In a busy city like Bucharest it might seem odd to find farm houses, barns and watermills. Yet just within Romania’s picturesque capital lies a European ethnographic heritage: The Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum.
In this blog post, I’ll give you some information about this national museum and tell you why you should visit.
Keep reading to learn more!
The Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum: A Brief History
One of Bucharest’s oldest attractions, the Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum is an open-air ethnographic museum located in the Herastrau area.
It is often referred by the short name ” the village museum ” or the Romanian version “muzeul satului” rather than its full name.
The Village Museum was opened in 1936 following the guidance of Dimitrie Gusti (folklorist and sociologist), Victor Ion Popa (director and writer), and Henri H. Stahl (set designer).
The Village Museum is mostly made up of houses and constructions from all over Romania. The houses were carefully dismantled and then rebuilt in the museum.
The museum is open all year round and is considered to be a key tourist attraction of Bucharest and is praised by Romanians and foreigners alike.
What to expect at the Bucharest Village Museum
Basically, it is almost like a real rural settlement containing real houses, churches, watermills and windmills. This is set in such a way that visitors will get a glimpse into the traditional life in rural countryside Romania (as it was in the past couple of centuries).
The museum has a large and permanent exhibition of constructions , monuments, artifacts artifacts from the 17th till the 20th century. Of course, there are also temporary exhibitions, a research center, a library, and also a gift shop and an inn that has a restaurant.
Set in an excellent location, with plenty of trees and space, it is a place of tranquility that contains an impressive number of buildings, monuments and objects of great historical and artistic value.
Inside each of the houses a visitor can observe authentic items and decorations, even dishes, carpets, icons and furniture that express the creativity and spirit of the Romanian people.
Ho to get to Dimitrie Gusti Village Museum Bucharest:
Located near Herăstrău Park, and clos to the Triumphal Arch, the village museum is easily accessible if you are on a walking tour in the area, or via public transportation.
There are several bus lines including 131,205, 331,335 that stop directly outside the entrance, so it does not require a lot of walking or waiting for transport.
The closest subway station is Aviatorilor and it is approximately 20 minutes away (on foot).
Address: ȘOS. KISELEFF NR. 28-30, SECTOR 1, 011347, BUCUREȘTI, ROMÂNIA
Phone number: : 021 317 9103
Official website: https://muzeul-satului.ro/
Ticket prices/guided tours
At the writing time (December 2023) the village museum Bucharest entrance fee are as follows:
Adult – 30 Lei (~6 Euro) Retirees- 15LEI ( ~3 Euro) Students – 8 LEI ( 1.5 Euro)
Guided tours are available for groups, with a prior reservation made on the museum;s site. The cost si 300 lei (~60eur) and tours can be guided in English, Russian or French.
The following categories can get inside the village museum for free:
- preschool children (0-6 years)
- disabled persons and also their accompanying persons
- official delegations from institute for research in conservation and restoration
- employees of the museum network, of the National Heritage Institute, of the Ministry of Culture and National Identity and of the decentralized services of the Ministry of Culture and National Identity
- Euro 26 card holders, aged up to 30, access is free for: every 26th day of every month, when the institution is open to the public; on the next working day of the month (27) if the institution is open to the public
Opening hours:
Please note that whilst there are 5 access points to the museum, we recommend you to use the main on from Kiseleff Road, no. 30 .
- Between 1 May – 31 October – 10.00 – 18.00
- Between 1 November – 30 April – 9.00 – 17.00
Where to Eat at the Bucharest Village Museum
The Inn is a great place to try traditional Romanian food and wine. It serves up a variety of traditional dishes, including sarmale (cabbage rolls), mamaliga (cornmeal mush), and ghiveci (vegetable stew).
You can also try some traditional Romanian desserts there! We recommend having a go at papanasi (fried dough balls with cheese and a topping of sour cream and jam) or cozonac if those are in the menu.
Of course, it also has various types of refreshments and snacks.
On the downside, the inn is rather small and it’s opening hours are the same as the park’s.
Not to worry though, in the nearby Herastrau park there are several restaurants within walking distance of the village so it is easy to eat something before or after your visit.
In fact quite close to the museum you will find Europe’s largest beer hall – beraria H, as well as the famous Hard Rock café.
Bucharest’s Village Museum – a fascinating insight into Romania
Opened in 1936, the place specializes in teaching visitors about Romanian rural heritage.
The homes and rural buildings are authentic and were moved from their original places from across the country.
A variety of ethnographic areas including Transylvania, Moldova, Dobrogea, Muntenia (Wallachia) or Maramures are represented.
This ethnographic museum offers an overview of both traditions, crafts and arts of rural Romania as well as architecture and construction styles.
In fact, the diverse architectural styles of the buildings are likely an attraction itself, and will give anyone an insight on how a traditional Romanian village looked like a couple of centuries ago.
The village museum spans over more than 34 acres. It contains 380 monuments in total , 272 authentic peasant farms, 47 houses, and 3 churches (one of which is a wooden Maramureş church!)
Some might appear to be simple wooden huts or shacks furnished with benches, stool and very primitive bedding, but can become quite fascinating if you get into details.
Remember, inside some of those houses you can see old kitchenware, and decorations such as wool carpets, and pottery.
What this all means is that you should plan for at least a couple of hours -to half a day- when visiting the museum.
In the following video you can get a taste of how the a visit would be like:
Conclusion
So if you visit Bucharest and Romania and care to learn more about the country’s history, folklore and village life, why not go see one of the largest ethnographic museums in the world?
The village museum is definitely one of the attractions in Bucharest you should not miss!
Photos : Pixabay.com
