Bucharest Museums

National Museum of Contemporary Art
(Muzeul National de Arta Contemporana)
Address: 1, Calea 13 Septembrie, entrance E4
Tel: (21) 411.10.40 Open: Wed. – Sun. 10:00am – 6:00pm; Closed Mon. & Tue. 
Admission charge

After the revolution in December 1989 that concluded Ceausescu’s dictatorship, and after public debate on the role and “necessity” of the House of the People—known worldwide for its megalomaniac proportions, it was decided that this building would host the two chambers of the Romanian parliament, an international conference center and some other state institutions. Until recently, the creation of a new contemporary art museum hadn’t been a top priority for anybody.  But the pressure to finish converting the palace has led authorities to combine needs and to grant the remaining
space—that is, the space that had been initially intended as private apartments for the Ceauşescu family—to a new cultural institution, even if the costs of the project called for a considerable financial contribution, the equivalent of half the country’s cultural budget. The projects of well-known artists of the 90s are noteworthy: Dan Mihaltianu, Teodor Graur, the Subreal group with their project The Castle in the Carpathians. Also individual projects by Iosif Kiraly and Calin Dan (members of the group), Ion Grigorescu – “Dialogue with Comrade Ceauşescu,”, or the projects of some very young artists including Vlad Nanca, Stefan Cosma, Irina Botea, and Alexandra Croitoru. The international exhibition was organized in collaboration with the Modern Art Museum of the city of Paris, the Palais de Tokyo (also in Paris), and the participation of major curators such as Obrichts and Nicolas Bourriaud, as well as with well-known international artists. Such participation demonstrates the interest that such a museum, in such a location, can inspire within the European environment. If the image capital is to be fully exploited, we might witness in the future spectacular projects that can take advantage of all the eccentric aspects that make the House of the People so unique in the world.
Bucharest Grigore Antipa Natural History Museum (Muzeul National de Istorie Naturala Grigore Antipa) Address: Sos. Kiseleff 1 Tel: 0040 21 312.88.63 Open: Wed. – Sun. 10:00am – 6:00pm; Closed Mon. & Tue. Admission charge
The Grigore Antipa National Museum of Natural History is most likely one of the top three best known cultural institutions of Bucharest , popular among the young and the old, and for many generations it's been a symbol and a gathering place which provides everytime a fascinating and interactive experience. It is the oldest and largest museum of this kind in the region, with collections of literally hundreds of thousands of objects, among these the largest and best collection of butterflies in the world.
A great place to be, very wisely organized, as it's exhibitions literally present the history of the natural world, from the beginnings to the contemporary age Recently renovated, this museum is the largest natural history museum in Romania, housing collections of reptiles, fish, birds and mammals. More than 300,000 artifacts and specimens are on display, including a dinosaur fossil. A whole floor is dedicated to sea life and features examples of whales, dolphins and seals. The museum also contains a beautiful butterfly collection.