Simple Yet Impressive. Nicolae Popa Museum in Târpești

In the village of Târpești, in Petricani commune, Neamț County, stands one of the most beautiful and interesting museums in Moldavia.

Nicolae Popa, the museum's creator, known as a folk craftsman, artist, outstanding collector and writer, learnt to make New Year masks as a young child and later to sculpt in stone (sandstone) and wood, carving human faces with distinctive features. His works have featured in exhibitions held both in his home country and in major cities around the world in Italy, Poland, Yugoslavia, France, Switzerland, Argentina, the USA, Mexico, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Mongolia, China, Sweden, Japan, Canada and Bulgaria.

On either side of the alley that leads to the museum, welcoming naïve sculptures in wood and stone greet you, creating a space of freedom in which you feel carried into another world. At the museum entrance, fixed to the wall, are masks, each mask representing a character.

The permanent exhibition includes objects grouped by theme, such as archaeology with items from the Neolithic inventory and of Dacian provenance, some of high value (the Thinker), as well as objects relating to local interests; numismatics, with ancient coins and current pieces from Romania and countries on all continents; ethnography, with utilitarian and decorative objects and folk costume pieces specific to the area; iconography, comprising a series of old wooden icons; naive painting and naive sculpture, a collection made up of works created by Neculai Popa.

Visiting the museum, we admire with growing curiosity the folk costumes, the props for folk theatre, the peasant clothing, the masks used by New Year well-wishers that adorn the walls, and the hall lined with dozens of framed diplomas. We weave among the exhibits and move around them carefully to avoid touching them, struggling to take everything in and see it all without missing anything. It is a private museum, so we may also take photographs and videos as keepsakes…. There is no set opening schedule, but when you arrive during daylight you will find the gate open and welcoming hosts who will tell you the story of each object.