Museums, Baia Mare

The National Ethnographic Vuia, established in 1929, bears the name of its founder and first museum manager, Professor Romulus Vuia. The exhibited pieces are in fact old traditional buildings, grouped according to their regional establishments, folk architecture monuments, folk installations, craftsman workshops, wells, gateways, big wooden crosses and indoor textiles. Interesting facts: •The Ethnographic Museum is the oldest from Romania; •The oldest exhibit pieces date back from 1678; •The church from Cizer-Salaj, at the construction of which contributed Nicola Ursu (Horea), just before the 1784 uprising, is one of the most beautiful wooden churches in Transylvania; weddings are still being officiated in this architectural monument; •It hosts annual fairs and traditional cultural manifestations. http://www.visitclujnapoca.ro/en/atractii-turistice/muzee/the-romulus-vuia-national-ethnographic-park.html

The “Emil Racoviţă” Speleology Museum was established in 1998, and it is the only museum in Romania dedicated to the scientist Emil Racoviţă and to the cave science. Emil Racoviţă is the founder of biospeleology and of the first Speleology institute in the world, which was opened in Cluj-Napoca in 1920. The results of the biospeleology program initiated by E. Racoviţă were exceptional: 1,200 explored caves throughout Europe and Africa, a collection of 50,000 copies of cave fauna, 66 scientific studies adding up to approximately 6,000 pages. Racoviţă reached the peak of his scientific career when he elaborated an original theory regarding evolution. The museum also includes The Emil Racoviţă Collection with numerous varied exhibition pieces like a notebook from the period when Racoviţă was a student at the Paris-Sorbonne University (1886-1891), the Zeiss microscope and the Linhof photo device which he used in his “Belgica” Antarctic expedition (1897-1899), the projector and slides he used when teaching his General Biology course at the Science University in Cluj, original drawings illustrated in his scientific works, personal desk objects. The building in which the museum operates is an old medieval prison (from the 14th century up to the 19th century) and it is considered a national historical monument dating back to 1376. http://www.visitclujnapoca.ro/en/atractii-turistice/muzee/the-emil-racovita-speleology-museum.html

The Matthias Corvinus House (or Mehffy House) is a stylish building in gothic style from the 15th century (today, Art and Design University of Cluj Napoca). In this house, which was the city’s inn in past, was born on 23rd of February 1443 Matia Corvin, the son of the vaivode of Transylvania, John Hunyadi (Ioan de Hunedoara). Matia Corvin was the greatest king of Hungary (1458-1490), he was learned, patron of arts, wise and just, being mentioned in songs and legends even today. In 1467, he acquited the owners of the house in which he was born from paying taxes and fees to the city. This privilege was enforced by the next kings and princes. The house served as different institutions. It was a college but was also home for the ethnographic collections of the Transylvanian Carpathian Society. Over time, the building has suffered various changes, adapted to the new architectural styles. The basement and some platband of windows and doors that have lintels in the oblique section are characteristic of the gothic style. During the first half of the 16th century appeared the first elements of the Renaissance: some platbands from Renaissance on the facade, with denticles, together with gothic elements, as well as the portal in a broken arch. The original arches were chiefly replaced. During the 18th century, the building was made a hospital and the yard had suffered a few baroque changes. At the end of the 19th century, the building was in an advanced state of degradation and it was restored. Many elements of Art Nouveau, Secession were introduced, being in fashion at that time. In the ’50s of the last century, the modifications of Art Nouveau were removed, being incompatible with the architecture of the building, which gained the present appearance. http://www.visitclujnapoca.ro/en/atractii-turistice/best-of-cluj-napoca/the-matthias-corvinus-house.html

The Art Museum of Cluj-Napoca is a public institution of a culture whose mission is to preserve, research and put forward the real and virtual patrimony of Romanian and universal art. With a collection of over 12,000 paintings, sculptures, graphic arts and decorative pieces, it is considered one of the most important museums in Romania. Founded as an institution in 1951, the museum has been operating since 1956 in the Banffy Palace – a baroque building which was built based on the plans of the architect J.E. Blaumann during the years 1774-1785, its destination being that of residence for the governor of Transylvania. It is the most important baroque edifice in Cluj-Napoca and one of reference for the 18th-century Romanian architecture. A series of sculptures with remarkable artistic value made by Anton Schuchbauer were added to the building in order to complete its stone architectural decorations. http://www.visitclujnapoca.ro/en/atractii-turistice/muzee/the-art-museum-of-clujnapoca.html

