Sibiu is a middle-sized, well-preserved fortified medieval town in central Romania, situated in the historical region of Transylvania (Romanian: Transilvania, German: Siebenbürgen or Transsilvanien). Located some 275 km north-west of Bucharest, the town straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the Olt River. Now the county seat (Romanian: oraș reședință de județ) of the Sibiu County, between 1692 and 1791 and 1849–65 Sibiu was the capital of the Principality of Transylvania (Romanian: Principatul Transilvaniei, German: Großfürstentum Siebenbürgen). During the Modern era, the Hecht hause in Sibiu served as the seat of the Transylvanian Saxon University (Romanian: Universitatea Săsească, German: Sächsische Nationsuniversität, Latin: Universitas Saxonum).