Museums, Arad

THE STATE THEATRE dominates Ferdinand Square with its imposing features. Situated in the center of a true architectural museum, this building in eclectic style imposes with exceptional craftsmanship. The construction, so avidly desired by the municipality of the age, was entrusted to renowned Viennese construction firm Fellner and Helmer. http://oradea.travel/en/?p=1873&nggpage=2

The Déri Museum is most famous for being the home of the greatest works of one of Hungary’s most famous and celebrated artists, Mihály Munkácsy, as well as the huge collection of other items, brought together by Frigyes Déri. Munkácsy’s awe-inspiring Christ Trilogy is housed here, the first of the trilogy, entitled front of Pilate was painted in 1882, followed by Golgotha in 1884. The trilogy was completed with Ecce Homo in 1896. In addition to its exhibits of local cultural interest, the Déri Museum has become renowned for Frigyes Déri’s collection of weapons. The weapons collection is particularly fine, comprising of three parts. Weapons from Christian Europe, from the 15-18th. The second part is comprised of classic Muslim weapons from the territory of the Ottoman Empire and Persia. The third part, although the smallest is the finest part, is the weapons collection from the Far East. The Japanese collection is of commonly used items made in the Edo era and is undoubtedly the best in Hungary. https://visitdebrecen.com/see-do/deri-museum/

Having functioned continuously as an educational institution since its establishment in 1538, the college is the cradle of Hungarian civilization. Designated as a national monument in 2013, it also features a museum that has permanent exhibits displaying the school’s history, student life, and the religious art of the Reformed Church in the Trans-Tisza Region. Your visit here will help you understand why Debrecen became the most important bastion of the Reformed faith in Hungary. Bedecked with majestic murals, the building’s stairwell leads to the entrance of the gigantic library storing more than 600,000 volumes, the Csokonai Room and the Oratory that housed Hungary’s National Assembly in 1849. https://www.debrecen.hu/en/tourist/places/debrecen-reformed-college

Proudly bearing its title of UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hortobágy National Park is the perfect archetype of pristine natural landscapes. This is the place where everyone longs to find refuge from the monotony of modern human existence. The feeling of unfettered freedom, encapsulated in the spectacle of the endless horizon, mirages, grazing herds of cattle and horses, and sweep-pole wells, will capture your imagination and soul during a horse-and-carriage ride or “puszta” safari. A picturesque trip to the fishponds on the small narrow-gauge train, combined with some birdwatching, will serve unique experiences to both young and older adventurers. Here the breeze wafts the scent of fragrant chamomile, mint, and artemisia from wild fields, gently touching your nose just like the waves of the ocean rhythmically splashing on the shore. It is a place where you will reinterpret the meaning of silence. It is a place where you might even reach celestial bodies during the special night treks in Starry Sky Park. In Hungary’s oldest and largest national park, awarded the European Destinations of Excellence (EDEN) prize, hundred-year-old herdsman’s traditions are still part of people’s means of subsistence and not mere promotional gimmicks. https://visitdebrecen.com/see-do/hortobagy/

The Secessionist building at No. 42, built in the 1920s as a bank, was converted several years ago into the Zepter Museum, a vault of 20th-century and contemporary art. http://www.serbia.com/36-hours-belgrade/

The National Ethnographic Vuia, established in 1929, bears the name of its founder and first museum manager, Professor Romulus Vuia. The exhibited pieces are in fact old traditional buildings, grouped according to their regional establishments, folk architecture monuments, folk installations, craftsman workshops, wells, gateways, big wooden crosses and indoor textiles. Interesting facts: •The Ethnographic Museum is the oldest from Romania; •The oldest exhibit pieces date back from 1678; •The church from Cizer-Salaj, at the construction of which contributed Nicola Ursu (Horea), just before the 1784 uprising, is one of the most beautiful wooden churches in Transylvania; weddings are still being officiated in this architectural monument; •It hosts annual fairs and traditional cultural manifestations. http://www.visitclujnapoca.ro/en/atractii-turistice/muzee/the-romulus-vuia-national-ethnographic-park.html