Founded in 1922 by professor Romulus Voia, the Ethnographic Museum of Transylvania entered the elite of the Romanian ethnographic museums, due to the exceptional quality of its patrimony. It is currently composed of over 41.000 traditional peasant objects from 17th-20th centuries and a documentary fund of over 80.000 items. The museum has two sections: the Pavilion Section and „Romulus Vuia” ethnographic Park (the open-air section). The Pavilion Section functions in „Reduta” Palace – a historical monument that dates since the 16th century. The current pavilion exhibition, vernished on 16th of December and called „Traditional folk culture from Transylvania in the 18th-20th centuries”, rebuilds, with talent, the way in which the Transylvanian peasantry lived two centuries ago. As testimonies remained simple tools or ingenious equipment used in domestic activities, culminating with rich folk suits, which showed not only the stage of the life but also the social position of the one who wore them. There are also presented traditional costumes of the life cycle, the calendar ones and the peasant costumes, with an essential role in highlighting the regional and ethnic identity. Curiosities: With a history of more than 80 years, the museum is the greatest of this kind in Romania and among the most prestigious in Europe (the sixth). The museum functions in „Reduta” building, which housed during 1848-1865 the Transylvanian Diet. The famous trial of the authors of the Transylvanian Memorandum took place in this building in 1894-1895. It has 50.000 photos, 5.000 diapositives, 12.000 specialised magazines. http://www.visitclujnapoca.ro/en/atractii-turistice/best-of-cluj-napoca/the-ethnographic-museum-of-transylvania.html

The Tailors' Tower (Baba Novac Street / Stefan cel Mare Square) is part of the second fortified precinct of the walls system and of the fortifications of the city, built in the first half of 15th century and continued until the 17th century. It was built on the South-Eastern corner of the city defence wall, after 1405, following the privileges keyed by King Sigismund of Luxemburg. The first confirmed documents date 1457, from the time of King Matia Corvin. The administration of the Tower was entrusted to the most powerful guilds of the town – the tailors' guild. Over time, the Tower was devastated several times (1551-1553, 1601, 1627, and 1707). The actual shape is given by the last big reconstruction from 1709-1711, made by the Austrians, out of over 150 stone wagons. The Tower has renewed again in 1956-1957 when they attempted the opening of a history museum of the city of Cluj, a project forbidden by the communist authorities in 1959. http://www.visitclujnapoca.ro/en/atractii-turistice/monumente-si-complexe-arhitectonice/page/4/the-tailors-tower.html

THE STATE THEATRE dominates Ferdinand Square with its imposing features. Situated in the center of a true architectural museum, this building in eclectic style imposes with exceptional craftsmanship. The construction, so avidly desired by the municipality of the age, was entrusted to renowned Viennese construction firm Fellner and Helmer. http://oradea.travel/en/?p=1873&nggpage=2

Situated not far from Ivano-Frankivsk, the ancient town Kolomyya is notable for its vivid history and inimitable colour. However, it is mostly associated with the unique Pysanka Museum – the only museum in the world, whose exposition is devoted to the art of painting Easter eggs. Ukraine has an age-old tradition of decorating eggs with the plot or ornamental patterns using wax and special dyes, however, it is the Hutsul region where this tradition is especially honoured. The locals even create legends about this ancient art. One of them states that a terrible beast is chained to a high rock in the Carpathian Mountains. Each year it carefully watches that people don’t forget the custom of painting Easter eggs. If there are just a few pysanka (painted Easter eggs), the beast spreads evil on the earth, but, if there are enough painted eggs, love and good defeat evil, and the chains squeeze the evil monster with deadly force. https://discover-ukraine.info/places/western-ukraine/ivano-frankivsk/1089

Having functioned continuously as an educational institution since its establishment in 1538, the college is the cradle of Hungarian civilization. Designated as a national monument in 2013, it also features a museum that has permanent exhibits displaying the school’s history, student life, and the religious art of the Reformed Church in the Trans-Tisza Region. Your visit here will help you understand why Debrecen became the most important bastion of the Reformed faith in Hungary. Bedecked with majestic murals, the building’s stairwell leads to the entrance of the gigantic library storing more than 600,000 volumes, the Csokonai Room and the Oratory that housed Hungary’s National Assembly in 1849. https://www.debrecen.hu/en/tourist/places/debrecen-reformed-college

