Buzău County Museum - brief history

The Buzău County Museum represents the most prestigious museum institution in Buzău County. It is a permanent institution aimed at serving society, open to the public, and dedicated to collecting, preserving, identifying, cataloging, maintaining, conserving, and displaying various objects or artifacts of scientific, historical, or artistic interest for the purposes of study, education, and recreation. These items reflect the material and spiritual testimonies of the existence and evolution of local communities in the Carpathian Curve region, from the following perspectives: archaeology, history, ethnography, art, culture and civilization, and notable creative personalities, as showcased in museum exhibits from ancient times to the present.

The primary activities of the Buzău County Museum include the storage, conservation, and restoration of national cultural heritage, constant efforts to enrich the county and national museum heritage, organizing thematic temporary exhibitions, presentations, symposia, and anniversary events celebrating historical, cultural, and political figures, as well as ensuring the scientific and written documentation of all cultural assets within the museum’s collections. Additionally, the museum serves as a cultural center for the local and national public, hosting international conferences, colloquia, meetings, competitions, concerts, and various gatherings. National sessions for communication and reports are held annually, with their results published in the museum’s specialized journals: “Mousaios” and “The Annals of Buzău.”

Named the “Regional Teachers' Museum,” it operated under the local school inspectorate and was housed on the upper floor of Girls' Primary School No. 1. Open to the public only once a week, the museum was organized into several sections: zoology, botany, history, numismatics, art, medical history, geology, monographs, publishing, and children’s exhibits. The museum’s collections were acquired through both purchases and donations, overseen by a support committee of 100 individuals, with an artistic council composed of specialized teachers managing each section.

In 1936, the museum was transferred to a room in the Town Hall and opened to the public on June 24. However, during World War II, the museum faced critical challenges, with much of its collection being destroyed.

It reopened in 1953, with a permanent exhibition established in 1955. Early permanent exhibitions, however, were often disorganized and confusing, consisting of original pieces, texts, graphics, maps, and panels displaying scenes from human history.

On February 1, 1968, the Buzău City Museum was reorganized, becoming the Buzău County Museum. The museum faced several challenges during its development. After reorganization between 1962-1964, prompted by subjective rather than scientific criteria, the museum was closed in September 1974 and transferred back to the Town Hall, with the aim of organizing a museum complex that would include both an archaeological and historical exhibition as well as a decorative arts section.

To establish the decorative arts section, efforts were made starting in 1971 to acquire works of fine and decorative arts (paintings, sculptures, ceramics, glassware, prints, tapestries) through the Office for Exhibition Organization. Finally, on December 9, 1976, the museum moved to its current location at 50 Nicolae Bălcescu Boulevard, with the relocation completed by March 1977.

Most of the major repairs, reinforcements, and renovations at the new location were completed by 1980, with the museum’s thematic displays expanded to make full use of the available space. These efforts culminated on July 12, 1980, with the opening of the "Brăduț Covaliu" painting section, followed by the inauguration of the decorative arts section in December of the same year.

The permanent archaeology and history exhibition, arranged in 13 rooms with sections on ancient history and archaeology, medieval, modern, and contemporary history, was inaugurated on July 7, 1981, modernized in 1986, and updated again in 1990.

The building of the Buzău County Museum was constructed between 1931-1937 and is classified as a heritage site of regional importance, listed as a B-type heritage monument under code LMI 2004: BZ-II-m-B-02317. The building was rehabilitated between 2010-2015 through a project financed by the 2007-2013 Regional Operational Program, Priority Axis 5: Sustainable Development and Tourism Promotion, Major Intervention Area 5.1: Restoration and Sustainable Valorization of Cultural Heritage, and the Creation/Modernization of Associated Infrastructure. The total value of the "Rehabilitation of the Buzău County Museum" project was 38,347,904.32 lei.