of blue glass, which was designed by the artist Alexander Beleschenko. MacCormac said the design of this and the lower concourse was inspired by a stage set design by 19th-century Prussian architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel for The Magic Flute. The wall is one of the extension's more celebrated architectural features, winning critical approval and a number of awards.

The two platforms have platform screen doors which are meant to prevent passengers or debris from falling onto the tracks. They are connected at each end to the lower concourse which is a simple tunnel between the platforms and is illuminated by glass and steel "beacons" at each end, and is faced with stainless steel panels, deliberately left unpolished. Stairs lead up to a section of high floor in the central area of the tunnel, from where three narrow tube-like escalator shafts lead sideways (south) to the higher concourse.

One end of the higher concourse connects to Waterloo East station, and the other end to the station's modest low-rise entrance building which is intended as a base for a future commercial development.

In 2000, the station was awarded a Royal Institute of British Architects Bronze medal, as well as being named Royal Fine Arts Commission/British Sky Broadcasting Building of the Year.

Connections
London Buses routes 40, 63 and night routes N63 and N89 serve the station.

Nearby sights

 * Shakespeare's Globe
 * Young Vic theatre
 * Old Vic theatre
 * Tate Modern

title: Southwark tube station


text:
Bermondsey tube station

Bermondsey is a London Underground station. It is in the eastern part of Bermondsey in the London Borough of Southwark and also serves the western part of Rotherhithe, in south-east London.

The station itself was designed by Ian Ritchie Architects. Although it was originally intended to have a multi-storey office building on the top, London Underground have yet to realise the second phase of the scheme.

It is on the Jubilee line, having been built as part of the Jubilee Line Extension between and  stations. It is notable for its extensive use of natural light. The main station entrance is on the south side of Jamaica Road. The station is in Travelcard Zone 2.

History
The station was opened on 17 September 1999.

In 2002, a plaque to Dr Alfred Salter - who worked to improve the "living conditions of the poor in the Bermondsey area" in the 20th century - was unveiled by local MP Simon Hughes. The station had been built on the site of Salter's former doctors surgery.

Station design
Like its extension counterparts, Bermondsey station was designed with a futuristic style in mind by Ian Ritchie Architects. Extensively using natural light, it is built in both a cut-and-cover and tube design. The cut-and-cover section is supported by latticed concrete beams allowing light to penetrate to the platform level. The escalators down to this area are lined by flat concrete with a high ceiling to give a feeling of spaciousness. The bored section is encased with metal to keep in line the futuristic and metallic theme of the extension. As with all other deep level stations on the Jubilee Line Extension, Bermondsey station has platform screen doors for passenger safety and comfort.

Connections
London Buses routes 47, 188, 381 and C10 and night routes N199 and N381 serve the station.

title: Bermondsey tube station