Museum & Art

Village Museum
An original open air museum created in 1934, it currently has around 300 traditional buildings (including churches, workshops, mills etc.) plus furniture, pottery, clothing gathered from villages in every region of the country in an effort to showcase the traditional way of life of the Romanians. Occasionally hosts folkloric and traditional crafts festivals. Soseaua Kiseleff, nr.28-30

Museum of the Romanian Peasant
Also dedicated to the traditional way of life, it focuses mainly on traditional interior decoration, tools, clothing and artifacts. Again, it sometimes hosts folkloric and traditional crafts festivals. In 1996, it won the European Museum of the Year Award. Soseaua Kiseleff, nr. 3

Art Museum
Located in the building of the former Royal Palace, has collections of ancient, modern and contemporary Romanian art as well as exhibitions of rare European art dating as early as the 14th century.Calea Victoriei, nr. 49-53

National Museum of Contemporary Art
Recently opened inside a converted wing of the Palace of the Parliament, in what had been the private apartments of Ceausescu, the museum features fresh exhibitions from Romania's burgeoning art scene.

Curtea Veche (Old Court) Museum
The ruins of the crown palace of the Wallachian princes, some parts dating as early as the 16th century. It's around an earlier fortification located in this same place that Bucharest began to develop.Strada Franceza, nr. 25-31

Cotroceni Palace Museum
Has collections of objects that belonged to the former Romanian royal family. Today it is also the residence of the Romanian presidents.Bd. Geniului, nr. 1

National History Museum
Located in a neoclassical late 19th century building, has exhibits documenting the evolution of society on Romania's territory from the Paleolithic until today, a replica of Trajan's Column in Rome and a very interesting numismatics collection.Calea Victoriei, nr. 12

Bucharest History Museum
Situated in the Sutu Palace, built in 1834, has collections related to the development of Bucharest from a small 14th century fortress into Romania's capital.Bd. I.C. Bratianu, nr. 2

Military History Museum
Has collections of weapons dating since the prehistoric times and permanent exhibitions dedicated to important military events, including the Romanian revolution of 1989, as well as an outdoor exhibit of relatively modern weaponry, including cannons, tanks, helicopters etc.Strada M. Vulcanescu, nr. 125-127

Jewish Community History Museum
Documenting the life of this community in the region since ancient times and through the Holocaust.Strada Mamulari, nr. 3

Grigore Antipa Natural History Museum
Has over 300.000 exhibits illustrating the transformations of Earth and the evolution of species. Soseaua Kiseleff, nr. 1

Geology Museum
Has a large collection of minerals, rocks and fossils.Soseaua Kiseleff, nr. 2

Dimitrie Leonida Technology Museum
Is set to be relocated in a wing of the Parliament Palace

Aviation Museum
Open-air display of various types of aircraft.Otopeni airport

Railways Museum
Rarely opened.Calea Grivitei, nr. 139B

Firefighters Museum
Likewise.Bd. Ferdinand, nr. 33

Landmarks

Old Center
Fortunately a part of the city's historical heart escaped Ceausescu's demolition frenzy. The area (stretching approximatively between the D�mbovita river to the south, Calea Victoriei to the west, Calea Mosilor to the east and Regina Elisabeta boulevard to the north) today contains an assortment of middle 19th century buildings, ruins of the Wallachian princes' medieval court, churches, narrow cobblestoned streets which keep the names of the ancient guilds that resided on them, bank headquarters, a few hotels, clubs, restaurants and shops. So far too little has been done for the preservation and reconditioning of many historical buildings and streets there, but the area is now in a rehabilitation project set to be finished after 2012.

Parliament Palace
In the center of Bucharest, near Piata Unirii (Union Plazza), the tourist can see the world's second largest building (after the US Pentagon), formerly named "Casa Poporului (People's House)". The building, which was built in 1984 by Ceausescu, spans 12 stories, 3100 rooms and covers over 330,000 sq m. Ceausescu bulldozed 1/6 of Bucharest to accommodate the massive building and its surroundings. There are 45 minute tours every half hour which lead through the building's vast collection of marble rooms and culminates in an impressive view from the Nicolae balcony.

Revolution Square (Piata Revolutiei)
Site of part of the Romanian Revolution of 1989. Centrally located, it is not a long walk from the other squares, Gara de Nord, or the Parliament Palace. There is a tall monument in the center of the square in memory of those who died during the revolution.

Churches and monasteries

Curtea Veche (Old Court) Church
Built around 1559, used to be the coronation church of the Wallachian princes.Near Piata Unirii.

Patriarhiei Church (1658) and Mitropoliei Palace (1708)
The residence of the Orthodox Patriarch, sort of a small Romanian Vatican.Located on the hill overlooking Piata Unirii.

Stavropoleos Church
Built in the early 18th century, has some stunning decorative sculpture. In the old center area.

Coltea Church (1702)
It's the first church in Bucharest built in the Brancovenesc style. Near Piata Universitatii.

Sfantu Gheorghe Nou (New St. George) Church
Dating from the 18th century, houses the tombs of the princes Constantin Brancoveanu and Ion Mavrocordat. At half way between Piata Universitatii and Piata Unirii.

Kretzulescu Church
Another interesting example of the Brancovenesc style (1722). On the left side of the National Art Museum.

Plumbuita Monastery
Built in the last half of the 16th century, it once housed the first printing house in the region (1582); today has a religious objects museum and a large park. Relatively far from the city center, on Soseaua Colentina.