National Military Museum Bucharest

 My last full day in Romania was spent in Bucharest, mostly doing the museums. The first call was the National Military Museum, which had been refurbished since my last visit. They have done a great job. I recall more vehicles, but they are apparently still being prepared. This was the furthest out museum, so I got a taxi and walked the rest of the day. The driver told me he drove a T-72 in the army; his driving showed it!

Before we get to the Dacians, there is a good collection of early (BCE) weapons and equipment. There are dioramas, life-size figures and plenty of equipment. 

The medieval section covers the Ottoman invasion, Vlad Tepes and Stephan the Great. I have painted a few of those distinctive shields.

We move on to the early modern period with Michael the Brave and more Ottoman kit. Romania doesn't have much coastline, but the Danube is navigable. 

The 18th and early 19th century is my main reason for being here. There were uniforms I had not seen before, including Austrian border units.

The Russo-Turkish War gets a large section, rightly recognising the Romanian Army's role, particularly at Pleven. 

Then onto the Balkan Wars and WW1.

Finally, WW2 through the Cold War until Romania joined NATO. I was pleased to see the naval exhibits, as I missed the Naval Museum in Constanta—yes, it was closed!

Overall, this museum is excellent. Not to be missed if you are in Bucharest.

My next stop was the National Museum of History. This has also been refurbished, although it is still pretty limited. An excellent special exhibition on the 1943 Ploesti raid matched bomber artwork with recovered parts of aircraft shot down. There are also plaster casts of Trajan's column covering the Dacian Wars, which are much easier to see than in Rome. 

What I call the bling room has a fine collection of Dacian arm rings and other treasures.

The next stop was the National Art Gallery, largely for the portraits of Wallachian rulers, which should come in handy someday. My favourite painting was Vlad Tepes receiving the Ottoman envoys. That didn't end well, and there wouldn't have been many volunteers for that duty!

Finally, the Bucharest Municipal Museum is fascinating. It shows how the city developed and has a scarily realistic reconstruction of Michael the Brave, some uniforms, and weapons.

A busy day, but lots of material for future projects.