Ocna Sibiului (; ) is a town in the centre of Sibiu County, in southern Transylvania, central Romania, to the north-west of the county seat, Sibiu. The town administers a single village, Topârcea (Tschapertsch; Toporcsa).
The first spa resort was established here in 1845, and since then Ocna Sibiului has earned a reputation thanks to its heliothermal lakes formed on the site of old salt mines that had collapsed.Beitrag zur Mineralgeschichte von Siebenbürgen. II. Teil. Geschichte des Steinsalzes und der Salzgruben im Grossfürstenthum Siebenbürgen [Contribution to the Mineral History of Transylvania. Part II: History of Rock Salt and Salt Mines in the Grand Principality of Transylvania], Johann Ehrenreich von Fichtel, Nürnberg, Verlag der Raspischen Buchhandlung, 1780.
There are several salt lakes (former collapsed salt mines) on the salt massif.Ion Al. Maxim, Contribuțiuni la explicarea fenomenelor de încălzire a apelor lacurilor sărate din Transilvania. Lacurile sărate de la Ocna Sibiului [Contributions to Explaining the Heating Phenomena of the Salt Lakes in Transylvania: The Salt Lakes of Ocna Sibiului], Revista Muzeului Geologic-Mineralogic, Universitatea. Cluj, Vol. IV, 1931.
The temperate climate, aerosol-rich air, annual temperatures above the regional average, and recent renovations of the spa infrastructure have helped restore the town’s popularity as a health resort.Ocna Sibiului - Mic indreptar turistic [Ocna Sibiului – Small Tourist Guide], Editura Sport-Turism 1986Florina Grecu, Ioan Mărculeț, Cătălina Mărculeț, Robert Dobre, Podișul Transilvaniei de sud și unitățile limitrofe. Repere geografice [The Southern Transylvanian Plateau and Adjacent Units: Geographical Landmarks], Editura Universității din București, 2008.
Ocna Sibiului is also of archaeological interest: Bronze Age tools (dating from approximately 1900–800 BC) have been discovered in the area and are currently exhibited at the Brukenthal Museum in Sibiu.Ocna Sibiului - Mic indreptar turistic [Ocna Sibiului – Small Tourist Guide], Editura Sport-Turism 1986
Demographics At the 2011 census, the town had 3,372 inhabitants, of which 89.4% were Romanians and 9.7% Hungarians. At the 2021 census, Ocna Sibiului had a population of 3,434; of those, 77.34% were Romanians, 6.61% Hungarians, and 2.82% Roma.
Natives Júlia Bányai (1824 – 1883), freedom fighter in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 Nicolae Cristea (1834 – 1902), Orthodox priest, professor, journalist, and political activist Ierusalima Gligor (1929 – 2021), nun, stavrophore, and hegumen Emil Hossu (1941 – 2012), actor (1908 – 1982), jurist and communist politician
See also Castra of Ocna Sibiului Lacul Auster Ocna Sibiului mine
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