Museum of the Romanian Peasant, Bucharest

The Museum of the Romanian Peasant stands as one of Europe’s most prominent ethnographic institutions. Housed in a striking Neo‑Romanian style building designed by Nicolae Ghica‑Budesti between 1912 and 1941, it carries the architectural echo of traditional monastic enclosures, created atop the former State Mint’s site. After its founding in 1906 and a turbulent communist-era transformation, the museum reopened in February 1990, reclaiming its mission to chronicle Romania's rural culture.

Inside, visitors discover one of the richest folk collections in Romania-more than 100,000 items including vibrantly embroidered costumes, pottery, wooden tools, icons, religious artifacts, decorative masks, ceramics from nearly 200 pottery centers, and traditional homes carefully restored or reassembled. The museum’s unique “house‑in‑a‑house” exhibit displays a peasant cottage in situ, with walls partially opened and objects displayed as if still in domestic use-a museographic approach awarded European Museum of the Year in 1996.

Beyond permanent exhibits, the museum hosts dynamic cultural events: workshops, concerts, traditional craft fairs, conferences, book launches, and film screenings that bring Romanian peasant art and customs to life. Don’t miss the Museum of Communist Iconography in the basement-a sharply ironic look at recent history through artifacts from the communist era.

Perfectly located for pairing with a stroll to the nearby Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum, this gem offers visitors a thoughtfully curated journey through Romanian village life, tradition, and identity tucked into the bustling heart of Bucharest.