luxury real estate for sale Sibiu, Romania

In one of the old royal cities of the Habsburg Empire, the one called Elisabetopole, Elizabetopolis, Ibașfalău, Ibișfalău, Bășcăleț, Elisabethstadt, Epeschdorf, or Erzsébetvároș, there is a bright and bold building catching the eye instantly. It is centrally located, on one of the main arteries and near the Armenian cathedral, the one that lost one dome. Featuring an imposing tower guarding the corner and elegantly outlined blue frames against the bright white façade the has distinction. Built in 1881, it wears its age gracefully, having been recently renovated. The internal partitioning has created spacious and bright rooms, both on the ground floor (living room, three bedrooms, kitchen, two bathrooms) and upstairs (three bedrooms, an office, living room, and two bathrooms, one with access to the Finnish sauna). The fireplace stove warms a 40 sqm living room. The vaulted cellar with a brick floor, maintaining controlled temperature, is the perfect place for a private wine cellar, while the garden with lawn and fruit trees is the ideal option for peaceful afternoons. Breakfast can be enjoyed in the pavilion, where hearty meals can also be organized for loved ones, in its 9 sqm summer kitchen with a bread & pizza oven. The garage accommodates two cars. The town of Dumbrăveni, one of the ten royal free cities, enjoys the benefits of multiculturalism, with Romanians, Hungarians, Jews, Saxons, and Armenians living in and beautifying it. In the 16th century, Grigore Apafi built the feudal castle in the form of a citadel, which now operates as the Museum of Transylvanian Armenians, and the Armenian community erected a cathedral here in the 18th century. Dumbrăveni is situated between Sighișoara and Mediaș, having touristic Biertan, Viscri, and Via Transilvanica in close proximity. photo Florin Pepene

In a gentle valley, between Copșa Mare and Sighișoara, there is a Saxon settlement created by worthy people who built decent houses, nicely aligned with the main street. Proud, with a pitched roof and stuck together by opaque gates firmly fixed in the masonry, they can be seen from above like those Dutch ceramic houses brought as souvenirs from some Nordic holiday. Between these houses there is a beautifully renovated compound, a handful of buildings surrounding an inner courtyard with short grass and slight bumps reminiscent of childhood weed. The tile roof in a myriad of shades - brick, chocolate, orange, scarlet - is proof of the attention paid to the use of building materials specific to the area, patiently identified and carefully installed to the delight of the eye and the soul. On the street, the façade has a restrained color scheme, but the houses in the courtyard have whitewashed walls to let the sky be reflected in the shutters; however, the houses are modestly elegant, as befits Saxon dwellings. The interior is bright and the cellar, composed of rooms that communicate with each other, takes your breath away - vaulted, made of brick, it is more than generous and full of potential. The property consists of three distinct residential buildings situated on a 3756 sqm plot of land. The main house, built in 1884 and recently completely renovated with great taste and a passion for authenticity, has a footprint of 344 sqm and a total floor area of 527 sqm. The ground floor is fully furnished and equipped with careful attention to preserving and enhancing the building's character. The cellar is spectacular and invites the imagination to consider various uses: a noble wine cellar, a spa area reminiscent of top hotels, or a special relaxation zone. The second building has a footprint of 356 sqm, is entirely on the ground floor, and is currently a blank canvas, allowing the future owner the opportunity to transform it according to their preferences and the intended use of the property. Additionally, there is a separate annex building of 43 sqm currently used as a laundry facility. The area lends itself to rural tourism, as the fortified churches of Copșa Mare, Biertan and Mediaș (whose picturesque center combines Gothic with Renaissance, Neoclassical, Baroque and Secession styles), the tuberoses of Hoghilag (festival in August), Via Transilvanica, the famous Viscri and the beautiful fortress Rupea as well as the medieval fortress Sighișoara and the Bethlen Criș castle are just some of the sights that attract more and more tourists to the area.

There is much to say about this property located ad litteram at the foot of the Cindrel Mountains, whose forest begins 30m away but, of all the features, the autonomy given by the carefully chosen technologies puts it in a special category - that of sustainable houses, friendly to the nature in the middle of which they are located (also, we do not ignore the fact that independence from public grid comes with financial benefits). The main option for energy independence is the installation of photovoltaic solar panels on the roof of the house - the owner has already filed for the “Green House” program for a 5 kW-installation. Erected in 2015, the building has an area of 203 square meters, with the first level made of monolithic reinforced concrete for the safety of the building, and the second level having walls made of wooden beams (the thermal system is made of basalt mineral wool of 20 cm for a maximum thermal comfort). The building is designed to withstand earthquakes with a magnitude of over 7.5 degrees on the Richter scale; the foundation depth is 2.5 meters, and the roof has profiled sheet metal and a gutter defrosting system. The water for domestic consumption comes from the local groundwater and is captured through two wells equipped with home supply systems, but there is also an alternative source - a rainwater collection system that supplies two tanks with a total capacity of 12,000 liters. Wastewater is collected in a 2-compartment drainable septic tank. Drinking water will be brought in the spring - the project is underway. There is a three-phase power supply, the installed power being of 12 kw. The entire system is protected by a voltage stabilizer and a 4.5 kW diesel generator automated for the entire property. Thermal comfort is provided by a gas-fired boiler plus a Viessmann wood-fired boiler with a 1000l buffer (the bathrooms have underfloor heating). A pressurized solar panel and a 200l electric boiler provide hot water separately from the plant. A Daikin system is responsible for the air conditioning of the house; there is high speed fiber optic internet. The security of the property is ensured by the video surveillance and burglar alarm system, and the fire protection with a DSC system. Privacy is guaranteed by windows with double-glazed windows and Spiegel foil. All these impressive facilities are spread on 1350 or 1800 sq m of land (with a street front of about 60 m) on which there are a house with 4 rooms, a gazebo, annexes, carport and a private road and swimming pool. On the ground floor, the focal point is the fireplace, the work of the famous Mihai Iancovescu, restorer of the Brukenthal National Museum; it makes the relaxation area have sleek accents for quiet and comforable living. The adjacent cooking & dining area is flooded at dusk by a golden light; evening is also a good time to sit on the terrace and gaze far away to the Făgăraș Mountains. As a reliable help for the living space, the basement houses a summer kitchen, the laundry room, a wine cellar and one technical room (the pantry is attached to the kitchen on the ground floor). The sleeping area means three bedrooms (the master bedroom comes with a dressing room), two bathrooms, a hall and a technical room. Two of the bedrooms have access to the rustic terrace facing east. Outside, in the courtyard lined with trees that bear delicious fruits, there is a gazebo that is perfectly equipped for outdoor dining having a pizza oven, grill, heater and foil closure plus bathroom and storage. In addition to this pavilion on the property there are seven outbuildings, with metal doors, carport and a cellar with access from the outside. The area is quiet and green, and the fact that it is surrounded by large private properties guarantees a peaceful future, without construction sites (in addition, the road is private and has a low traffic of less than three cars/ day).