Let me introduce you to a city that is very special to me. Although, in the Romanian culture and literature, holidays with grandparents are traditionally set in the country-side, and are about gardening, animal farming and evenings by the fireplace, I'm sorry to disappoint, but my holidays with my grandparents took place pretty much... here. :) Ploiești is not a very big city, although it is part of Romania's top 10, as far as the number of residents is concerned.
You don't need a lot of time to visit Ploiesti: one full day is enough, eventually on the way from Bucharest to Sinaia, for example. It is not really a touristic city, and it is mainly associated with the petrol and gas industry. Nevertheless, Ploiești offers also a few interesting cultural spots, although, I must say, most of them not promoted enough, or not having even the signs to guide people towards them. Therefore, this is why I call a trip to Ploiesti a treasure hunt, because in order to discover these places you need to either speak to a local or two, either to inform yourself in advance about the places to visit. From childhood to the present day, I had plenty of chances to explore this city, so I will tell you what I love the most.
1. The Palace of Culture
One of the city's key landmarks, the Palace of Culture hosts the Natural Science Museum, the city's main library, the Court of Law on the back side, and it is also the venue for various cultural activities and events, for children and adults. It is an elegant building, both inside and outside. It was restructured during the recent years, so the inside part, apart from being very somptuous, it also smells of new, and you'll be impressed by the wooden walls, sculpted ceilings and crystal chandeliers. If you visit it (and you definitely should, at least for the building and its significance), the main part would be about natural sciences, which is particularly interesting if you are into anatomy, genetics, or environmental sciences.
When you are done, you can take a walk in the park in front of it, or if it's winter time, you can enjoy the Christmas decorations, which are simply magic in that park. If it's snowing, the uphill paths leading to the palace's entrance are just perfect if you have a sleigh. ;)
Also, if you look more carefully, you will find the statue of an elegant gentleman with a hat and a moustache sitting on a bench in the park, surrounded by three ladies and a little boy. Well, my dears, please don't ignore him: the gentleman in cause is nobody other than Ion Luca Caragiale, Romania's most famous playwright, who was born in a village on the outskirts of Ploiesti, and who is one of the city's key personalities. Also the three ladies with a little boy are the protagonists of one of his most popular and funniest sketches. Later, I will also take you to his home. Just have a little patience, mon cher...
2. The Clock Museum
My very own favourite: because of the house where it is hosted (built in Romantic style, at the end of the XIXth century, also with a lovely garden), and also because it is the only museum of this kind in Eastern Europe. The museum was the idea of professor Nicolae Simache (the man behind several other museums in various parts of the country) and was open to the public in 1971. However, the house's history goes back much further than that. It belonged to one of the most important political and administrative figures in Ploiesti's history, magistrate and business man Luca Elefterescu. It was him who organized the first New Year's Eve party in Ploiesti, precisely in that house, celebrating the arrival of the year ... 1904! :)
You will see the methods used to show time accross history, the way different types of clocks evolved, clocks and pocket watches belonging to various Romanian personalities, such as writers and statesmen, but also collection pieces from other countries. Also, you will be shown a holographic presentation of the history of this beautiful house. The museum is not very big, but you will fall in love with it and the cozy and elegant location.
3. Memorial houses: Ion Luca Caragiale and Nichita Stanescu
Two of the city's VIPs invite you to visit them. We have master Caragiale, whom we encountered earlier in the central park, playwright and satirical writer, and also contemporary poet Nichita Stanescu, one of the most prominent literary figures of the second half of the twentieth century. Although not far from the city center, neither of these houses are on main roads, so they won't be particularly easy to find. Long live Google maps, I should say!
The Caragiale museum is literally hidden between blocks behind the main post office, on a closed street, and you'll probably find it when you'll be on the point of giving up, believing that there is nothing else there. But don't let yourself be fooled! Beyond grey communist blocks, you'll see a pretty white house with an enchanting architecture, a garden and flowers on the terrace.
However, the place is a museum dedicated to the life and work of the beloved author, rather than a formerly inhabited home. Therefore, you will se more testimonials of Caragiale's work, apart from pictures and statues. Old newspapers with his articles, manuscripts, original editions of his works, as well as school diplomas.
On the other hand, Nichita Stanescu's house is situated in a nicer area with houses and villas, which remained intact to the massive demolishments of the 1980s (in which my grandparents' old house was unfortunately involved as well). And there are also a couple of signs leading to it, as you come closer. It is simpler, from the architectural point of view, but much warmer on the inside. Nichita Stanescu was actually born in that house, and that is where he spent his childhood and adolescence. Therefore, you get the feeling of actually visiting the person that he was. All rooms almost intact, furnished, filled with personal objects, and even an old teddy bear on the bed.
Don't be surprised if you'll be the only person in the houses, at the time of your visit. With Ploiesti not being very touristic, it is rare to meet fellow travelers there, maximum some local citizen who is into culture or who is showing younger family members the city's treasures. The up-side though is that you will have the curators' undivided attention, and they will explain you any details that you might want to know. Beware of the fact that in order to take pictures inside you will have to pay an extra fee.
4. The Petrol Museum
Another treasure that is out of the ordinary, but in line with Ploiesti's identity as an industrial city. How much do you know about how the petrol exlpoitation and processing evolved, not only in Ploiesti, but also in the whole of Romania? Another beautiful house, typical of the area, showing, in a small space plus garden, lots of pieces of industry history: maps, photos, devices, refineries, complex machinery, reconstructed laboratories and much more. Last but not least, here I was also allowed to take pictures inside the museum without any fee.
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As you can see, even a seemingly not-so-famous city might have something to show, something that you probably didn't know about, and which is simple but nice. What I regret about Ploiesti and its touristic objectives, and what probably applies to other smaller cities as well, is that it doesn't have an infrastructure and territorial marketing strategy meant to attract tourists, even at the most basic level. Yes, it may not be some spectacular city, but it is charming in its simplicity and in its small pieces of beauty, spread here and there. This is why I'm advising you to go accompanied by a local, not for safety reasons, but just to get around and know where to go. One night there is enough, and the day after you can be off to Sinaia or Brasov.
In loving memory of my grandparents.
Because Ploiesti has never been the same without them... <3
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