About the Museum
Normal village life is of great historical importance in Romania. Each area in Romania has different homes and buildings that characterize it. The Ethnographic Museum in front of you displays hundreds of village homes from different areas in the country.
Farmer homes, wooden entrances, workshops, windmills and more, here the small details are very accurate. You can see houses with straw roofs, with piles of hay, wine barrels, and more. The details are even in the kitchen utensils, cooking ovens, agricultural carriages, and even the authentic clothes.
The Village Museum (Muzeul Satului) is located at the edge of King Michael I Park, and shows visitors the life in a typical Romanian village. It was inaugurated on May 10th, 1936 in the presence of King Carol II. It opened to the public about a week later. The plans for the museum were conducted by the author, playwright, and producer, Victor Ion Popa. Funding for the building came from the Royal Cultural Foundation.
Today the museum is one of the main tourist attractions in Bucharest. The size of the museum is about 100,000 square meters, and it includes 272 original buildings, and gives visitors a chance to see and learn about the lifestyle and their structures.
In order to build the museum, the houses were taken apart piece by piece, brought to Bucharest by trains, carriages, or boats, and reconstructed in the museum.
The most ancient building here was built in the 17th century, and the newest one is from the 19th century. There is a sort of community in the museum, and all their daily needs are met. Even their clothes are hand sown.
Tips
At the entrance to the museum there is a typical expensive souvenir shop.