The best museums Muntenia

Housed in an elegant corner house, this museum reopened in 2017 after a complete redesign. Very well arranged, it presents manuscripts of great Romanian writers such as Mihai Eminescu, but also of foreign authors such as Marcel Proust. You will also discover old books, furniture and writers' objects... The explanations are only available in Romanian, but the museum's layout and the beautiful pieces on display are worth a look.

This museum tells you all about the life and work of the great musician George Enescu (1881-1955). It is housed in the sumptuous Cantacuzino Palace, one of the capital's most beautiful, built in 1901 to plans by architect Ion Berindei. Blending Baroque, Art Nouveau and classical styles, it was the home of Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino, an important politician of the time, nicknamed "the Mogul". Featuring an imposing marquee at the entrance, its interiors are richly decorated. A visit not to be missed, even if you're not interested in Enescu's life.

It comprises several sections, housed in a number of the center's fine buildings: arts, archaeology and history (piața Traian 3), ethnography (strada Polonă 14), natural sciences (parc Monument)... The Carol ^I Museum also manages the Panait Istrati memorial house, located in strada Belvedere, at the entrance to the large park. It was in Brăila that this French-speaking Romanian writer spent his childhood at the end of the ^19th century, born to a Romanian mother and a Greek smuggler father, who was killed when he was still a child.

Located in the heart of the village, this small museum with an old-fashioned charm exhibits splendid examples of precious stones from different regions of the country, mainly from Maramureș. We spend a pleasant moment discovering quartz and other minerals of extravagant size and colour, of strange beauty. The collection includes some beautiful amethysts. Descriptions are available in French and, at the exit, a small shop allows you to leave with pretty crystals and miniature mine flowers as a souvenir.

To the south-east of the Princely Court, this museum, which occupies a fine mansion, illustrates the evolution of writing and printing in Romania: its appearance in Târgoviște thanks to the erudite prince Radu cel Mare, the printing of the first Bible in Romanian at the end of the ^17th century, the gradual transition from the Cyrillic alphabet to Latin... Among the manuscripts on display is the oldest preserved Romanian text. You'll also see a fine ^18th-century printing press.

The museum, on the outskirts of the town, is housed in a beautiful house typical of the region, and is well worth a visit in its own right. Nicolae Iorga lived here from 1910 to 1940, when this great historian was assassinated by the fascist Iron Guard. A supporter of Romanian unity, this prolific author, patriot and democrat was also Prime Minister in 1931-1932. The museum exhibits objects, manuscripts and furniture that belonged to this important figure in Romanian history. Note the impressive library in the office.

Close to the royal court, it features archaeological and historical collections. It occupies the former Palais de Justice, a monumental building dating from the early ^20th century. Next door, the art museum dates from the late ^19th century. Formerly the seat of the prefecture, it boasts an elegant, Baroque-influenced interior. On display are fragments of frescoes from the great church of the princely court, dating from the Brâncoveanu period, as well as works by the great masters of Romanian painting, such as Grigorescu and Pallady.

Housed in the neoclassical former prefecture, the museum has several sections: one presents the history of the județ d'Argeș, from the Paleolithic to 1947. The museum also boasts a naive art gallery and a section dedicated to the natural sciences, with dioramas and stuffed specimens, as well as a fine mineral collection and a planetarium. The art gallery, housed in a handsome neoclassical building dating from 1886 (bulevardul Republicii, 33), exhibits paintings by leading local artists such as Grigorescu and Pallady.

To complete your knowledge of salt, you can visit this museum located not far from the mine, in a historic ^18th-century building. It explains the importance of this mineral for the human body and the history of its exploitation in the region. You'll even discover rare species of halophilic plants, which thrive in salty environments. Thanks to virtual reality headsets, you can also climb aboard a vintage wagon to visit a salt mine and learn about extraction methods, from the late ^18th century to the present day.

Close to the princely court, this museum occupies a historic building, built in 1701 by Prince Constantin Brâncoveanu as a home for his sons and restored in neoclassical style at the end of the ^19th century. It traces the history of the police in Romania, from its beginnings in the late ^18th century to the present day, through photos, uniforms, edged weapons and firearms. One room features a rich collection of police uniforms from all over the world.

The national capital of black gold, Ploiești is home to a dedicated museum, which traces the rich history of Romanian oil extraction and refining. Located in one of the town's beautiful classical mansions, it boasts a rich heritage: ^19th-century wooden and metal drills, geological maps, mineralogical samples, oil lamps..., as well as patents and works by Lazăr Edeleanu, the inventor of the modern oil refining method.

It's housed in the palace of ^19th-century politician and banker Ghiţă Ionescu, a beautiful listed building. The museum exhibits works by famous Romanian artists of the ^19th and ^20th centuries, including Theodor Pallady, Nicolae Grigorescu, Gheorghe Tattarescu and Corneliu Baba. It also features a fine series of drawings, sketches and engravings, as well as a number of sculptures. On the decorative arts side, you'll find an interesting collection of ^19th-century icons on glass and precious contemporary tapestries.

A little dated, the museum evokes at length the destruction and reconstruction of the city during the 20th century, but also the great events of the 19th century: the revolutionary movement of 1848, the struggles for independence... An impressive collection of stamps, postcards, coins and official decorations is also presented. The museum occupies a large neoclassical-style building, built in the second half of the 19th century.

The Musée de l'Horloge(Muzeul ceasului) displays a unique collection of timepieces from different eras, origins and mechanisms: pocket clocks, table and mantel clocks, sundials, clepsydras, etc., as well as music boxes and automata. One of the oldest, a water clock, dates back to the ^17th century. Some of the clocks belonged to Romanian historical figures. Recently restored, the museum is also worth a visit for its setting: it occupies an elegant Romantic-style mansion, built at the end of the ^19th century and listed as a historic monument.