Casa Baniei

Casa Băniei is a medieval edifice, being the oldest laic construction in Craiova. It was erected in the 15th century and rebuilt in 1699 by Constantin Brâncoveanu, Prince of Wallachia. Since 1966 it accommodates the Ethnography section of the Oltenia Museum.

Along the years, the old medieval edifice was burnt several times, passed from one administration to another and suffered many architectural changes, be them additions or removals. Over the centuries, the building housed the Austrian administration (between 1718 and 1739), the court house, “Fraţii Buzeşti” high school, the local seminary, the national archives and a museum. Since 1933, the building accommodated the Oltenia Museum, but in 1948 it went into the operation of the Metropoly of Oltenia.

Casa Băniei offers the public a better description of the Wallachian way of life, exhibiting traditional costumes, carpets, icons, painted eggs, musical instruments and other artefacts. The section’s collections include the following fields: traditional occupations (1,400 items), folk costumes (2,600 artifacts), ceramics (2,000 items), carpets and ingrains (300 items), indoor textiles (400 items), customs (icons, cult objects – 400 items) and "Maria Tănase" collection (1,400 documents and artifacts).

Visiting hours

Monday: closed

Tuesday – Sunday: 9:00 – 16:30