Coolest Artifacts at the National Museum of Romanian History
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There are many incredible museums throughout Romania that showcase archaeological finds, traditional clothing, and building structures that span the country’s history, but if you only have time for one, consider prioritizing the National Museum of Romanian History in Bucharest. Other museums tend to focus on one theme or location, but the National Museum provides a thorough overview of all eras from prehistory to modern day and all regions of the country.
Obviously, what constitutes the “coolest” artifacts at the National Museum of Romanian History is highly subjective. This post is biased toward my own opinions; I am most fascinated by prehistory and not quite as interested in the 20th century, first instance. My aim is to give you an introductory idea of what there is to see so you can decide if you want to add a museum visit to your travel schedule in Bucharest, but be sure to check out the museum’s official website for more information about the permanent and temporary exhibitions.
If you have more time in Romania, some of my other favorite museums include the massive living history Astra Museum in Sibiu, Casa Armelor in Sighișoara, and the Museum of the Romanian Peasant in Bucharest. You might also enjoy the Ethnographic Museum in Brașov, the County Museum of History and Archaeology in Ploiești, and the Museum of Dacian and Roman Civilization in Deva. Many historic sites and attractions have their own in-house museums, too, such as the museum rooms at Corvin Castle or Prejmer and Hărman Fortified Churches. Brașov and Bucharest both have communism museums, and Cluj-Napoca has a cool steampunk museum.
The Thinker and the Sitting Woman
These two polished black ceramic figurines depict a man and a woman, both seated and ostensibly in states of contemplation. I had never heard of the Thinker of Hamangia before, but this pair stopped me in my tracks because they look so philosophical and modern, like they belong in an abstract art museum. Upon investigating the information sign, I was flabbergasted to discover that they actually date to 5,000 BC!
The Hamangia people are named for the place where their remains were first discovered. These particular pieces were found near the town of Cernavodă in a graveyard containing 400 burials.
According to the Romanian Cultural Institute, “the black polished Hamangia style was different from the previous culture in SE Europe, characterized by red color pottery. The long neck figurines are another peculiarity of the Hamangia people.”
It turns out these Neolithic figures are a bit famous; a picture of the Thinker is printed on the back of the Romanian 200 lei banknote.
Dacian Shields and Coins
I spent a lot of my time in Romania chasing after my fascination with the native Dacian people who inhabited the country prior to Roman conquest. The Stonehenge-like ruins in the Orăștie mountains are relics left behind by Dacians. Some modern-day fortresses may have been built atop previous Dacian strongholds; legend says that the Dacian King Decebalus committed suicide at the site of Rupea Fortress rather than be killed by Roman soldiers.
Unfortunately there is so much we don’t know about the Dacians and the Getae, but artifacts on display at the National Museum of Romanian History give us clues.
Some of my favorite relics include two shield bosses/umbos made of sheet iron, one decorated with an image of a bison and one with a griffin. The museum calls them “very rare pieces from the repertoire of Dacian weaponry.” Apparently they were recovered by Romanian authorities from treasure looters who stole them from the area of Sarmizegetusa Regia. This was the Dacian capital (and today one of the six UNESCO Dacian Fortresses of the Orăștie Mountains) that was seized by the Romans in Trajan’s First and Second Dacian Wars.
Poachers also sold 1st century BC koson gold and silver coin (drachmas) hoards from Sarmizegetusa Regia, but Romanian authorities have been able to get some of them back. There are two coin types on display at the museum; one is the “classic” koson type with an eagle on one side and a lictor and two consuls on the reverse side. The second Macedonia Prima Tetradrachm type has the bust of goddess Artemis in the center of a shield on one side, and a mace in the middle of a wreath of oak leaves on the other.
Two brooches from the 1st century AD – 1st century BC are also on display, having been repatriated to the Romanian state from Germany in 2015.
Trajan’s Column Replica
If Daco-Roman history is sounding confusing, luckily the National Museum of Romanian History has a replica of Trajan’s Column on display. The column was carved to show scenes from Trajan’s battles with the Dacians, each panel depicting a different moment from history. Of course, the stories are all from the Roman perspective.
Even though it’s not the original, this multi-floor exhibit is spectacular because it really gives you an idea of the massive scale of the original column, and each panel is at eye-level so visitors can study the scenes.
One panel shows King Decebalus surrendering. Another shows Roman soldiers presenting Trajan with the decapitated heads of Dacians. Throughout the exhibit I kept thinking how crazy it is that a civilization would brag so blatantly about their own war crimes; Romans clearly felt no duty to present themselves as “the good guys.”
First Bible in Romanian Language
For centuries, Latin was the language of education and written word in Romania, which could be exclusionary for the common man. The establishment of local Transylvanian printing presses by Johannes Honterus and Deacon Coresi in the mid-16th century began to give more power to the people, especially with the publication of books in the Romanian language.
The first Bible in the Romanian language (utilizing the Cyrillic alphabet) was printed in 1688 in Bucharest, the Biblia de la București. Prince of Wallachia Șerban Cantacuzino backed its production. The Bucharest Bible is an important pillar that established the pervasiveness of the Romanian language in all aspects of life and laid the groundwork for further development of the written Romanian language.
There were several copies of the 1688 Bible printed, though the total number is unknown. One is on display at the Sinaia Monastery Museum, and one is on display here at the National Museum of Romanian History.
