Discover Bucharest: Five memorial houses in Romania’s capital

Just like museums, memorial houses are very good choices for those who like history and knowledge. Locations like these let visitors get a glimpse into the lives of great Romanians. Here’s a list of five memorial houses in Bucharest that you may want to visit:

• The George Enescu National Museum

George Enescu was a Romanian composer, violinist, pianist, conductor, and teacher, seen by many as Romania’s greatest musician. Born in 1881 in the village of Liveni, in Northeastern Romania, he started playing the violin at the age of 4, receiving musical guidance from his parents and from a famous traditional singer, Niculae Chioru. At the age of 5-6, he had already begun to compose. Read more about him here. A famous music festival in Romania was named after George Enescu. Located in the Cantacuzino Palace in Bucharest, the George Enescu National Museum has both historical and cultural value. The museum reunites the donations made be Enescu and his family to the Romanian state and to the museum itself. The George Enescu memorial house is located behind the museum. Find out more here.

• The Tudor Arghezi Memorial House

Born in 1880, poet Tudor Arghezi was nominated for the Noble Prize, in 1967. He is best known for his contribution to poetry and children’s literature. Arghezi published his first volume of poems in 1927, titled Cuvinte Potrivite (Matching Words), but many more books and poems followed. Zdreanta (Rag) is probably one of his most popular poems for children. The Tudor Arghezi Memorial House is located at 26 Martisor street in Bucharest. Arghezi and his family lived in this house for many years, starting 1930. It was the poet’s wish that the residence is turned into a memorial museum after his death in 1969.

• The George and Agatha Bacovia Memorial House

George Bacovia was a Romanian symbolist poet, born in 1881 in Bacau in Norther-Eastern Romania. He was one of the most important interwar Romanian poets, alongside Tudor Arghezi, Lucian Blaga, and Ion Barbu. He married Agatha Grigorescu in 1928 and settled in Bucharest, where his wife was a teacher. Romanian literature: George Bacovia – The poet of grayness