Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
7 The Best Museums
•
Varna Archaeological Museum (Bul-
garia).
Looking at the small gold fig-
ure of Victory—an earring taken
from the tomb of a Thracian noble-
woman, the detailing so fine it must
be appreciated through a magnifying
glass—one can't help wonder whether
we have progressed much in the
2,400 years since the goldsmith made
this exquisite piece. Bulgaria is so
laden with Thracian treasure that
archaeologists now posit that it the
country has, along with Greece and
Italy, the most ancient artifacts in
Europe, with some 15,000 tombs
and 400 ancient settlements scattered
throughout the country. Varna's
Archaeological Museum is the best
place to view the world's oldest gold;
Sofia's History Museum is another.
See p. 119.
•
Alfons Mucha Museum (Prague,
Czech Republic).
Posters, decorative
panels, objects, and excerpts from
sketchbooks, as well as oil paintings
from this well-known Art Nouveau
master are displayed at the baroque
Kaunick
;
Palace near Václavské
nám
ê
stí. See p. 242.
•
Resistance, Sighet (Romania).
This
evocative memorial to people who
died because of Communism in Roma-
nia, occupies a chilling former prison
in Maramure
@
, not far from the
Ukraine border. Each of the cells—
including the one where former
Prime Minister Iuliu Maniu died—is
an exhibition space. See p. 547.
•
Muzeul Na
$
ional al Satului (Bucha-
rest, Romania).
There are village
museums all over Romania, designed
to keep the architecture of the coun-
try's rural communities within living
memory. This one in the capital is so
large, it might well be a village unto
itself. There's a remarkable range of
village houses, churches, and even a
windmill, brought from across the
country to this outdoor site in the
north of the city. See p. 507.
•
Muzeul Na
$
ional de Art
â
(Roma-
nia).
Bucharest's National Museum
of Art is an exhaustive (and exhaust-
ing) collection of Romanian and
European art housed in a wing of the
former Royal Palace on Revolution
Square. This is the best place to get
acquainted with Romanian greats like
world-renowned sculptor Constantin
Br
â
ncu
@
i, and treasured Impressionist
Nicolae Grigorescu, among many,
many others. See p. 503.
•
State Hermitage Museum (St. Peters-
burg, Russia).
The museum holds
one of the world's biggest art collec-
tions, from Egyptian carvings to
Impressionist masterpieces. The
museum is located in the Winter
Palace, stormed in 1917 by revolu-
tionaries. See p. 597.
•
Armory Museum (Moscow, Russia).
Fabergé eggs, coronation robes, royal
carriages, and jewels have filled what
was once the czarist weapons store-
house. See p. 583.
•
Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow, Russia).
The largest collection of Russian art.
Chagall and Kandinsky share space
with penetrating medieval icons. See
p. 584.
•
Museum of the Warsaw Uprising
(Warsaw, Poland).
With all of the
audiovisual displays and sound
effects, it's an assault on the eyes and
ears. But when you're done walking
through the exhibitions and watching
the startling documentaries filmed
during the fighting in 1944, you'll
understand a lot more about Poles'
resolve to preserve their nation. Just
the photos alone of Warsaw's total
destruction will leave you in awe that
a modern city actually exists. See
p. 402.