Founded in 1922 by professor Romulus Voia, the Ethnographic Museum of Transylvania entered the elite of the Romanian ethnographic museums, due to the exceptional quality of its patrimony. It is currently composed of over 41.000 traditional peasant objects from 17th-20th centuries and a documentary fund of over 80.000 items. The museum has two sections: the Pavilion Section and „Romulus Vuia” ethnographic Park (the open-air section). The Pavilion Section functions in „Reduta” Palace – a historical monument that dates since the 16th century. The current pavilion exhibition, vernished on 16th of December and called „Traditional folk culture from Transylvania in the 18th-20th centuries”, rebuilds, with talent, the way in which the Transylvanian peasantry lived two centuries ago. As testimonies remained simple tools or ingenious equipment used in domestic activities, culminating with rich folk suits, which showed not only the stage of the life but also the social position of the one who wore them. There are also presented traditional costumes of the life cycle, the calendar ones and the peasant costumes, with an essential role in highlighting the regional and ethnic identity. Curiosities: With a history of more than 80 years, the museum is the greatest of this kind in Romania and among the most prestigious in Europe (the sixth). The museum functions in „Reduta” building, which housed during 1848-1865 the Transylvanian Diet. The famous trial of the authors of the Transylvanian Memorandum took place in this building in 1894-1895. It has 50.000 photos, 5.000 diapositives, 12.000 specialised magazines. http://www.visitclujnapoca.ro/en/atractii-turistice/best-of-cluj-napoca/the-ethnographic-museum-of-transylvania.html

The Matthias Corvinus House (or Mehffy House) is a stylish building in gothic style from the 15th century (today, Art and Design University of Cluj Napoca). In this house, which was the city’s inn in past, was born on 23rd of February 1443 Matia Corvin, the son of the vaivode of Transylvania, John Hunyadi (Ioan de Hunedoara). Matia Corvin was the greatest king of Hungary (1458-1490), he was learned, patron of arts, wise and just, being mentioned in songs and legends even today. In 1467, he acquited the owners of the house in which he was born from paying taxes and fees to the city. This privilege was enforced by the next kings and princes. The house served as different institutions. It was a college but was also home for the ethnographic collections of the Transylvanian Carpathian Society. Over time, the building has suffered various changes, adapted to the new architectural styles. The basement and some platband of windows and doors that have lintels in the oblique section are characteristic of the gothic style. During the first half of the 16th century appeared the first elements of the Renaissance: some platbands from Renaissance on the facade, with denticles, together with gothic elements, as well as the portal in a broken arch. The original arches were chiefly replaced. During the 18th century, the building was made a hospital and the yard had suffered a few baroque changes. At the end of the 19th century, the building was in an advanced state of degradation and it was restored. Many elements of Art Nouveau, Secession were introduced, being in fashion at that time. In the ’50s of the last century, the modifications of Art Nouveau were removed, being incompatible with the architecture of the building, which gained the present appearance. http://www.visitclujnapoca.ro/en/atractii-turistice/best-of-cluj-napoca/the-matthias-corvinus-house.html

The “Emil Racoviţă” Speleology Museum was established in 1998, and it is the only museum in Romania dedicated to the scientist Emil Racoviţă and to the cave science. Emil Racoviţă is the founder of biospeleology and of the first Speleology institute in the world, which was opened in Cluj-Napoca in 1920. The results of the biospeleology program initiated by E. Racoviţă were exceptional: 1,200 explored caves throughout Europe and Africa, a collection of 50,000 copies of cave fauna, 66 scientific studies adding up to approximately 6,000 pages. Racoviţă reached the peak of his scientific career when he elaborated an original theory regarding evolution. The museum also includes The Emil Racoviţă Collection with numerous varied exhibition pieces like a notebook from the period when Racoviţă was a student at the Paris-Sorbonne University (1886-1891), the Zeiss microscope and the Linhof photo device which he used in his “Belgica” Antarctic expedition (1897-1899), the projector and slides he used when teaching his General Biology course at the Science University in Cluj, original drawings illustrated in his scientific works, personal desk objects. The building in which the museum operates is an old medieval prison (from the 14th century up to the 19th century) and it is considered a national historical monument dating back to 1376. http://www.visitclujnapoca.ro/en/atractii-turistice/muzee/the-emil-racovita-speleology-museum.html

