The Art House of Sibiu

The ASTRA Museum has revitalized the medieval guild house in the historic center of Sibiu, transforming it into a training, certification and cultural center.

Ion Puican and Eugen Cojocariu, 15.11.2025, 14:01

The ASTRA Museum in Sibiu is one of the largest and most complex open-air museums in Europe, dedicated to the promotion of Romania’s material and intangible cultural heritage. Located in Dumbrava Sibiului, the museum brings together over 400 monuments of vernacular architecture – houses, workshops, churches, windmills, and traditional technical installations – these convey the universe of Romanian culture in all its ethnographic diversity.

In 2025, the ASTRA Museum in Sibiu was awarded one of the most important European heritage awards – European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra 2025, in the category Education, training and skills, for the project “House of Arts – Center of Activities regional resources”. The project was appreciated for the way it managed to transform a historic building in the heart of Sibiu into a living space of learning, work and community. Ciprian Ștefan, director general of the ASTRA Museum, provided us with more details about the winning project and about Romania’s rural resources:

“When we built this project, we thought about development, sustainability and everything that means living in a normality of human resources from the rural environment. Romania, at the moment is in a good position in Europe. We have the most important resource in the rural environment, the human resource. When we built the project, we had this building in the center of Sibiu, Casa Artelor, the Art House, with a rich history, quite rich and important for the development of the city. But at the same time we have created an educational component, thinking that the future of Romania’s intangible heritage depends on the next generation, who have to understand and make it their own it differently, as we, as a museum with an ethnographic profile, show the heart of society, in fact, what authenticity means, what tradition means. Because a lot threatens the traditional, all kinds of things reinterpreted and sitting in a discourse that is more political or more of image than reality.”

What were the strong points of the project “Arts House – Center of activities and regional resources” that brought the Romanian award?

“Certifying competence. This is like an “it’s a must” at European level. We have managed to do it at the national level. It came very well in the jury, because you think about the human resources that will have to work in the restoration. They work already and will have to work in restoration. And how to ensure that the historical monument, in time, will be well maintained, restored, but also valorized. In addition, the module in which we approach the component of sustainability, integration, but also strategic partnership with Norway and other public and private entities in Romania. There I think we have won, especially since we have involved the Sibiu community. …”

The ASTRA Museum is not only a museum of the past, but also a laboratory of the future of living heritage, which supports local communities and connects traditional Romanian values to the dynamics of contemporary Europe. The Director General of the ASTRA Museum, Ciprian Stefan, spoke to us in closing about upcoming projects:

” We are working on a project where I’m trying to have “Sibiu peasant blouse” as a geographical indication. The first, I think, in Romania. We don’t wait for anyone, we do our job. And, of course, in the center of Sibiului we have received a bastion with a building, and we want to build the “Astra Center for Education” in the center of Sibiu, so we come with a new offer, cultural education, in the central area. …”

The distinction awarded by the ASTRA Museum confirms Sibiu’s role as a European landmark in the field of living heritage and cultural education. It is a Romanian example of success now recognized throughout Europe.

The ASTRA Museum is not only a museum of the past, but also a laboratory for the future of living heritage, which supports local communities and connects traditional Romanian values to the dynamics of contemporary Europe. The Director General of the ASTRA Museum, Ciprian Stefan, spoke to us in closing about their upcoming projects:

“We are working on a project where we’re trying to have the “Sibiu peasant blouse” as a geographical indication. The first, I think, in Romania. We don’t wait for anyone, we do our job. And, of course, in the center of Sibiu we have were given a bastion with a building, and we want to set up the “Astra Center for Education” in the center of Sibiu, so we come with a new offer, cultural education, in the central area. …”

The distinction awarded to the ASTRA Museum confirms Sibiu’s role as a European landmark in the field of living heritage and cultural education. It is a Romanian example of success now recognized throughout Europe.