Transylvania, known in the German-speaking world as the homeland of the Transylvanian Saxons, has a history characterized by its diversity of peoples, confessions, and cultures, from which a modern, integrated Europe can learn a great deal. It has been shaped by unique developments compared to neighboring regions, even though the country can only look back on one and a half centuries of state independence. Located at the crossroads of several power blocs and cultures, its history is marked by Eastern Central European, Southeastern European, and Oriental influences, making a clear classification always a matter of debate. Harald Roth presents the history of Transylvania as a whole and attempts to overcome the positions of the various national historiographies of Romanians, Hungarians, and Saxons through a process of synthesis.