#HaiLaMuzeu (3). Casa Băniei, the place where tradition tells its story
The Department of Ethnography of the Oltenia Museum in Craiova, or Casa Băniei, as it is better known, is the place where traditions are kept alive and tangible, in their best form for people to know and appreciate.
We continue, therefore, the #VisitTheMuseum series with episode 3, in which we invite you to cross the threshold of this special institution, which over the years has modernized and entered into an increasingly lively dialogue with the public, succeeding, at the same time, to preserve the values and traditions that enshrined it.
A monument of Brancoveanu architecture, which still preserves part of the cellars of the oldest civil construction in Craiova, Casa Băniei has been operating as an Ethnography Section since 1966. Believe us when we tell you that once you step here, you will feel that you have entered in another world. It sounds like a cliché, but it's not at all when we talk about Casa Băniei.
The collections hosted here take us back in time successfully, given the mastery with which the specialists of the Oltenia Museum have thought of arranging all the objects collected over time.
The collections of cult objects, decorated eggs, musical instruments, ethno-folk documents are just some of the ones you can find here. We can never forget the Maria Tănase collection, which brings together documents and photos of the famous singer. From the artist's freelance book, to collectible photos, letters or diplomas, you can find them all at Casa Băniei.
Within the Ethnography Section we find the permanent exhibitions "The Making of Bread" and "Rhythms of Life", but also interactive spaces where there are hosted, periodically, workshops with connections in various fields: pottery, painting, weaving or sculpture, accessible to pupils from Dolj County.
A tour of Casa Băniei is not just a simple visit to a museum, but a passing experience in another time, in other epochs, when things were simpler and more connected with what means earth, water, air, fire and life.
Even if we no longer live in those times, it is important to know them in order to know how, over the years, we have reached where we are now. In some households in Dolj and Oltenia, some customs are still preserved, and we pray that the number of those who carry on the tradition will increase. If we manage to pass on what we have inherited, history will certainly never be lost.
We remind you that the Ethnography Section - Casa Băniei, like the other sections of the Oltenia Museum, is open to the public from Tuesday to Sunday, between 9:00 and 17:00. Visit with confidence, you will definitely leave this place with something new and a breath of fresh air!
Photo: muzeulolteniei.ro