Cristian is one of the oldest Saxon villages in Transylvania. The first German colonists came here in the 12th century. Nevertheless, after 1989, most of the Saxons emigrated in Germany or Austria. Yet, this village still preserves strong influences of the Saxon culture.

What makes Cristian special (and unique in Romania), is its resemblance with New York due to the fact that its streets do not bear names, but numbers.

Moreover, Cristian is considered the capital of Storks in Romania.

The first data on the presence of storks in the area was collected in 1963 by Werner Klemm, who counted 15 occupied nests. In the 2004 recount, there were 29 occupied nests and 95 chicks (153 storks total). In 2008, prior to an official recount, 30 occupied nests have been counted.

Cristian is also home to a functioning observation point that films the life in a stork nest from the arrival of the adult pair in March until de departure of the stork family at the end of August. At the same location, members of the Friends of Storks Association have established a care center for wounded storks, which provided care for 6 storks in Winter of 2007/2008.