Hermannstadt / Sibiu · Since 1990
We help shape it!
We live community in German –
through Transylvanian Saxon folk dance, culture, fresh ideas and the joy of creating together.
Hermannstadt brings us together.
Vienna, Austria
Children’s dance group Since September 2026
The next steps?
Let’s take them together.
Dancing together. Keeping tradition alive.
The children’s dance group of the German Youth Forum Hermannstadt was founded in September 2026. Children in grades V–VIII at German-language schools learn Transylvanian Saxon dances, make friends and become part of a community.
Our weekly rehearsals
Rehearsal day
Every Monday
Start the week dancing together
Meeting place
Hall of Mirrors
German Forum · Hermannstadt
Start time
from 8:00 pm
Grades V–VIII
Founded
September 2026
Grades V–VIII
Rehearsals take place every Monday from 8:00 pm in the Hall of Mirrors at the German Forum. We rehearse in German and keep the Transylvanian Saxon dance tradition alive together.
About us
Our roots.
Your ideas.
Tradition lives when we share it.
The German Youth Forum Hermannstadt brings together German-speaking children and young people from Sibiu and the surrounding region. We learn dances, build friendships and try out new ideas.
The language and culture of the Transylvanian Saxons connect generations. We carry them forward at rehearsals, celebrations and in everyday life. Families, friends and visitors are part of this community.
Closely connected with the German Forum Hermannstadt, the German Youth Association of Transylvania (DJVS) and the Association of German Youth Organizations in Romania (ADJ).
Youth forum founded
1990
Folk dance group founded · September
1990
Couples at the heart of the dance group
20+
Years of living dance tradition
35+
You belong here
Together, we make
more happen.
From your first rehearsal to a shared project: bring your curiosity. And your friends, too.
01 / Dance
Learn the steps.
Grow together.
Transylvanian Saxon folk dance, regular rehearsals and performances in Hermannstadt, across Romania and beyond. You can join without any dance experience.
02 / Get together
From strangers
to friends.
Film and game nights, team challenges, conversations and spontaneous ideas: the youth forum club is a meeting place for young people.
03 / Take part
Good ideas
need all of us.
Maifest, the Crown Festival, Saxon gatherings, youth exchanges and workshops. We organize, lend a hand and bring culture into view together.
1990
Founded in September.
Still moving together today.
Transylvanian Saxon folk dance
Old dances.
New stories.
Our folk dance group was founded in September 1990 under the guidance of Hans-Bruno Fröhlich. It is a stage, a place to learn and a circle of friends. With every shared step, we pass on a piece of Transylvanian Saxon culture.
You can start fresh.
You learn the basic steps, figures and stage routines with the group. No previous dance experience is required.
You have something to contribute.
German language skills and an interest in Saxon culture bring us together. The group welcomes people from different backgrounds.
We carry culture forward.
Performances, encounters and trips connect our hometown with people across Romania and other countries.
Tuesdays · 8:00 pm
Established folk dance group · Hall of Mirrors at the German Forum
From our repertoire
Memories that stay
Real people.
Good times together.
Sometimes in traditional dress, sometimes in everyday clothes. Always with people who share a connection.
Our year together
September 2026
Our children’s dance group is here
Founded in September, the children’s group rehearses every Monday from 8:00 pm in the Hall of Mirrors at the German Forum.
↗
August 20, 2026
Folk dance connects generations
Sebastian Arion talks to Tribuna about tradition, the next generation and intercultural dialogue.
↗
August 2026
Experiencing Saxon culture and passing it on to the next generation.
↗
May 2026
Dance, traditional dress and young community in the heart of our city.
↗
September 2025
35th Saxon gathering in Zeiden / Codlea
A celebration of connection, tradition and a shared future.
↗
Since 1990. Looking ahead.
A story
still unfolding.
On February 23, 1990, around 30 young people gathered in the assembly hall of the Brukenthal School. They elected a board and laid the foundations of the German Youth Forum Hermannstadt.
“A path is made by walking it…”
The motto at the time · Anniversary brochure, p. 63
1990
February 23: An idea becomes a community.
Around 30 young people establish the German Youth Forum Hermannstadt at the Brukenthal School.
1990
September: The dance group is founded.
Under the guidance of theology student Hans-Bruno Fröhlich, the Saxon folk dance group comes together. It soon becomes the heart of the youth forum.
1992
Room for connection.
The youth hostel in Michelsberg / Cisnădioara is handed over to the forum, opening up new possibilities for youth work.
1995
Beyond the city.
At the end of 1995, the Hermannstadt youth forum initiates a regional umbrella organization for youth associations in Transylvania.
1996
A place for our own ideas.
The Evangelical parish provides a club room. It becomes a place to talk, celebrate and plan the next shared event.
2026
September: The children’s group begins.
A new generation joins the dance: since September 2026, the forum has also had a children’s dance group. It rehearses on Mondays from 8:00 pm in the Hall of Mirrors at the German Forum.
Today
The next generation helps shape our future.
