Viaţa culturală cotidiană a germanilor din Sibiu în anii primului deceniu interbelic
The Cultural Daily Life of the Germans from Sibiu during the First Decade of the Inter-War Period

Summary/Abstract: The history of the daily life is a constant preoccupation lately for the researchers in Romanian. In this context, the paper presents only one aspect of the daily life of the city of Sibiu: the German (Saxon) population’s interest in culture. In 1920 they represented 51% of the total population, in 1930 37,8%, while in 1941 – 37%. As a result, the Saxon character of the city was maintained in the inter-war period, although there was also a Romanian cultural life blossoming in the city. There were friendly relations between the two cultures, but there were also moments of tension, caused for example by the placement of the bust of the Romanian historian and political leader George Bariţiu. The author analyzes the daily aspects of the main areas of cultural life. Sibiu was the focus center of German education in Transylvania. The teachers and the students were a permanent presence in the city life, due to their participation to festivities, conferences, shows. The professional, scientific, charity, sporting, musical, theatrical, etc. associations were an important element of the cultural life. Through their various activities, these associations were aiming at the education and learning of the Saxons, but they also offered several alternatives for leisure time. The article mentions the main Saxon publishing houses, book stores and libraries, as well as the museums, among which the Brukenthal Museum and the Natural History Museum stood out due to the richness and the high value of the exhibits. It then carries on with the presentation of the German musical and theatrical life in Sibiu in the first inter-war decade. Sibiu was also the main center of Saxon press. Twenty – one newspapers and magazines in German came to light here in 1921 and twenty-nice in 1930, among which some (two daily papers) reached not only all over Romania, but also the entire German speaking region (Germany, Austria, Luxemburg, Switzerland). In the '20s, the Saxons in Sibiu had several means of entertainment, beside the ones already mentioned (books, shows, conferences), such as: hiking trips, balls carnivals, sporting events, artistic exhibitions, etc. Upon researching the past of the cultural life of the Saxons in Sibiu, one comes across several manifestations which provided opportunities for learning, education and spare time activities. They all contributed to maintaining the developed cultural center image and occidental appearance of the city.

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