Entertainment Bucharest:: Museums


Home Forum Contact Us A Brief History The Communist Period Modern Bucharest Photo Gallery Embassies Hotels Short-term Rentals Long-term Rentals Estate Agencies Metro System Trams/Buses/Trolleys Taxis Trains Car Rentals Airlines Restaurants Bars/Cafes Night clubs Casinos Cinemas Theatres Opera Museums Art Gallaries Stag Parties Massage Escort Agencies Health, Fitness & Beauty Sports Clubs Dance Classes Dating Malls High Streets Supermarkets Street Markets Articles Advice Page		Museums Bucharest may not be as interesting as its Eastern and Central European counterparts of Vienna, Budapest and Prague, but it is not without its charms. The Peasant and Village Museums are particularly well-spoken of and the art museums provide a certain amount of interest, with a particular bias to the Romanian artists. The House of the People, Ceaucescu’s monstrosity of a building which required, sadly, the destruction of most of Bucharest’s old historic centre, is certainly worth a look. Entrance prices to the capital's museums vary but are very reasonable by western standards, mostly ranging between 3-10 Euro. The People’s House (Casa Poporului) 1 Calea 13 Septembrie Tel: 311 36 11 Fax: 312 09 02 E-mail: cic@camera.ro Open 10.00-16.00 Romania’s most famous building, largely because of its bloody past, is located at the end of Piata Unirii, its 12 floors standing 84m above ground, making the second largest building in the world after the Pentagon. Originally design to house Ceaucescu’s parliament, it is now used by the modern government for meetings and conferences as well as housing the museum of contemporary art. Most of the building, however, remains unused and unfinished. Rumours abound about the cost of construction, both in terms of human life and the immense drain its erection inflicted upon the Romanian economy. National Village Museum Dimitrie Gusti (Muzeul Satului) 28-30 Sos. Kiseleff Tel: 222 91 06/10/13 Open daily 09.00-17.00; closed Monday This museum was established by the sociologist Dimitrie Gusti in 1936 to preserve and present an ethnological collection of peasant architecture and domestic equipment from all around Romania. This open air museum covers around 30 hectares and exhibits hundreds of traditional houses, churches, windmills and other buildings along with various items from daily Romanian life. The Museum of the Romanian Peasant (Muzeul Taranului Roman) 3 Sos. Kiseleff Tel: 212 96 60/61 Fax: 312 98 75 E-mail: mtr@digicom.ro Web: www.muzeultaranului.ro Open daily 10.00-18.00; closed Monday One of Romania’s most popular museums, the Museum of the Romanian Peasant won the European Museum of the Year award in 1996 and eight other important distinctions since. Located in a neo-romanian style building built in the early part of the last century, the museum houses over 100’000 objects of noticeable artistic or aesthetic beauty collected from around the country representing the cultural and spiritual identity of the Romanian peasant. History Museum (Muzeul de Istorie) 12 Calea Victoriei Tel: 311 33 56 Open 10.00-17.00; closed Monday and Tuesday This national museum, although poorly presented and in need of some serious revitalization, houses the historical artefacts from Romania’s turbulent history. The treasury is rather impressive, if not huge but the main attraction remains the replica of Trajan’s column. This column, the original being in Rome, depicts the fall of the Dacians (Romania’s original inhabitants) to the invading Roman army. You can follow the story as you walk around the 100+ sections of the column, guided by explanations in both Romanian and English. Military Museum (Muzeul Militar National) 125-127 Str. Mircea Vulcanescu Tel: 212 60 07 Open 09.00-17.00; closed Monday As one would expect this museum exhibits various pieces of military hardware; rockets, tanks, helicopters, etc. The exhibition depicting the army's role in the 1989 revolution is of particular morbid curiosity. You can also find the space capsule which launch the first Romanian into space in 1981. The Bucharest City Museum (Muzeul Municipiului Bucuresti) 2 Bd. I.C. Bratianu Tel: 315 68 58 Open 10.00-18.00; Closed Monday and Tuesday Tickets: 20'500 ROL (10'000 ROL students, OAPs) A collection of artefacts discovered in the capital ranging from the Neolithic to the modern era. George Enescu Museum 141 Calea Victoriei Tel: 212 96 49/318 14 50 Open daily 10.00-17.00; closed Monday This museum is dedicated to the famous Romanian musician and composer George Enescu. It house collections of his works and documents from his life and the history of musical composition. National Art Museum of Romania (Muzeul National de Arta) 49-53 Calea Victoriei Tel: 314 81 19 Fax: 312 43 27 Open daily 10.00-18.00; closed Monday and Tuesday Romania’s national art museum is host to over 100’000 works of European art, both of Romanian and foreign origin. The building itself is of some interest originally being the Royal Palace until its conversion to an art museum shortly after the Second World War. Art Collection Museum (Muzeul Colectiilor de Arta) 111 Calea Victoriei Tel: 650 61 32 Open 10.00-18.00; closed Monday and Tuesday A series of collections of mostly Romanian artists and a few international pieces. Many of the masterpieces were unfortunately destroyed during the 1989 revolution so some important pieces are missing. National Museum of Contemporary Art Inside Casa Poporului Tel: 411 10 40 E-mail: info@mnac.ro Web: www.mnac.ro Open 10.00-18.00; closed Monday and Tuesday This newly-opened museum uses the vast open halls of the House of the People to display works of comtemporary art, both of Romanian and international origin. Communist Iconography Museum (Inside the Peasant Museum) A hall of the Museum of the Romanian Peasant dedicated to images from the Communist era. Pictures and busts of Stalin as well as a few pictures of the Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaucescu, which are very rarely seen around the country these days for obvious reasons. Cotroceni Museum 1 Bd. Geniului Tel: 430 61 71 Viewed by appointment only This palace was constructed in the 19th century for Queen Marie but was also a favourite haunt of the Ceaucescu family, being used for hosting functions. The grounds include a church destroyed by the dictator because he felt that it spoiled the view… Storck Museum 16 Str. Vasile Alecsandri Tel: 211 38 39 Open 09.00-17.00; closed Monday A short walk from Piata Victoriei is this beautiful house originally belong to the Storck family. Inside you can find various artefacts collected or created by its members. Technical Museum (Muzeul Technic) 2 Str. Gen. Candiano Popescu Tel: 336 93 90 Open 09.00-17.00; closed Monday and Tuesday This museum houses a variety of mostly antiquated artefacts of industrial or mechanical origin including old steam engines, cars, motorcycles and turbines from varies decades. The National Museum of Old Maps and Books (Muzeul National al Hartilor si Cartii Vechi) 39 Str. Londra Tel: 230 44 68 E-mail: muzeulhartilor@artelecom.net Open 10.00-18.00; closed Monday and Tuesday A lovely little collection of old books and maps located in the north of the city. Definitely worth a visit. Theodor Pallady Museum (Casa Melik) 22 Str. Spatarului Tel: 211 49 79 Open 11.00-18.30; closed Monday and Tuesday Although it only houses half a dozen of Pallady’s painting and a few sketches, this house is worth a visit simply because of its historic value, being the oldest house in Bucharest (1750).