The Village Museum Turns 80
The Village Museum in Bucharest turns 80 years old, and is one of the most popular sites in Romania for locals and foreign tourists alike.
Roxana Vasile, 17.05.2016, 13:13
In 1936, a bit of ancestral village life took root in Bucharest, with the creation of the Village Museum, one of the first of its kind in Romania and in the world. On May 10th, it was officially inaugurated in a ceremony attended by the countrys leaders, including King Carol II, alongside the most important figures in politics, culture and religion. On May 17th, the museum opened to the public. This emblematic site was the result of intense theoretical and field research, as well as experiments for a decade in over 600 localities in rural Romania between the world wars, which were coordinated by Professor Dimitrie Gusti, the founder of the Bucharest School of Sociology.
In the 80 years since its inception, the museum, bearing its creators name, the number of old households brought to the capital city from all over the country went from 29 to 370. The museums collections amount to 60,000 traditional objects, in addition to those inside the households. It was intended to be a sociological museum, with the mission to acquaint visitors with village realities, as lived by the Romanian peasant. Which is why the museum itself is organized like a typical village, with roads, houses, homestead buildings, wells, plazas and technical installations.
On this 80th anniversary, President Klaus Iohannis granted the Dimitrie Gusti Village Museum the Cultural Merit Order in rank of Grand Officer. With this decoration, the Romanian state expressed its appreciation for a museum that has meant so much for Romanian culture and research, one that is also beloved by Romanians everywhere. It has half a million visitors annually. This village in the middle of Bucharest has a solid position as one of the main tourist attractions in Romania, said President Klaus Iohannis:
“Behind this reputation there is a huge volume of work to safeguard and bring to the museum some of the most representative traditional constructions and installations, keeping them safe from the ravages of time, continually expanding the open air museum, cultivating traditions, traditional crafts and art, organizing programs and exhibitions for all categories of visitors. I congratulate you for this, and wish you many happy returns.”
For its 80th anniversary, throughout this week the Museum is running a schedule of events under the high patronage of the presidency: an international colloquium, book presentations, a traditional crafts fair and interactive traditional workshops. Add to that a National Traditional Costume Day, traditional music and jazz recitals, and a day dedicated to foreign friends, run in partnership with diplomatic missions in Romania.
(Translated by C. Cotoiu)
