curatorial / Art / Explore Târgu Mureș: TOP 10 museums that will inspire you

7 Februarie 2025 /

Explore Târgu Mureș: TOP 10 museums that will inspire you

Târgu Mureș Fortress and the Palace of Culture are two of the most visited tourist attractions in the city. In addition to these buildings of great importance in the local history and culture, several museums in Târgu Mureș stand out in the visitors’ preferences. Find out what these destinations are and why you should definitely visit them.

Museum of History and Archaeology

They say that if you want to get to know a community you need to visit its museums. Thus, at the top of the list of museums in Târgu Mureș is the Museum of History and Archaeology, which connects visitors with the history and specificity of the place. It is part of the Mures County Museum and is housed in the city’s fortress, which underwent extensive renovation in 2011. The museum’s exhibition presents remarkable archaeological remains and important discoveries, along with aspects of material culture and built heritage. Exciting exhibitions include “The Story of Skeletons” and “At the Monks’ Table”. As well as the ancient past, the museum explores the modern and contemporary history of the area.

Contact Museum of History and Archaeology

Hours: Tuesday – Friday, 09:00 – 16:00; Saturday – Sunday, 09:00 – 13:00

Avram Iancu nr. 2, 540088, Târgu Mureș

Location: Museum of History and Archaeology

Phone: 0751 044 601

Art Museum of Targu Mures

The Art Section of the Mures County Museum, housed in the Palace of Culture in Targu Mures, is an exceptional cultural landmark.
Inaugurated in 1913, the Pinacoteca occupies the left wing, third floor, and was extended in 2011 with a modern space in the right wing.
The museum, often visited by art enthusiasts from all over the country, includes the Gallery of Modern Hungarian Art, the Gallery of Modern Romanian Art and the “Ion Vlasiu” Gallery, reopened in 2024 after rehabilitation works. These permanent exhibitions present valuable works from the artistic heritage of the region and the country.

Contact Art Museum of Targu Mures

Hours: Tuesday – Friday, 09:00-17:30; Saturday – Sunday, 09:00 – 15:30 (summer time);
Tuesday – Friday, 09:00 – 16:00; Saturday – Sunday, 09:00 – 14:30 (winter time)

Address: Palace of Culture, 1 Victoriei Square, 540026 Târgu Mureș

Location: Art Museum of Târgu Mureș

Phone: 0365 453 968

Museum of Ethnography and Folk Art

The Museum of Ethnography in Târgu Mureș, housed in the Toldalagi Palace, an impressive 18th-century monument, has a valuable collection reflecting the cultural diversity of the region. Its holdings include folk costumes, interior textiles, wooden, ceramic, metal and bone objects, as well as wood and glass icons. The ethnographic collections, initiated by Aurel Filimon at the beginning of the 20th century, are complemented by later acquisitions covering the ethnographic areas of Mures, such as the Transylvanian Plain or the Gurghiului Valley. The thematic exhibitions illustrate the harmonious coexistence of different ethnic groups in this multicultural region.

Contact Museum of Ethnography and Folk Art

Hours: Tuesday – Friday 09:00-16:00, Saturday 09:00 – 14:00, Sunday 09:00-13:00

Address: 11 Trandafirilor Square, 540049, Târgu Mureș

Location: Museum of Ethnography and Folk Art

Phone: 0265 250 169

Natural Sciences Section of Mures County Museum

The Natural Sciences Section in Târgu Mureș reopened on December 14, 2023, offering visitors an immersive experience in a completely refurbished historical monument building. The core exhibition, organized in 9 sectors, includes highlights such as the 50,000-year-old woolly rhinoceros skeleton, the diorama “Life in the Mures River”, the virtual cave “Căsoaia lui Ladaș” and an impressive collection of exotic species. The sensory garden and the greenhouse with exotic plants complete the exceptional offer. The EU-funded rehabilitation project reaffirms the museum’s commitment to education and conservation of natural heritage.

