Bucharest Museum of Romanian Peasant

 

Museum of the Romanian Peasant (Muzeul Taranului Roman) Address: 3, Sos. Kiseleff Tel: 0040 21 650.53.60 Open: Tue. – Sun. 10:00am – 6:00pm; Closed Mon. Admission charge Located next to Piata Victoriei (Victory Square) and Government of Romania Museum of the Romanian Peasant is one of the most visited places in Bucharest and presenting rural life in Romania over the past 500 years. The museum was founded in 1905 under the name of Ethnographical and National Art Museum.
In 1906 Carol I laid the foundation for the present building; the construction was stopped in 1916 and restarted in 1932. It was completed only in 1935, 29 years after it was started.  The red-brick building is an illustration of the neo-Romanian style inspired from the traditional architecture. In 1953, the communists "liberated" the building and sent the collection away to another a location.  The building was turned into a museum dedicated to the history of the Communist Party. In 1990 the museum returned to its old location.
The collection includes 18000 pieces of pottery and 20000 examples of national dress from all over the country, as well as carpets, icons, furniture, photographs and films documenting the customs of rural life. But what makes it special is the way the collection is arranged; the museum looks more like an art gallery than a museum. The display information is hand written on pieces of paper or illustrated by freehand sketches. In one of the galleries you can see a wooden church and in another a wooden peasant house. They also have some beautiful "troite" (crosses placed at crossroads or at the edge of a village). The museum building has an interesting story as well.  The Museum of Romanian Peasant is the winner of the European Museum of the Year Award for year 1996.
Most people consider the Peasant Museum the best museum in Bucharest, and one of the best in the country. the museum offers well laid out and presented exhibits which tell you all you need to know about the diverse and fascinating history of Romanian Peasant life around the country over the past four centuries.  There are exhibitions presenting all aspects of Romanian peasant life, from hand painted Easter eggs to terracotta pottery, religious icons, traditional clothing. Replicas of much of what is on display can be bought in the excellent museum shop.