90 years of The Village Museum Bucharest

The week of 10-17 May 2026 marks an important milestone for the famous Village Museum in Bucharest: 90 years since it was inaugurated (so close to a century of history!)

The Village Museum was officially inaugurated on 10 May 1936, during the reign of King Carol II. It was one of the earliest open‑air museums in Europe — the fourth of its kind at the time.

On the shores of Lake Herastrau, right in the middle of Romania's capital, visitors from all over the world have the joy of encountering a real "village", with monuments and artifacts from the 17th century to the early 20th century. Representative buildings from important ethnographic areas have been given a second life at the National Village Museum "Dimitrie Gusti". The creation of the Village Museum is the result of intense and sustained theoretical and field research, of museographic experiments, for over a decade, coordinated by Professor Dimitrie Gusti, founder of the Sociological School in Bucharest. On this land there are 33 authentic complexes, transferred from the researched villages: houses with annexes, a church (from Maramures county), troughs, technical installations, fountains and a spire. 

It is a must-see objective for anyone who comes in Buhcarest, even for a short city-break here, because you get the chance to see plenty of Romanian traditions from plenty of villages across the country gathered in one place, and really get a breath of fresh air by the lake!

We are happy to promote this place in all of our Bucharest city tours and we wish for it to be so well preserved and developed for many years to come!

Credit: Istoric Muzeul Satului - Muzeul Național al Satului „Dimitrie Gusti”