It is the country's first open-air museum and the one place in Cluj where a single walk takes you through the old villages of Transylvania, from Maramureș to the Apuseni Mountains.
About the place
The ethnographer Romulus Vuia founded the park on 1 June 1929 as a section of the Ethnographic Museum of Transylvania. Most of the early buildings were lost in the Second World War, and in 1956 Teodor Onișor and Valer Butură drew a new plan, on about 16 hectares, laid out like a scattered village.
The first sector holds peasant workshops and installations from the 18th to the 20th century: mills, fulling and oil presses, potter's, smith's and wheelwright's workshops. The second has farmsteads from Maramureș, Oaș, Năsăud, the Transylvanian Plain, the Apuseni Mountains and other areas, fully furnished, and wooden churches. The Mărișel farmstead, moved here in 1975, had its roofs redone in 2025.
Good to know
- In winter it opens Wednesday–Sunday 9:00–16:00, last entry 15:00; from the switch to summer time in March, 10:00–18:00. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
- On Saturday 21 November 2026 the park and the Hoia forest trails host the Spartan Race; choose another day for a quiet visit.
- Tickets can also be bought online; guided tours in Romanian, Hungarian and English, booked on +40 783 005 146.
Opening hours
| Monday | Closed |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | Closed |
| Wednesday | 9–16 |
| Thursday | 9–16 |
| Friday | 9–16 |
| Saturday | 9–16 |
| Sunday | 9–16 |
Hours may change on public holidays. Check before you go.