The Déri Museum is most famous for being the home of the greatest works of one of Hungary’s most famous and celebrated artists, Mihály Munkácsy, as well as the huge collection of other items, brought together by Frigyes Déri. Munkácsy’s awe-inspiring Christ Trilogy is housed here, the first of the trilogy, entitled front of Pilate was painted in 1882, followed by Golgotha in 1884. The trilogy was completed with Ecce Homo in 1896. In addition to its exhibits of local cultural interest, the Déri Museum has become renowned for Frigyes Déri’s collection of weapons. The weapons collection is particularly fine, comprising of three parts. Weapons from Christian Europe, from the 15-18th. The second part is comprised of classic Muslim weapons from the territory of the Ottoman Empire and Persia. The third part, although the smallest is the finest part, is the weapons collection from the Far East. The Japanese collection is of commonly used items made in the Edo era and is undoubtedly the best in Hungary. https://visitdebrecen.com/see-do/deri-museum/

Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Studies Museum (Івано-Франківський краєзнавчий музей; Ivano-Frankivskyi kraieznavchyi muzei). Regional studies museum founded in Stanislav (now Ivano-Frankivsk) in 1940 on the basis of several existing collections, including the Zhabie ‘Hutsulshchyna’ Museum. http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CI%5CV%5CIvano6FrankivskRegionalStudiesMuseum.htm

Having absorbed baroque and renaissance traits, the building of the parish Church of Virgin Mary is among the most beautiful and most valuable architectural monuments in Ivano-Frankivsk. https://discover-ukraine.info/places/western-ukraine/ivano-frankivsk/786

Proudly bearing its title of UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hortobágy National Park is the perfect archetype of pristine natural landscapes. This is the place where everyone longs to find refuge from the monotony of modern human existence. The feeling of unfettered freedom, encapsulated in the spectacle of the endless horizon, mirages, grazing herds of cattle and horses, and sweep-pole wells, will capture your imagination and soul during a horse-and-carriage ride or “puszta” safari. A picturesque trip to the fishponds on the small narrow-gauge train, combined with some birdwatching, will serve unique experiences to both young and older adventurers. Here the breeze wafts the scent of fragrant chamomile, mint, and artemisia from wild fields, gently touching your nose just like the waves of the ocean rhythmically splashing on the shore. It is a place where you will reinterpret the meaning of silence. It is a place where you might even reach celestial bodies during the special night treks in Starry Sky Park. In Hungary’s oldest and largest national park, awarded the European Destinations of Excellence (EDEN) prize, hundred-year-old herdsman’s traditions are still part of people’s means of subsistence and not mere promotional gimmicks. https://visitdebrecen.com/see-do/hortobagy/

The ASTRA Museum of Folkloric Traditional Civilization is situated in the Dumbrava Forest, at a distance of 4 kilometers from the city. The museum functions since 1963 under the name of the Museum of Folkloric Technique and stretches over 96 hectares and an exhibition circuit of 10 kilometers in length http://www.turism.sibiu.ro/index.php/en/muzeu/147

The Fortress of Arad is a solid fortification system which was built in the 18th century at the orders of, and with the funding from, the Habsburg Empress, Maria Theresa. The cost to complete and erect the fortress reached 3 million Gulden (the currency used by the Habsburg Monarchy at the time). The fortress was built as an inner fortification system to protect the outer region of the Habsburg empire from conflicts in the area. The main conflicts at the time were the ongoing wars between the Habsburgs and the Turkish Ottomans. The location for the fortress was chosen strategically to be at the crossroads of two very important trade routes of the day. It lies in the middle of the trade routes that led from the West to the Transylvania Region, and from the North, Oradea, and Satu Mare, to Timisoara, and down to the Danube waterway. http://roamingromania.com/fortress-of-arad/

