The Former Hungarian Crown Inn (Zur Ungarischen Krone) is a historic former inn on Ocnei Street in Sibiu, standing at the transition between the Upper and Lower Town. The present building dates mainly from the late 18th century, although it incorporates older fabric from earlier houses on the site.
Its position on one of the main routes between the Small Square and the Lower Town made it well suited to travelers, and the building was adapted specifically for use as an inn, with stables in the rear wing. After two years of work, the Hungarian Crown Inn opened in December 1840 with a coffee house and a casino on the upper floor. The property also functioned as a transport stop, reflecting the importance of Ocnei Street as one of the main approaches into the historic center.
The building soon took on other uses alongside hospitality. In 1848, Jikeli’s pharmacy moved here from the Small Square after nearby houses on Ocnei Street were demolished. It remained at the address until 1882, when Karl Jikeli transferred the pharmacy to the purpose-built house across the street. During the second half of the 19th century, the property belonged to pharmacist Karl Henrich, who also owned the Bear Pharmacy on the Small Square.
The building rises over a basement, ground floor and two upper levels, with the sloping terrain making the lower floors appear differently along Ocnei Street. Its façade is articulated by rectangular windows with decorative surrounds and volute-supported cornices, while two 18th-century trapezoidal chimneys survive above the roofline. The creation of the carriage access beneath the Bridge of Lies in 1860 also altered the lower part of the street frontage.
In the early 20th century, the former inn was used by the 12th Artillery Brigade until new military premises were completed on Calea Dumbrăvii. By then its original role as one of the city’s important inns had ended, but the building continued to reflect the mixture of hospitality, commerce and transport that had long characterized this busy connection between Sibiu’s Upper and Lower Town.