The Art Museum of Cluj-Napoca is a public institution of a culture whose mission is to preserve, research and put forward the real and virtual patrimony of Romanian and universal art. With a collection of over 12,000 paintings, sculptures, graphic arts and decorative pieces, it is considered one of the most important museums in Romania. Founded as an institution in 1951, the museum has been operating since 1956 in the Banffy Palace – a baroque building which was built based on the plans of the architect J.E. Blaumann during the years 1774-1785, its destination being that of residence for the governor of Transylvania. It is the most important baroque edifice in Cluj-Napoca and one of reference for the 18th-century Romanian architecture. A series of sculptures with remarkable artistic value made by Anton Schuchbauer were added to the building in order to complete its stone architectural decorations. http://www.visitclujnapoca.ro/en/atractii-turistice/muzee/the-art-museum-of-clujnapoca.html

The Tailors' Tower (Baba Novac Street / Stefan cel Mare Square) is part of the second fortified precinct of the walls system and of the fortifications of the city, built in the first half of 15th century and continued until the 17th century. It was built on the South-Eastern corner of the city defence wall, after 1405, following the privileges keyed by King Sigismund of Luxemburg. The first confirmed documents date 1457, from the time of King Matia Corvin. The administration of the Tower was entrusted to the most powerful guilds of the town – the tailors' guild. Over time, the Tower was devastated several times (1551-1553, 1601, 1627, and 1707). The actual shape is given by the last big reconstruction from 1709-1711, made by the Austrians, out of over 150 stone wagons. The Tower has renewed again in 1956-1957 when they attempted the opening of a history museum of the city of Cluj, a project forbidden by the communist authorities in 1959. http://www.visitclujnapoca.ro/en/atractii-turistice/monumente-si-complexe-arhitectonice/page/4/the-tailors-tower.html

The ASTRA Museum of Folkloric Traditional Civilization is situated in the Dumbrava Forest, at a distance of 4 kilometers from the city. The museum functions since 1963 under the name of the Museum of Folkloric Technique and stretches over 96 hectares and an exhibition circuit of 10 kilometers in length http://www.turism.sibiu.ro/index.php/en/muzeu/147

The Parliament building, a magnificent example of Neo-Gothic architecture (although displaying Renaissance and Baroque characters too), is just over 100 years old. In the 1880's an open tender was held for the design of the Parliament building. Guided tours of the Parliament are available when the National Assembly is not in session. The tour takes about 45 minutes, and is well worth the price, as it covers the main entrance stairs and hall, one of the lobbies, the old House of Lords and the Hungarian Crown Jewels. http://visitbudapest.travel/guide/budapest-attractions/budapest-parliament/

The main façade of the Fisherman’s Bastion, running parallel to the Danube, is approximately 140 metres long. The seven stone towers with their pointed tops symbolise the leaders of the Hungarian tribes who conquered the country in 896. It was built in place of the old fortification walls in neo-Romanesque style between 1895 and 1902 on the plans of Frigyes Schulek, who was also in charge of the reconstruction of the Mathias Church. The Bastion takes its name from the guild of fishermen that was responsible for defending this stretch of the city walls in the Middle Ages. https://www.budapest.com/city_guide/sights/monuments_of_art/fishermens_bastion.en.html