The Water Tower is a building in the city of Arad, which resembles a medieval fortress donjon. The Water Tower has 35 m height and was opened in 1896. At the time of construction, it was the tallest building in the city. It is a massive stone and brick building, which is characterized by the decoration of balconies and windows. On the top floor, there is a water tank with a capacity of 400 tons, which you can get using the scale. http://www.uvisitromania.com/tourist-attractions/arad/water-tower-id546

Wherever you go in Lviv, you are inevitably astonished by its inimitable and varied architecture. However, the Potocki Palace, hiding behind the open-worked forged fence on one of the streets that radiate from the main city artery, Svobody Avenue, stands out against the background of majestic ancient buildings, huddling in the downtown. It's an elegant building, whose luxurious forms are reminiscent of French Renaissance castles, is rightly considered to be one of the most interesting and beautiful monuments of architecture in Lviv. In the middle of the 19th century, a park with a small hunting homestead, owned by the noble Polish family Potocki, was located on the modern palace’s place. A legend states that Potocki family owned these lands since the 17th century. In 1860, Count Alfred II Potocki ordered to pull down the mansion and to build a big gala palace on its place. The palace was intended for solemn receptions and high-rank meetings. As long as the count was in fond of exquisite French architecture, he chose the project of the prominent architect from France and hired Polish architect Julian Tsibulsky to adapt and implement it. The customer wasn’t destined to see the palace; he had died before the construction was finished and his son continued to supervise the building process, afterwards. https://discover-ukraine.info/places/western-ukraine/lviv/1290

The museum of the sacral baroque sculpture is reckoned among the Lviv’s most interesting and impressive museums. It keeps the unique heritage of Johann Georg Pinsel – one of the most talented and mysterious sculptors of the 18th century. He is nicknamed Ukrainian Michelangelo for extraordinary mastery. The museum is situated in the building of the age-old Catholic Church, which formerly belonged to the Franciscan monks. It is a valuable monument of Lviv’s architecture. The cathedral is notable for the fact that its interior has preserved the skillfully made frescos of the 18th century, illustrating plots from the Old and New Testament. The Lviv Museum of sacral baroque sculpture keeps the largest collection of Johann Pinsel’s works. His creative work is recognized as an outstanding phenomenon in Ukrainian and world cultures’ history. The original Ukrainian master with European education created inimitable religious sculptures, which had no analogues in the Old World of the second half of the 18th century. It was Pinsel who founded the new artistic center, which later was named the Lviv School of Sacral Sculpture. In the 1750s, he actively created original figures for the St. Jura Cathedral, one of the most beautiful Lviv temples, St. Martin Church and many other West Ukrainian churches. https://discover-ukraine.info/places/western-ukraine/lviv/2331

Svobody Avenue is the city main street combining functions of the business and cultural center. It is Lviv’s second most important historical spot after Rynok Square. The avenue owes its status as one of the most beautiful and elegant streets in the city to its splendid architecture, which harmonically combines traits of various historical styles. Elegant ancient houses, framing it from both sides, are Svobody Avenue’s main adornment and create its unique atmosphere. Once, the western line of Lviv fortifications, called Lower Walls, was located there. In the late 18th century, when the city was under the governance of Austria-Hungary, dilapidated fortifications were pulled down and the even side of the modern avenue was formed. The odd side was constructed on the marshy bank of the Plotva River, which was hidden under the ground, later. Svobody Avenue’s most attractive building, its symbol and highlight, is the magnificent Opera House. Other notable structures include the elegant National Museum, the former Galych Credit Fund (currently the Museum of Ethnography and Arts Crafts), the Viennese Coffee House and the Grand Hotel. One of the Svobody Avenue’s most recognizable sights is the unusual monument to Taras Shevchenko with 12-meter-high bronze stele ‘Wave of National Renaissance,’ installed in its center. https://discover-ukraine.info/places/western-ukraine/lviv/1362

