Piatra Neamț Ethnography Museum

The Ethnography Museum stands at 1 Piața Curtea Domnească, in the historic centre of Piatra Neamț, next to the Art Museum. The neo-Romanian style building was originally the residence of the director of Boys' School no. 1. The collection goes back to mid-20th century research in the area that was to be flooded by the Bicaz reservoir. The first ethnographic collection, of about 1,000 objects, was gathered in 1960 at Durău after research by the Romanian Academy. Part of it was brought to Piatra Neamț and used in the first ethnography exhibition, opened in 1974, and in 1980 the museum moved into its present building. Today the collection holds more than 5,000 items, acquired through purchases and donations. The permanent exhibition, „Anotimpurile satului” (The Seasons of the Village), follows the work and feast days of the peasant year. It includes a late 19th-century Neamț house interior, festive folk costumes and household textiles, wooden objects, pottery, props for winter customs and reproductions of glass-plate photographs by Adolph Chevallier, a Piatra Neamț photographer. The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions, among them those linked to the „Lada cu zestre” folk art festival and the „Grădina cu ii” exhibition. The building is a listed historic monument, LMI code NT-II-m-B-10568. The museum is of national importance and belongs to the Neamț National Museum Complex, under the Neamț County Council.