Vâlcea Village Museum
About Vâlcea Village Museum
On the road out of Râmnicu Vâlcea towards Sibiu, on the hill beside the DN7, in the commune of Bujoreni, stands a whole village brought together from all over Vâlcea County: farmsteads with houses, corn cribs and haylofts, workshops, mills, a school, an inn and wooden churches. The buildings are originals: they were taken apart piece by piece in their villages and put up again here, on some 8 hectares of slopes with orchards, timber fences and dirt lanes.
The museum grew out of the Bujoreanu Kula, the fortified boyar house built in the early 19th century (around 1810–1812) by Preda Bujoreanu and restored from 1968. The first houses were brought around it from 1969, and the village museum opened to the public in 1974 as the ethnography section of the "Aurelian Sacerdoțeanu" Vâlcea County Museum. Today it has nearly 80 buildings and more than 12,000 objects: furniture, textiles, ceramics, tools and icons.
The kula, also known as the "kula with the outside staircase", is part of the "Kulas of Oltenia" nomination, on Romania's UNESCO Tentative List since 1991; it is not inscribed on the World Heritage List.
What you can see
The farmsteads are grouped by their main occupation: houses with wooden lookout porches from the Horezu area (Măldărești, Stoenești, Bărbătești), winegrowers' farmsteads brought from the Drăgășani vineyards, with wine presses and treading vats, fruit growers' farmsteads and those of livestock breeders from the mountain area. Among them are pottery, carpentry and blacksmith's workshops, hand mills and water mills, plum brandy stills, a fulling mill and an oven for drying plums.
The village institutions are here too: the primary school from Cacova, from the early 20th century, with its furnished classroom, Bogdan's Inn of 1889, brought from Sălişte (Malaia commune), and the wooden churches, among them the 18th-century one from Mrenești and the one from Anghelești-Cărpiniș, moved here in 2009, with a dedication inscription from 1655 and surviving wall paintings. In the middle of the village stands the Bujoreanu Kula, built of stone, with a timber staircase climbing up the outside to the upper-floor porch.
Good to know
The museum is open all year, with shorter hours in winter. In summer and on holidays it hosts fairs and folk performances; at Pentecost 2026 it was the venue of the Vâlcea Călușari Festival.
Information verified on 21 October 2026.
- The Bujoreanu Kula, with its timber staircase climbing up the outside to the upper-floor porch.
- The classroom of the Cacova school, with its furniture and globes from the early 20th century.
- Bogdan's Inn of 1889, with its stone cellar and upstairs rooms.
- The wooden church from Anghelești-Cărpiniș, with its 1655 dedication inscription and the paintings preserved on its walls.
- The houses with lookout porches from the Horezu area and the winegrowers' farmsteads from the Drăgășani vineyards, with presses and treading vats.
Good to know before you go
- Getting there
By car: The museum is on the northern edge of Râmnicu Vâlcea, ~5 km from the centre along the DN7 (Calea lui Traian) towards Sibiu (~10 min). From Sibiu it is ~96 km on the A1 and the DN7 through the Olt Valley (~1 h 45 min), and from Pitești ~75 km (~1 h 25 min). Access from the DN7 is via Strada Bujorencii.
Public transport: The "Bujoreni" bus stop on the DN7 is ~600 m from the museum. From Râmnicu Vâlcea railway station it is ~5.5 km, about 10 minutes by taxi.
- Where to park
There are parking spaces by the south-eastern side of the museum, close to the entrance. There is no official information about charges.
- Fees & discounts
Entry is by ticket. The museum's official page does not show prices, so check by phone before your visit.
- Rules
Objects in the houses and workshops must not be touched. The lanes are dirt and grass, on slopes, so comfortable shoes help. Photography indoors may have its own rules.
- Facilities
Open-air museum on ~8 ha · dirt and grass paths, with slopes
Frequently asked questions about Vâlcea Village Museum
- What are the opening hours of Vâlcea Village Museum?
- Opening hours at Vâlcea Village Museum: Monday closed, Tuesday–Sunday 10:00 – 18:00. Summer hours: Tuesday–Sunday 10:00–18:00; winter hours: Tuesday–Sunday 9:00–17:00. Closed on Mondays. Summer hours usually run from April to October; for a winter visit, check by phone.
- How long does a visit to Vâlcea Village Museum take?
- A visit to Vâlcea Village Museum takes about 1 – 1½ hours (all the farmsteads, at a relaxed pace).
- Can you visit Vâlcea Village Museum with kids?
- Yes, Vâlcea Village Museum is suitable for children (plenty of space, outdoors).
- Where can I park at Vâlcea Village Museum?
- There is free parking at Vâlcea Village Museum (next to the entrance). There are parking spaces by the south-eastern side of the museum, close to the entrance. There is no official information about charges.
- How do I get to Vâlcea Village Museum?
- Vâlcea Village Museum is located at Strada Bujorencii, Bujoreni, Vâlcea County. By car: The museum is on the northern edge of Râmnicu Vâlcea, ~5 km from the centre along the DN7 (Calea lui Traian) towards Sibiu (~10 min). From Sibiu it is ~96 km on the A1 and the DN7 through the Olt Valley (~1 h 45 min), and from Pitești ~75 km (~1 h 25 min). Access from the DN7 is via Strada Bujorencii. Public transport: The "Bujoreni" bus stop on the DN7 is ~600 m from the museum. From Râmnicu Vâlcea railway station it is ~5.5 km, about 10 minutes by taxi.
- When is the best time to visit Vâlcea Village Museum?
- The best season for Vâlcea Village Museum: April – October (open all year).
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