The museum hosts an exhibition held on 900 square meters, which exhibits over 1,000 samples of minerals, rocks and fossils. There are other 15,000 pieces in the institution's warehouses. The Museum of Mineralogy in Baia Mare is the largest regional museum in Europe, many of the exhibits being considered unique in the world and heritage values. The unofficial, cultural name par excellence and unanimously used is the Museum of Mine Flowers. except for some component crystals, which totally make the piece well individualized compared to the others ”(Victor Gorduza - director of the institution). On the ground floor, the basic exhibition presents the geological composition of North-West Romania, the systematics of hydrothermal minerals and non-ferrous metal deposits on the southern frame of the Oaș-Gutâi mountains, as well as in Țibleș and the Borșa-Vişeu area. Upstairs, the exhibition space includes the most impressive pieces, full of poetry and colour, wrapped in ambient music that creates an image-melodic syncretism conducive to high-profile cultural events - here is the annual awards ceremony " Books of the Year ”, organized by the county branch of the Romanian Writers' Union. https://www.baiamare.ro/ro/Descopera-Baia-Mare/Obiective-turistice-si-atractii/Muzee/Muzeul-de-Mineralogie/

The Art Museum of Craiova is located in Jean Mihail palace – built in late XIX century https://romaniadacia.wordpress.com/2013/08/13/art-museum-in-craiova-jean-mihail-palace/

The National Museum of BiH was founded on February 1, 1888 and was first housed in a building next to the Sarajevo Cathedral. Construction of the facility in Marijin Dvor, the museum’s current home, got underway in 1909 and was completed in 1913 and designed by Karl Paržik. The museum allows visitors to take “a short walk” through BiH’s past, from earliest times all the way to the ethnology exhibit, whose interior captures the atmosphere of a traditional city house during the Ottoman period. The most valuable item in the museum’s collection is the famous Sarajevo Haggadah, which the Sephardic Jews brought to Sarajevo when they left Spain. There is also the rich collection in the natural history section which covers both living and non-living worlds, including a skeleton of a bearded vulture, a bird with a giant wingspan which used to fly in the skies above BiH not that long ago. https://sarajevo.travel/en/things-to-do/national-museum-of-bih/237

Situated not far from Ivano-Frankivsk, the ancient town Kolomyya is notable for its vivid history and inimitable colour. However, it is mostly associated with the unique Pysanka Museum – the only museum in the world, whose exposition is devoted to the art of painting Easter eggs. Ukraine has an age-old tradition of decorating eggs with the plot or ornamental patterns using wax and special dyes, however, it is the Hutsul region where this tradition is especially honoured. The locals even create legends about this ancient art. One of them states that a terrible beast is chained to a high rock in the Carpathian Mountains. Each year it carefully watches that people don’t forget the custom of painting Easter eggs. If there are just a few pysanka (painted Easter eggs), the beast spreads evil on the earth, but, if there are enough painted eggs, love and good defeat evil, and the chains squeeze the evil monster with deadly force. https://discover-ukraine.info/places/western-ukraine/ivano-frankivsk/1089

Although the smallest of all city museums, the Museum has proved attractive to a many visitors. There is a long tradition of fire fighting in Varaždin as the City has been damaged several times by fire. The first Varaždin volunteer Fire Brigade formed in 1864, making it the first in the region. http://www.tourism-varazdin.hr/en/museums-and-collections/

At the northern edge of the historical centre of Varaždin separated from the city by embankments and moat, is the Old Town Castle of Varaždin. This military fortress was unassailable from the outside due to the moat which was fed by the river Drava canal and the cannons inside the walls that in some places were 2.5 metres thick. Inside is the Old Town’s Renaissance Palace, whose aristocratic owners have continually changed and adjusted it to suit their tastes from the 13th to the 19th Century. Today the entire Old Town is the Varaždin City Museum. Former illustrious owners include the Counts of Celje, Jan Vitovac, Ivaniš Korvin, Juraj Brandenburg, Counts Ungnadi and many others. The Erdödy Family ruled the City for the longest time, and the first owner was the famous General Tomo Bakač Erdödy, who defeated the Turks at Sisak in 1593. The Old Town was the Capital of the Varaždin County, and the Erdödy family were its hereditary governors. That’s why their family coat of arms which was officially confirmed by Queen Maria Therese in 1763, is still in use. The last owner of the Town sold it in 1923. The Varaždin City Museum was founded by the Varaždin Museum Society and officially opened in 1925 in a few rooms in the Old Town. Initially, the displays consisted of items donated to the newly opened museum by renowned Varaždin families. Over the years, the size and variety of the Museum Collection have increased, and today the Varaždin City Museum has specialized Archaeological, Historical, Cultural, Ethnographic and Entomological Departments. Museum Departments are housed in several buildings of historical value in the center of the City: the Gothic-Renaissance fortress Old Town, the baroque Sermage, the classical Herzer Palace and the Watchtower in the Old Town complex. The Museum’s Departments currently have four permanent exhibitions including: the Cultural and Historical Department in the Old Town, Entomology in Herzer Palace and the Gallery of Old and Contemporary Masters in the Sermage Palace. The Archaeological and Historical Department in the Herzer Palace is currently being prepared and is almost ready to open permanently. https://www.tourism-varazdin.hr/en/museums-and-collections/

