The Village Museum
It may not be highly attractive for some to spend their time visiting museums. Still, the Village Museum in Bucharest has never missed visitors who come to see one of our most beautiful and original cultural spots. What is awesome for Romanians is that here, they can have a glimpse on the quiet, traditional, rural life which is no longer a representative icon for us.Much of what used to be the source of inspiration in literature and an important part of our cultural heritage is kept within the boundaries of this Museum. It is the heart of Romanian tradition, indicative for Romanian original way of life and for the various types of peasants' architecture.
The Museum is not very old, considering it has just become 70 and the houses it is home to are no older than 100 years. It was founded by Dimitrie Gusti, after several years of ethnological documentation and research in Romanian villages and was officialy opened in 1936, along with the Herastrau Park during the annual celebrations "The Month of Bucharest."
At that time it only had 29 households, a wooden church, five wind-mills, a water-mill, six fountains and a cradle. 70 years later the museum displays on a tripled surface, more than 300 constructions alongside churches, and inns when people can eat and drink traditionally during fair times.
Though the initiator was Dimitrio Gusti the one who put everything into practice was Victor Ion Popa, a director, playwright and novelist that had set out to accomplish the most original performance, that is a living village. And that was not quite far-fetched because after building the households, the owners acutally lived there with their families and all belongings including domestic animals and poultry.
It was not until 1948 that the administrators realized that normal daily use was in fact damaging the museum. Thereafter the peasants were "evacuated" and sent back to the villages they had come from.
The building of the museum was based on three principles: the historical one - rural development throughout centuries, the geographical one - it is structured on regions so that the visitor can see the differences between various types of households according to geographical areas, authenticity - the houses were carefully dismantled, brought to Bucharest in 56 train wagons (almost 500 tons) and rebuilt by their owners and local constructors.
The architecture is extremely interesting and diverse: small challets with straw roofs from Maramures, bigger solid houses from the plain areas, clay cottages, buried in the ground in the regios that were often attacked by invaders. The atmosphere was minutely and effectively recreated by using all traditional things that belong in a rural household.
Moreover, the place is wonderful regardless of the season: in spring it bursts into blossom, in summer it is coolly shaded by wonderful trees and it is most pleasant to spend time around the lake, in autumn it displays a tremendous colourful scenery and in winter it sleeps cozily under the snow blanket.
The shields on each gate with dates, names and house-plans can be very hepful. Still, it would be great if you had a real guide to walk you inside the village. There are so many small, funny things and curiosities to find out from someone that knows the place best. They can also explain the geography of the houses, according to the rural spirituality: the corners of the house and their meaning - the bed, the table, the fireplace, or the corner behind the door that is traditionally "owned" by evil spirits. :)
Last but not least, there are some restrictions to take into consideration inside the Museum: you are only allowed to visit it by foot, and take pictures outside the households - the fee is 20 RON ( 6 EU) and the admission ticket is 5 RON (3,5 EU).
Smoking is strictly forbidden inside the area, that is because much of what is exhibited is made of dry wood and straw and also because of an unfortunate big fire back in 1997 which caused great damage in the museum.
See more pictures in the Photo Gallery.
