Sibiu is a middle-sized, well-preserved fortified medieval town in central Romania, situated in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some 275 km (171 mi) north-west of Bucharest, the town straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the Olt River. Now the county seat of the Sibiu County, between 1692 and 1791 and 1849–65 Sibiu was the capital of the Principality of Transylvania. During the Modern era, the Hecht hause in Sibiu served as the seat of the Transylvanian Saxon University.

The union of Transylvania with Romania was declared on 1 December [O.S. 18 November] 1918 by the assembly of the delegates of ethnic Romanians held in Alba Iulia. The Great Union Day, celebrated on 1 December, is a national holiday in Romania that celebrates this event. The holiday was established after the Romanian Revolution, and celebrates the unification not only of Transylvania, but also of Bessarabia and Bukovina and parts of Banat, Crișana and Maramureș with the Romanian Kingdom. Bessarabia and Bukovina had joined with the Kingdom of Romania earlier in 1918.