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Near the southwest corner of Bucharest’s Old Town is the National History Museum. This excellent museum is housed in the old Postal Services Palace. A statue of Roman Emperor Trajan holding a wolf adorns the steps out front.
Admission
Adult admission is 20 lei (as of August 2023). It’s open Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 6pm in the summer and from 9am to 5pm in the winter.
Trajan’s Column
The highlight of the museum is the life-sized replica of Trajan’s Column in Rome. It was built in 113 to retell the story of the Dacian Wars against Rome (the Dacians inhabited ancient Romania). The column is disassembled and at eye level so visitors can get a detailed look at every panel.
Tombstones
An area is set aside to display intricate tombstones that once covered the tombs of members of the royal family. One of them was for Princess Bălaşa Cantacuzino, a descendant of the Byzantine royal family.
Treasury
The museum has a treasury which contains Queen Marie’s crown and a box with her heart inside. She was a granddaughter of the British Queen Victoria.
Postal Exhibit
Before leaving the museum, I walked through an interesting exhibit on the Romanian postal service, which once occupied the building.
