National Museum of the Romanian Peasant (Muzeul Taranului Roman)

The National Museum of the Romanian Peasant (Muzeul Taranului Roman) stands on Soseaua Pavel D. Kiseleff in Sector 1 of Bucharest, in a red-brick neo-Romanian building that was originally built to house the national geology museum and now holds one of the richest ethnographic collections in Europe. It won the European Museum of the Year award in 1996 and is regarded as one of the best museums in the capital. The permanent exhibition presents folk life from across Romania through textiles, embroidered costumes, ceramics, painted wooden furniture, tools and religious objects. A highlight is the large collection of icons painted on glass and wood, shown in a chapel-like setting, and another is the display of traditional house interiors with decorated beams and woven rugs. The museum also tells part of the story of the communist era in the country, showing how the regime treated rural traditions and the village. A well-regarded museum shop in the lower level sells ceramics, textiles and crafts from regional workshops, and a pleasant cafe offers a break. Most visitors need 1.5 to 2 hours, longer if they study the temporary exhibitions that change several times a year. Wall texts are in Romanian and English, and audio guides may be available. The building is calm on weekday afternoons and busiest on weekend afternoons when family workshops and craft events take place. Photography is usually permitted in many areas for personal use, though flash is not. The museum sits close to Victory Square, Kiseleff Park and the Arch of Triumph, so it combines easily with a stroll through the northern part of Bucharest, Romania. Closed on Mondays.