The Lviv National Museum, situated in the very beautiful building on Svobody Avenue, is one of the largest museums in Ukraine that features a considerable collection of Ukrainian visual arts. It was founded by the Greek Catholic metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky, whose name it has now. Initially, it was a Church Museum and was aimed to develop Ukrainian national culture. The core of the National Museum’s current exposition is its founder’s personal collection, numbering about 10 thousand valuable works of art. A quarter of a century later, the funds of the Lviv Museum had more than 80 thousand exhibits and now, there are almost 120 thousand works of visual arts. It houses country’s largest collections of Ukrainian icons, dated to the 14th – 18th centuries, and of medieval sacred and folk arts: sculptures, manuscripts, engravings, old printed books, pottery, bone and metal works. National Museum’s pride is pictorial canvases by eminent Ukrainian artists: Ivan Trush, Oleksa Novakivsky, Kornil Ustiyanovich, Elena Kulchytska and others. The highlight of the museum's collection is a number of original works by Taras Shevchenko. Paintings by contemporary Lviv artists are exhibited here as well. https://discover-ukraine.info/places/western-ukraine/lviv/1361

Museum Pharmacy «Pid Chornym Orlom» (Beneath the Black Eagle) This pharmacy was founded in 1735; it is the oldest pharmacy in the city of Lviv. http://lviv.travel/en/index/what_to_do/lvivgalleries/museums/~74/museum-pharmacy-under-the-black-eagle

This remarkable construction (1906-1925), built in flamboyant neogothic style, stands partly on the ruins of a medieval royal court mentioned in documents dating from 1434. Today, the 365-room palace houses the Gheorghe Asachi Library and four of the city's museums: the Moldavian History Museum, the Ethnographic Museum, the Museum of Art and the Museum of Science and Technology http://romaniatourism.com/iasi.html#museums

The Parliament building, a magnificent example of Neo-Gothic architecture (although displaying Renaissance and Baroque characters too), is just over 100 years old. In the 1880's an open tender was held for the design of the Parliament building. Guided tours of the Parliament are available when the National Assembly is not in session. The tour takes about 45 minutes, and is well worth the price, as it covers the main entrance stairs and hall, one of the lobbies, the old House of Lords and the Hungarian Crown Jewels. http://visitbudapest.travel/guide/budapest-attractions/budapest-parliament/

The main façade of the Fisherman’s Bastion, running parallel to the Danube, is approximately 140 metres long. The seven stone towers with their pointed tops symbolise the leaders of the Hungarian tribes who conquered the country in 896. It was built in place of the old fortification walls in neo-Romanesque style between 1895 and 1902 on the plans of Frigyes Schulek, who was also in charge of the reconstruction of the Mathias Church. The Bastion takes its name from the guild of fishermen that was responsible for defending this stretch of the city walls in the Middle Ages. https://www.budapest.com/city_guide/sights/monuments_of_art/fishermens_bastion.en.html

The Art Museum of Craiova is located in Jean Mihail palace – built in late XIX century https://romaniadacia.wordpress.com/2013/08/13/art-museum-in-craiova-jean-mihail-palace/

The Secessionist building at No. 42, built in the 1920s as a bank, was converted several years ago into the Zepter Museum, a vault of 20th-century and contemporary art. http://www.serbia.com/36-hours-belgrade/

The National Nikolai Pirogov Estate Museum, situated in the picturesque park in the outskirts of Vinnytsia, is not just the most interesting town sight, but an important object of the cultural heritage of Ukraine. Nikolai Pirogov is a prominent scientist, talented physician, inventor of anaesthesia and field martial surgery, founder of the Red Cross Society and notable public figure. It's hard to overvalue his contribution to the development of medicine, and in particular - of surgery. In 1847 Pirogov invented ether narcosis and applied it for the first time during the war on the Caucasus. Later the prominent surgeon conducted hundreds of successful operations on the battlefield with its help. One more invention of Pirogov, without which it's impossible to imagine modern medicine, is gypsum bandage to fixate fractures. The doctor widely applied it during the Crimean War: back then it allowed reducing the number of amputations among injured in dozens of times. Very few people know that the white disinfected doctor's robe is also Pirogov's invention, for which, by the way, he was considered to be a madman and was even put in the psychiatric clinic for several days. Moreover, the scientist introduced a number of new medical techniques and methods of surgical operations. The structure of the museum is unique. The house, where Nikolai Pirogov lived, is in the center of the museum's complex: vast exposition, which has 12 sections telling about certain periods of his life and work, is located here. Special attention is paid to the scientist's genius inventions that helped to save thousands of human lives. In the manor you may see the study, where Nikolai Pirogov worked, his personal things, books, surgical instruments, pictures. https://discover-ukraine.info/places/central-ukraine/vinnytsia/340

