Bucharest's Museum of the Romanian Peasant documents the country's fascinating rural past. Colourful costumes, hand-painted pottery and a complete 18th-century wooden church await inside the museum, on Sos Kiseleff. A separate section documents collectivisation in communist Romania.
The museum, which was founded in 1990, belongs to the family of European Museums for Folk Arts and Traditions, so it is also the venue for conferences, concerts and other events relating to folklore. Perhaps the most famous cultural event that takes place here is the annual Saint Ilie Fair, a festival dedicated to traditional folk costumes, music, dance and craft workshops. In 1996 the Museum was awarded the EMYA, the European Museum of the Year Award.