Muzeul Hărților — Attraction in Bucharest

I had one of the most uncomfortable and annoying moments of my life in this museum.

I entered this place today (November 20th) and wanted to buy an adult ticket. I gave the clerk at the cash desk 50 lei (10€) for the ticket that costs 16 lei. He said it was too big and asked if I had a smaller one. I checked but I only had the 50 lei note. Everything was normal until then. He then called a colleague who changed the note for me. She gave me 5 × 10 lei. With this money I then went to the man to buy my ticket. Suddenly the woman shouted “NO NO NO!”

I was confused and asked what was going on. She shouted “NO NO NO!” again and in English something about “change” and that I had to pay. I said that I wanted to buy my ticket now from the man. Then she shouted “NO NO NO” again and again “change money” and “pay”. I became more and more confused. I kept saying that I wanted to pay now. I had my money in my hand, wanted to pay my 16 lei and then go into the museum. But that didn't happen. Instead, the woman kept shouting at me that I had to pay, whereupon I got louder and kept shouting that I wanted to pay. To this day, I don't know what went wrong.

Luckily, a friendly and competent employee came. Suddenly I was finally allowed to pay and got my ticket.

She also apologized to me directly and said that there must have been communication difficulties. But I can't do more than say that I wanted to pay. Shouting at me wasn't right.

I find it difficult to rate the museum overall because I was too excited afterwards to enjoy the historical maps. And luckily the other employee was pleasantly friendly and personable.

After hours I don't know where the mistake was, but even if there are communication difficulties, I don't think it's right to treat a customer like that when he just wants to buy his ticket.

Apparently you're only allowed to speak...

As a surveyor engineer, I found myself captivated by the remarkable collection at the Map Museum in Bucharest. What truly stands out is the impressive accuracy achieved by ancient cartographers despite their limited tools. Their ability to create detailed maps without modern surveying instruments is a testament to human ingenuity and perseverance. The museum offers a unique perspective on how political boundaries have evolved over time. The historical maps showcase fascinating changes in how Earth's territories were divided and claimed by different nations throughout history. This visual journey through geopolitical changes brings history to life in a way textbooks never could. For families considering a visit, the museum proves surprisingly engaging for children. Young visitors can discover how explorers and mapmakers gradually pieced together our understanding of the world. It's an excellent educational opportunity that combines geography, history, and the art of cartography in an accessible way. The exhibits demonstrate how cartography has evolved from an art form blending educated guesswork and astronomical observations into today's precise scientific discipline. For anyone interested in maps, history, or how we humans have perceived our world through the ages, this museum is a hidden gem...

The museum opened to the public in 2003 and is hosted in a beautiful villa built in the 1920's. The main collection belonged to Professor Adrian Năstase’s family and was donated to the Romanian state. At present, the main collection is enriched with other donations of graphic works and maps.

Collection The patrimony of the museum consists of over 1000 works dating from the 16th to the 20th century. Among them you will find maps of the regions inhabited by Romanians and their ancestors, continents of the world, astronomical maps and city plans. Also, the patrimony of the museum includes graphic works with various subjects: landscapes, portraits, traditional costumes.

The venue The museum is set in a 1920s building constructed in a style that combines architectural elements of Gothic inspiration – the pointed arches – with those of Mediterranean inspiration - the loggias reminding of 15th century Venetian villas.

Ceilings and stained glass In order to mark the new use of the building since 2003, the ceilings have been decorated with inspirational insights from mythology and astronomical maps and the stained glass windows were designed with various heraldic and cartographic...