Astra National Museum Complex

General

It was founded in 1963 by Cornel Irimie and it's actually a sequel of the first Ethnographic and Historic Romanian Museum in Transylvania (founded in 1905 and closed in 1950). The first monument that was brought to the museum, was a watermill and in time, while the museum's collection got bigger, it was opened to the public, in 1967. Some traditional peasant houses were added next, and different kind of workshops (wood, stone, metal, clothing). In 1989, important monuments were added, like the church and the school. Also, here you can learn everything there is to know about agriculture, raising animals and bees, fishing and hunting, and you can see what the people's main fields of work used to be in those times.

The museum hosts a collection of modern wood sculptures, made by Romanian and foreign artist, who let themselves inspired by the simple life of the traditional Romanian village.
Every year, here takes place The Handicraft Olympics. This is meant to be a way of keeping alive the different techniques used by the peasants in making all sorts of handmade things, from pottery to clothing, and to develop and the aptitudes of the younger. Every year, in August, the museum reunites the most skilled and valuable creators from traditional handicraft centers, representing everything that is considered to be popular art: sowing, embroidery, wood, bone and metal manufacturing, making of popular musical instruments.

With every year, the number of tourists is increasing, and this is also because of the diverse entertaining means put at their disposal: boat rides on the lake, a romantic ride on a horse carriage (in the winter on sledges pulled by horses), accommodation on the premises of the museum. You have the chance to bowl in the old fashioned way, as at the bowling alley, the balls and the ninepins are made out of wood.

The museum is open all year long, every day.