We carry language, culture and community forward – open, confident and connected across Europe.
From the anniversary brochure
People and ideas that endure.
The brochure “10 Jahre Demokratisches Forum der Deutschen in Hermannstadt” records our beginnings. A look back at 1990–2000 and the people who helped shape that journey.
The first ten years
Carrying culture forward together
The young forum aimed to preserve and continue the cultural heritage of the Transylvanian Saxons and Romania’s German community. Regular gatherings, video evenings and the dance group founded in September 1990 brought young people together. The group soon performed at home and abroad.
Friendships across borders
Cooperation with the German Forum Hermannstadt and the Transylvanian Saxon youth organization in Germany gave youth work new momentum. Federation youth camps brought together young people from Transylvania, Germany, Austria, Canada and the USA.
Getting together and making a difference
After many members left in 1992–1993, the forum attracted young people with new activities. Disco nights drew hundreds; proceeds supported causes including the SOS Children’s Village in Heltau / Cisnădie and the Youth Red Cross. Carnival, the Grape Ball, hikes and seminars were also part of association life.
A voice of our own: “Der Punkt”
The youth magazine began as a forum initiative. At the time of the brochure, it was a 16-page monthly with a circulation of 500, published by ADJ. The Hermannstadt editorial team sent it to German youth organizations throughout Romania.
Boards 1990–2000
Historical overview from the brochure, pp. 140–141. The position of chair has existed since November 10, 1994; chairs highlighted in the brochure are identified below. “From September 30, 1999” reflects the situation when the brochure was published.
February 23, 1990 – March 13, 1991
- Ortwin Reiner Bonfert
- Hans Bruno Fröhlich
- Edith Herberth
- Sabine Klein
- Emil Olteanu
- Erich Türk
March 13, 1991 – September 10, 1991
- Hans Peter (Gusti) Borger
- Hans Bruno Fröhlich
- Edith Herberth
- Emil Olteanu
- Christian Sill
September 10, 1991 – October 7, 1992
- Hans Peter Borger
- Hans Bruno Fröhlich
- Benjamin Józsa
- Emil Olteanu
- Robert Baltres-Ungureanu
October 7, 1992 – October 20, 1993
- Hans Bruno Fröhlich
- Benjamin Józsa
- Emil Olteanu
- Harald Pepel
- Robert Baltres-Ungureanu
October 20, 1993 – June 8, 1994
- Jürgen Binder
- Benjamin Jozsa
- Karla Müller
- Robert Baltres-Ungureanu
- Winfried Ziegler
June 8, 1994 – November 10, 1994
- Jürgen Binder
- Wolfgang Bottesch
- Benjamin Józsa
- Agnes Köber
- Winfried Ziegler
November 10, 1994 – December 5, 1995
- Wolfgang Bottesch
- Benjamin Józsa
- Agnes Köber
- Emil Olteanu
- Winfried Ziegler chair
December 5, 1995 – November 12, 1996
- Benjamin Józsa
- Oana Lokodi
- Karin Schneider
- Horst Schuller
- Winfried Ziegler chair
November 12, 1996 – October 7, 1997
- Sigrun Galter
- Benjamin Józsa
- Oana Lokodi
- Karin Schneider
- Winfried Ziegler chair
October 7, 1997 – October 8, 1998
- Gustav Binder
- Alfred Dahinten
- Sigrun Galter
- Horst Schuller chair
- Christa Zäckel
October 8, 1998 – September 30, 1999
- Gustav Binder
- Nicolae (Miki) Leopold chair
- Ana Maria Neamțu
- Cynthia Pinter
- Otto Vásárhelyi
From September 30, 1999
- Alfred Dahinten
- Ioana Huluță
- Ana Maria Neamțu
- Vlad Popa
- Raimar Wagner chair
Youth work on the DFDH board
The brochure also documents the connection with the Democratic Forum of Germans in Hermannstadt. The following details reflect the situation at that time.
Youth work representatives
1990
Kilian Dörr
1990 – May 27, 1991
Udo Weber
1991–1992
Holger Lux
1993–1998
Martin Bottesch
Youth forum representatives from 1998
February 19 – October 8, 1998
Horst Schuller
October 8, 1998 – September 30, 1999
Otto Vásárhelyi
From September 30, 1999
Raimar Wagner
Source: “10 Jahre Demokratisches Forum der Deutschen in Hermannstadt”, section “Das Jugendforum der Deutschen in Hermannstadt (jfdh)”, pp. 63–64; “Vorstände … 1990–2000”, pp. 140–141; overview of youth work on the DFDH board. The dance group’s founding in September 1990 is documented on p. 63.
Your idea belongs here
Come as you are.
Help shape it.
Do you speak German, want to meet people and enjoy dance, culture or creating your own projects? Write to us. Parents and visitors are welcome to get in touch with their questions, too.
We look forward to meeting you.
German Forum Hermannstadt
Str. General Magheru 1–3
550185 Sibiu / Hermannstadt