The former seat of the rulers, today the symbol of Bratislava and the seat of the Museum of History. There is a wonderful view of the city and the neighbouring countries from its 47-metre-high crown tower in which royal coronation jewels used to be deposited. https://www.visitbratislava.com/places/bratislava-castle/

Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Studies Museum (Івано-Франківський краєзнавчий музей; Ivano-Frankivskyi kraieznavchyi muzei). Regional studies museum founded in Stanislav (now Ivano-Frankivsk) in 1940 on the basis of several existing collections, including the Zhabie ‘Hutsulshchyna’ Museum. http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CI%5CV%5CIvano6FrankivskRegionalStudiesMuseum.htm

Having absorbed baroque and renaissance traits, the building of the parish Church of Virgin Mary is among the most beautiful and most valuable architectural monuments in Ivano-Frankivsk. https://discover-ukraine.info/places/western-ukraine/ivano-frankivsk/786

In 1972 the Austrian Jewish Museum in Eisenstadt was established as Austria’s very first Jewish museum after 1945. It is located in the town’s former Jewish district, near Palace Esterházy, in Palais Samson Wertheimer. In the course of your tour, you can visit not only the museum exhibitions, but also the synagogue belonging to the Palais Wertheimer, as well as both Jewish cemeteries, on a roundabout walk through the ancient Judengasse. The small synagogue to the former Hungarian state rabbi Samson Wertheimer (1658-1724) is the gem of the building and the museum. It numbers among the very few synagogues in the German speaking area which was not destroyed in the so-called Reichskristallnacht in November 1938 or during the period following. https://eisenstadt-leithaland.at/jewish-museum.html

The museum of the Diocese in Eisenstadt has been on the premises of the Franciscan monastery since 1980. Its collection of ecclesiastical art of the region (sculptures, paintings, paraments, i.e. clothes worn in religious services, and devices pertaining to the liturgy, objects of people´s piety and religious graphics) is unique in Burgenland. https://eisenstadt-leithaland.at/diocesan-museum.html

Get to know the past and the peculiar characteristics of this region by looking at artefacts contributed by Archaeology, Biology, Geology, Art History and Ethnology. What is the purpose of the Landesmuseum? The museum´s main task is to research the historical and cultural development of Burgenland and the surrounding region of Pannonia and present a comprehensive picture of the results of this research to the public. This is done with the aim to stir and develop the understanding and general and scientific interest in the idiosyncrasies of the region. These tasks are fulfilled by scientific research, the set-up and upkeep of collections, planning and carrying out of exhibits, events such as lectures, seminars, symposia, etc. and the edition of printed materials. https://eisenstadt-leithaland.at/regional-museum-burgenland.html

The largest wine museum in Austria is situated in the 330 year-old cellar vaults of the palace. This impressive exhibition includes more than 700 fascinating objects and gives an overview of the cultural history and rich traditions of viticulture in Burgenland. Among the exhibits are the largest preserved wine barrel and the oldest Baumpresse (a historic type of Austrian basket wine press) in Burgenland. https://eisenstadt-leithaland.at/wine-museum.html