Village Museum in Bucharest is an open-air exhibit for tourists who want to learn more about rural life in Romania. It is so fine that you might want to move into it. That was a joke. You wouldn’t want to leave in underground houses or in the same house with your parents, like people in Romania used to do and still do, do you? The Village Museum in Bucharest is a great history lesson for all the people all around the world about the life in South-Eastern Europe, under the Russian influence, Turkish influence and also, ancient and medieval influences. The first try to create a museum dedicated to the country life in Romania was attempted in 1867 at the Paris Universal Exhibition. Romanian rural constructions were exhibited there. Then, a sociologist, Dimitrie Gusti sent students and volunteers to target and rebuild old houses from all Romanian provinces and villages. In 1936, King Carol II opened the new museum which housed 33 authentic houses from Maramures, Moldavia, Transylvania and Muntenia and also churches. The Village Museum became in 1940 after Bucovina was taken by the Soviet Union, house for refugees and many of the buildings were damaged. In 1948, the Museum opened its gates again. 233 constructions could be visited. Nowadays in Village Museum Bucharest, the tourists can visit 338 monuments brought from Transylvania, Banat, Muntenia, Oltenia, Dobrogea and Moldavia and also popular art artefacts. https://bucharest-travel.com/village-museum/

Theodor Pallady Museum is an interesting landmark for two reasons: it is housed by one of the oldest dwelling buildings in Bucharest, Malic House and here you can see the collection of more than 1700 items, valuable paintings but not only. Theodor Pallady, one of the greatest Romanian painters, was born in 1871. He will study the Polytechnics in Dresda but soon will realize he was made for painting. In 1892 Theodor Pallady enters Gustave Moreau’s workroom in Paris where he will also meet Henri Matisse. It is in Paris where Pallady will become the friend of Gheorghe Raut whose guest will be a few years and who will also donate his collection, including Pallady’s works to the Romanian State. This happened in 1970. https://bucharest-travel.com/pallady-museum-bucharest/

If you are an art lover you should not miss this place. They have a permanent collection exhibiting historical artefacts and they always have a temporary exhibition bringing new items. Housed in the neoclassical Sutu Palace(1834), the museum features some 300,000 artefacts, from coins, books, maps, engravings, paintings, arms and furniture to old traditional costumes. Among the most valuable exhibits are the document attesting for the first time the name of the city of Bucharest, issued by Vlad Tepes in 1459. https://www.likealocalguide.com/bucharest/bucharest-history-art-museum

The Contemporary Art Museum in Bucharest houses a great collection called Seeing the history from 1947 to 2007, which is an exhibition about the communist period, the progress of the Eastern European civilization, about the life of people in this period, including the Romanian Revolution in 1989 and the process of modernization of the country after the communists and the integration in the Euro-Atlantic civilization. Of course, the most important pieces of the collection are the art masterpieces exhibited, but the social, political and economical contexts are also explained on the first floor of the museum. There are also events organized here, like the recent one called The art condition in Russia and Eastern Europe in postmodern society, by an art historian Yunnia Yang from Taiwan. An impressive collection of photos made after masterpieces signed by great artists is also housed by the Museum. We are talking about 3 millions of copies in a digital archive. https://bucharest-travel.com/bucharest-contemporary-art-museum/

The grand opening of the brand new home of the Silesian Museum is perhaps the biggest of all of Katowice's recent investment unveilings. The museum’s scope, the quality of the permanent exhibitions and the architectural prowess of the newly adapted subterranean chambers are all equally impressive. https://www.inyourpocket.com/katowice/silesian-museum_137651v

The unique museum of astronautics - the only one of its sort on the territory of Ukraine - is opened in Zhytomyr for a reason. It is here that Sergei Korolev - the talented scientist and engineer, the initiator of applied cosmonautics, the creator of Soviet space and rocket equipment, the person, whose ideas enabled the launching of the first artificial satellite, - was born and spent his childhood. The rich museum's exposition is located in two buildings. Its first part - memorial - is situated in the house, where the genius constructor was born and tells about the principal stages of his life and work. The separate building was constructed for the main - cosmic - part of the exposition that tells in absorbing way about the history of cosmonautics' development. There are two rockets turned high into the air at its entrance. https://discover-ukraine.info/places/central-ukraine/zhytomyr/338