Contact Natural Sciences Section of MJM

Opening hours: Tuesday – Friday 9:00-16:00, Saturday, 9:00 – 14:00, Sunday, 9:00-13:00

Address. Horea nr. 24, 540036, Târgu Mureș

Location: Natural Sciences Section – Mures County Museum

Phone: 0740 189 067

“Avram Iancu” Memorial House

The museum is located on Avram Iancu Street, close to the Medieval Citadel, and is dedicated to the Romanian revolutionary known as “The Brave of the Mountains”. Housed in an 18th-century historic building, the museum was inaugurated in 2009 and presents the life and work of Avram Iancu, who lived in Târgu-Mureș between 1846 and 1848. The exhibition, organized in an intimate space of two rooms, includes: publications, photographs, paintings and a collection of documents evoking the Romanian Revolution of 1848-1849. Cultural events such as symposia and pilgrimages complement the museum’s mission to keep alive the memory of this national hero.

Contact Avram Iancu Memorial House

Program: Wednesday – 11:00-19:00, Thursday -11:00-17:00

Address: 23 Avram Iancu Street, Târgu Mureș

Location: “Avram Iancu” Memorial House Targu Mures

Petry Workshop and Museum

Located in the Scăricica Passage in Târgu Mureș, the Petry Workshop and Museum is one of those places to visit where you leave with valuable information and pleasant memories. The place offers a unique interactive experience, highlighting the local butchery tradition. Visitors can discover the history of the butchers’ guild and the Petry family by admiring authentic objects, some inherited, some donated. The museum is a reminder of the town’s reputation as the “cradle of butchery in Transylvania” and the “town of barbecues”. The experience is complemented by live sausage-making demonstrations, including from personalized recipes. Activities for schools and kindergartens teach children about food production and healthy eating.

Contact Petry Workshop and Museum

Monday-Friday, 06:00-14:00 or by appointment

PRIMACOM – PETRY 540191, Str. Barajului nr. 5, Târgu-Mureș

Location: Petry Workshop and Museum

Phone: 0734 730 371

Water House

Another place worth visiting in Târgu Mureș is Casa Apei, a unique museum in Romania and one of the few in the world dedicated to the water-channel networks. Housed in one of the city’s first pumping stations, the museum explores the over a century-long tradition of water supply in the area, with the first system built between 1907-1913. The exhibition includes: pumps, pipes, tools, hydro-technical apparatus, photographs and maps, displayed both in the building and in the landscaped park-like garden. Under the motto “The Road to Civilization”, the museum promotes the vital importance of water for the development of communities. In February 2019, the Water House in Târgu Mureș was accepted into the Global Network of Water Museums under the aegis of UNESCO.

Contact Casa Apei

Hours: Monday-Friday, 08:00-16:00

Address: 44 Verii Street, Târgu Mureș

Location: Water House

Phone: 0265 208 861

Bolyai Museum

The Bolyai Museum, dedicated to the memory of the mathematicians János and Farkas Bolyai, two important figures in the history of science, is part of the rich offer of museums in Târgu Mureș. Located on the ground floor of the Teleki Library building, the museum was inaugurated on November 7, 1937 and preserves personal objects, furniture from the Bolyai house and valuable manuscripts of the two scientists. Notable exhibits include a chest brought by Gergely Bolyai in 1887 and the skull of Farkas Bolyai, preserved in a tabernacle donated by Dr. Czakó József.

Contact Bolyai Museum

Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 10:00-17:30

Address: Teleki Library, 17 Bolyai str., Târgu Mureș

Location: Bolyai Museum

Phone: 0265 261 857

Jewish Museum

Also on the list of must-visit museums in Târgu Mureș is the Jewish Museum, located next to the synagogue, which explores the history of the local Jewish community. The exhibits include Torah fragments, rabbinical vestments, household objects, photographs and relics such as a piece of wood from the former Nazna prayer house. Enlarged photographs depict local Jewish personalities, and an outdoor memorial plaque commemorates the students and teachers deported in 1944. The project, realized with the support of historian István Karácsony, is a moving testimony to the Jewish history of Târgu Mureș.

Contact Jewish Museum of Târgu Mureș

Hours: Monday-Friday, 09:30-12:30

Address: 23 Aurel Filimon Street, Târgu Mureș

Location: Jewish Museum

Phone: 0265 261 810

“Unirea” Art Gallery in Targu Mures

“Unirea” Gallery in Târgu Mureș is a space dedicated to fine arts, where exhibitions and salons are organized for the members of the Association of Fine Artists Mureș. With a rich exhibition calendar, the gallery hosts both solo and group exhibitions, promoting the diversity and talent of local artists. Events include: thematic salons, exhibitions of painting, sculpture, graphics, decorative art or photography, as well as other cultural-artistic events.