Gușterița. Village, locality, neighborhood

 
The Gușterița neighborhood of Sibiu was an „independent” Saxon locality, which later, in the 1950s, was incorporated into the municipality of Sibiu.

Traces of habitation are much older in this area. The current territory dates back to the Stone and Bronze Age (copper and bronze scraps, tools, ornaments, pots and weapons), and in the area there have been found traces of Dacian habitation (storage of pots, tools and various Dacian belts). During the Dacian period, the settlement was called Cedonia.

The fortified church from Guşteriţa briefly presents us the medieval history of this place.
After the colonization of the area by the Saxons, Gușterița was called Hammersdorf (in German), meaning „Village of the Hammer” and Szenterzsebet (in Hungarian), meaning „Saint Elizabeth”. This was the subject of a documentary film made in 2004 by Eva Stotz: Earth in Your Hand.
The film analyzes the issue of the emigration of the Transylvanian Saxons to Germany, focusing on the particular case of the Saxons from Gușterița (the documentary can be watched at the Astra Film Studio in Sibiu).


1. Perimeter
The Gușterița neighborhood extends over an area of approx. 30 hectares.

2. Delimitation
The neighborhood is located in the north-eastern part of Sibiu, on the outskirts of the city and is delimited by the Sibiu Ring Road - A1 Motorway and the Cibin River in the West, the Gușterița Industrial area in the South and the Gusterița hills to the North and East.

3. Population
Gușterița is similar in size to the Lazaret area, but due to the fact that it is a neighborhood of mostly houses and the ground is slightly sloping, the number of people living in this neighborhood is much smaller.
Today, about 3,500 people live in the neighborhood.

4. Areas
The neighborhood is not divided into certain areas. However, some delimitations arose after the names of the main streets in the neighborhood, as follows:
- Viilor Street - known as the Viilor area or Panoramic Garden, since 2015, when the first residential apartment complex in the neighborhood was built, which bears the same name;
- Piotr Ilici Ceaikovski Street - known as the Ceaikovski area since 2017, when the second residential apartment complex in this neighborhood was built, the Green Residence complex;
- Dealul Gușteriței area which includes: Bradului Street, Mălinului Street, Gorunului Street and Maior Octavian Niță Street.
The main street in the neighborhood is Podului Street. It starts from the western part of the neighborhood (from the Sibiu Ring Road) and crosses the entire neighborhood up to the lower part, where the Gușterița Industrial Area is located.

5. Construction types
Until recently, the Gușterița neighborhood was considered an exclusive neighborhood of houses. The vast majority of homes are Saxon-style houses, on one level, modernized over the years.
After the year 2000, the construction of modern houses, duplexes, row or individual houses on several stories started, and in 2015 the first residential apartment complex was built.
Currently, the area is in full real estate development and many new residential projects are well underway.

6. Tourist attractions and institutions of interest
Although it is a neighborhood on the outskirts, far from Ground Zero of local tourism, the Gușterița neighborhood is considered, from a historical point of view, the oldest and richest neighborhood in Sibiu.
Due to rich archaeological material found here, the territory dates back to the Stone Age.
Monuments:
- Romanesque church from the 13th century;
- Lutheran Parish House, with the study of the scholar Johann Michael Ackner;
- Johann Michael Ackner memorial stone;
- Monument and Cross on Gușterița Hill – a superb view of the city of Sibiu;
- Hamlet of Gușterița;
- General’s Well;
- Falkenhayn’s Tower;
The Gușterița neighborhood is considered today a „prehistoric” place. However, the area is also beautiful for living. In the immediate vicinity there are shops, pharmacies, bus stations and taxi ranks, places of worship, gas stations, bed & breakfasts and green areas.

7. Distance to city center
Although it is considered a neighborhood on the outskirts, Gușterița is only 2 km away from the Large Square in Sibiu. After a 15-20 minute walk or a 3-5 minute car ride one can reach the heart of the city.

8. Infrastructure and public transport lines
In the immediate vicinity are the 2 access roads to the A1 Motorway: Henri Coandă Street and the Gușterița Industrial Area (Broscărie).
There are 2 public transport lines connected to the main arteries in Sibiu:
- Line 10 – Route - CEMA – Coposu Boulevard – Unirii Square – E.A. Bieltz St. – Zăvoi (round trip).
- Line 118 – Route – Gușterița – Coposu Boulevard – Alba Iulia St. – SC. Continental (round trip).


9. Parks and green areas
In the Gușterița neighborhood there are no parks specially designed for relaxation or for children, but the area is mostly surrounded by green areas.
Moreover, being 90% a neighborhood of houses, they benefit from their own yard and garden.
The most beautiful and perhaps unique view in Sibiu is the one from the Corss on Dăii Hill.

Photo credit: google.ro