The regional Fire Fighter´s Museum deals with the history of the volunteer fire departments of the region Burgenland. More than 450 exhibits show the development of volunteer fire departments in Western Hungary and Burgenland from the second half of the 18th century onward. The exhibits comprise manuscripts, documents, flags, uniforms, photographs but also large exhibits such as hand-held pressure hoses, fire carriages, and the first fire engine dating back to 1930. https://eisenstadt-leithaland.at/museum-oft-he-fire-departement.html

Mushroom Museum has up to 1250 species of real mushrooms from around the world. Including dozens of newly discovered species. As a matter of fact, the mushrooms are freeze-dried. Which means they are alive, in their original form, size and colour. Making the Mushroom Museum unique in the world. You have a chance to see the infamous and deadly Amanita phalloides, also known as death cap. They are preserved in their original state so to educate visitors about mushrooms and mycology. In addition, it is about developing ecological awareness. Preserving forests from devastation and overcrowding. It is led by agronomist and greatest authority on mushrooms in Croatia, Professor Romano Bozac, D.Sc. In fact, he can take you around the exhibit, if he has the time. https://www.visitzagreb.hr/zagreb/mushroom-museum/

Zagreb City Museum will show you all aspects of the city. Showing Zagreb under the influence of politics, the church, history, economy, town-planning and architecture, the history of art and literature, and everyday life. The Museum building was once the Convent of the Poor Clares and is a historical monument itself. Their most valuable exhibit. The exhibition shows the lifecycle of Zagreb through 45 themes. Built around the artefacts the Museum possesses. You will find a prehistoric settlement constructed in the 7th century BC. Starting with the Hallstatt culture of the Early Iron Age and a house and workshop of the La Tene culture of the Late Iron Age. The archaeological map shows visitors the most important sites and finds in the city! https://www.visitzagreb.hr/zagreb/zagreb-city-museum/

In a very modern, architecturally-designed building (which opened in 2009), the Museum of Contemporary Art is home to both its permanent Collection in Motion exhibit and a great selection of temporary exhibits throughout the year http://www.visit-croatia.co.uk/index.php/croatia-destinations/zagreb/museums-zagreb/

The Museum of Broken Relationships is a collection of relationships and in fact an emotional rollercoaster. The first privately owned museum in Zagreb and a winner of the European Museum Kenneth Hudson Award in 2011. It is located in the beautiful baroque Kulmer palace in the Upper Town – a historical part of Zagreb rich in tourist attractions. Conceptualised by Olinka Vištica and Dražen Grubišić, the Museum has toured internationally, amassing an amazing collection and promoting Zagreb. The Museum of Broken Relationships is dedicated to failed relationships. As a matter of fact, it exhibits personal objects, leftover from former owners, accompanied by their stories and emotions. Exhibits hit on a range of emotions and relationships. Reflect on your personal experiences and how they intertwine with the items on display. It makes you think of the value we give to common objects. It is not about the items you will find. Above all else, it is about the incredible experience and emotions you feel as you walk through the exhibition! https://www.visitzagreb.hr/zagreb/museum-broken-relationships/

Backo Mini Express is an amazing mini-train museum filled with innovation and surprises. Marvel at a very carefully constructed wonderland of trains, skiers, stations and towns. You can get up close and see how it works. Backo Mini Express will overjoy train lovers and children with their models. After six years of work, the scale model is displayed across 75 square metres. It is constantly expanding through innovation and new models. In fact, at the moment it is the largest model in south-eastern Europe. Although the museum is in a single room, they showcase 102 model trains across 1050 m of the railway on 8 levels. They are also featuring a miniature model of the Snow Queen Trophy at Sljeme and an ice skating rink at Tomislav Square. The ski slope is complete with snow, moving skiers, borders and cable railway. It takes some serious engineering and technical innovations to fit all that in. As a matter of fact, they paid attention to the finest detail. Including the scenery which is extraordinary. They thought of everything, including weather control, moving road car models and people engaged in various activities. https://www.visitzagreb.hr/zagreb/backo-mini-express/