The Western Romania town of Timisoara is host since 2015 of a Museum of the Communist Consumer, recently featured by atlasobscura.com.

A private initiative, the museum is set up as a regular apartment of the Golden Age, the term the local communist propaganda used to describe the period when Nicolae Ceausescu was head of the state. As such, it features a living room, a children’s room, a kitchen, a closet, bathroom, and showcases the items Romanians used to own at the time: from locally-made appliances and decorative items, to furniture, clothing, games, cosmetics, stationery. Visitors can browse through the books, newspapers, music discs and cassettes of the time, see the dolls produced in the Arădeana plant, or see how the shopping was done at the time.

The patrimony of the museum was gathered from donations and sponsorships. The institution functions in the same venue as the Auăleu independent theater.

The museum is open Mondays to Saturdays between 10:00 to 23:00 and Sundays between 14:00 and 23:00. Access is free. Visitors can make donations but also receive communist souvenirs.

Timisoara will hold the title of European Capital of Culture in 2021, alongside Novi Sad in Serbia, and Elefsina in Greece.

(Photo: Muzeul Consumatorului Comunist Facebook Page)

editor@romania-insider.com