Sibiu, Romania, Citizenship Registration, 1709-1857

About this collection

This collection contains records related to citizenship registration from the city of Sibiu (Hermannstadt) covering the years 1709 up to and including 1857. Known as Sibiu in Romanian, Hermannstadt in German and Nagyszeben in Hungarian, this city is located in Transylvania, Romania.

It is situated in the center of Romania near the Southern Carpathians mountain range and about 160 miles northwest of the capital Bucharest. Found within the city is an area known as the "Königsboden" (King's Base). This historic location, populated by Transylvanian Saxons, was autonomous for 700 years until 1867. By the 12th century in Transylvania (Siebenbürgen in German), Sibiu was already the most important Saxon settlement. Transylvanian Saxons are the oldest still existing group of German settlers in Eastern Europe. In this case, the term Saxon doesn't necessarily refer to a settler's place of origin, rather, it was used to designate various waves of German colonists.

In the 18th century Sibiu became the capital of the Habsburg territory known as the "Grand Principality of Transylvania." Colonists enjoyed privileged civil and tax entitlements. But in 1781 these privileges were abolished by an edict from Emperor Franz Joseph II. This led to conflicts over citizens' status and increased bureaucratic control. The records in this collection reflect this time period and serve as significant historical documents.

What you can find in the records

The records document fees paid to civil authorities by those applying to be citizens of Sibiu. Pages are handwritten in tabular format. Initially, Latin terms were often used, later entries were made in German. Generally the following details may be found:

• Year, Month, Day of Payment
• Last Name and Given Names of the Citizen involved
• Birthplace, Denomination, Occupancy, Profession

More about using this collection

Under "Browse this collection,” select the Year Range of the register desired.