King Carol’s Crown
If you visit Peleș Castle in Sinaia, you will learn a lot about the history of King Carol I, Queen Elisabeth of Wied, King Ferdinand I, and Queen Marie. As you tour the ground floor, you’ll enter the armory/weapons hall where a replica of King Carol’s crown is on display. At the National Museum of Romanian History in Bucharest, you can see the real thing.
King Carol’s crown was made out of the steel from a cannon that the Romanian Army captured after defeating the Ottomans in the Romanian War of Independence (1877-1878). He wore it during his 1881 coronation, as did King Ferdinand I and Michael I during their own coronations. Michael I was the last king of Romania.
Queen Elisabeth’s crown is on display too, but I think there’s something particularly badass about the grey steel crown. Elsewhere in the museum you can also see Elisabeth’s clothes, fans, and even her throne, plus a ton of photographs and belongings owned by Queen Marie.
George Enescu’s Violin
George Enescu (1881-1955) was a violinist, conductor, pianist, composer, teacher, and perhaps the most famous Romanian musician of all time. He studied in France and was known for his interpretations of Bach, but throughout his career he also paid homage to his Romanian heritage. According to Britannica, “Among his orchestral works were three symphonies, two Romanian rhapsodies, and an overture on Romanian folk themes. National themes are also used in his opera Oedipe (1936). In his later years he became the leader of the Romanian school of composers.”
Enescu was a child prodigy whose earliest surviving work composed at the age of 5 years old was titled “Romanian Land.” Throughout his life he was consistently hailed as a genius by his peers, professors, and by royalty.
The violin on display at the National Museum of Romania History is dated 1924, and it sits alongside an autographed portrait from 1941.
Lex Troesmensium Roman Tablets
These two bronze plates inscribed with “the municipal law of a Roman city” date to 177-180 AD and the museum considers them to “represent the most important written document belonging to our ancient history and originating from the territory of Romania.” Now that’s really saying something!
The Roman city in question is Troesmis (Iglita-Turcoaia). No other source of knowledge exists about Roman law in this region in the later half of the 2nd century. Most other municipal charters are dispersed throughout Italy or Spain and date from the 1st century BC – 1st century AD. The existence of the Lex Troesmensium shows that legal regulations for Roman citizens that were issued in Augustun times were still relevant in the 2nd century, and that people had to obey them in all provinces of the empire.
There must have at one time been at least ten tablets, but the two that are preserved at the museum include “the conditions which had to be met by citizens aiming for a public office or priestly function; the voting statute for magistrates and the sanctions for those who violate it; criteria for selecting the municipal messengers and the rules they must follow.”
Metalwork Through the Ages
On the basement floor of the museum is the “Historical Treasure” exhibit, an entire wing dedicated to incredible gems and metalwork in the form of jewelry and adornments from the Eneolithic Age (also known as the “Copper Age” or “Chalcolithic” period of the late Stone Age) all the way to the contemporary epoch.
I made special note of Eneolithic twisted bracelets because they reminded me of the gold torcs I saw at the National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology in Dublin. I’m constantly surprised that different cultures came up with the same ideas, or perhaps this is evidence that ideas were circulating and being traded throughout Europe even this far back in time.
My favorite Bronze Age piece is a necklace with conical-shaped beads discovered at Pecica in Arad County. Two Iron Age necklaces also have unique bead shapes, including one with octahedral beads and one with truncated cone-shaped beads.
Spiral bracelets found in the Sarmizegetusa Regia region date to the 2nd-1st centuries BC; according to the museum, “the wealth of solid gold and silver objects of the Getic princely treasures indicates the existence of important centers of power north of the Danube, of a political hierarchy and a local aristocracy constituted in a stratified Getic society.”
It’s hard to only pick a few pieces as standouts; the craftsmanship demonstrated in this wing impresses at every turn. Some visitors may be most interested in the religious and royal relics of the last few hundred years considering how splendidly ornamented they are (personally I think the increasingly extreme show of wealth is almost obscene, particularly for religious institutions!). When you enter the wing, the more recent objects are to the right and the oldest are to the left.
Prehistoric Shell Necklaces
On the ground floor are Stone Age artifacts including arrowheads, flint and bone tools, and pottery.
I was particularly drawn to necklaces from the Sultana-Malu Roșu archaeological site in Călărași County, which are made of gravel snails and Spondylus shells (thorny oysters). Two of them are strung in a way that reminds me of a modern choker-style necklace. I’m always struck by the fact that ancient people seem to have had similar tastes as we do today!
The Sultana-Malu Roșu site is important because of its impressive earthworks and architectural features, the complicated interior layouts of the buildings, the sheer amount of recovered artifacts, and the 105 graves that have so far been studied.
This section of the museum will also educate you about other archaeological digs where researchers have been working hard to uncover and study clues about the first settlements on modern-day Romanian territory.
I was also intrigued by a coin from 1583-1585 with the seal pattern of Prince Radu Paisie, a Romanian flag and moon rocks which were presented to the country by the United States astronauts who carried the flag on Apollo 11, a 10 bani banknote from 1917 that is the smallest banknote in the world, and a lavish, completely gold-covered Greek-Romanian gospel book printed in 1693. If you’ve been to the museum, what stuck out to you?
One type of artifact that is not shown at the National Museum of Romanian History is traditional peasant clothing or Transylvanian Saxon clothing, so I highly recommend checking out the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant in Bucharest too, if you have the time. Here’s a taste!:
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The Thinking Man and Seated Woman are astonishing. Both in artistic execution and in their ability to convey the interior states of mind of the two figures equally.