National Museum of Maps and Old Books

The National Museum of Old Maps and Books is located on Londra Street in Bucharest, in a house built in the 1920s. The collection includes maps of Romanian regions and continents, city plans and astronomical maps, made between the sixteenth and twentieth centuries.

The works show how people represented the world before digital maps. Place names, borders and decorative designs give clues to the era in which they were made. The visit can start from the recognition of some countries or cities and can continue with the observation of the differences compared to the current maps. The stained glass windows and painted ceilings are part of the building's charm.

The museum building. Archive photo. Photo: Țetcu Mircea Rareș / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 ro; 2013; cropped and resized image. License Details