Tourist guide Ploiești

I'm starting the story part of my walk in the center, near Central Hotel located in Boulevard Republicii 1. We cross opposite, where 3 parks are being built. Not so much parks, but green spaces, landscaped and clean. They are called Nichita Stanescu Park, the one furthest to the right of the hotel landmark, then Ion Gheorghe Duca Park and Central Park or Ion Luca Caragiale Square. In these parks there are busts of Romanian personalities. At the left end of the green space is Ion Luca Caragiale Monumental Ensemble.

1. Palace of Culture / Hall of Columns / County Museum of Natural Sciences

We are in front of the Palace of Culture. Palace of Culture in Ploiesti was built in neoclassical style, with 2 floors, and was inaugurated in 1933 by King Carol II to host the Palace of Justice. The famous Hall of Columns inside the palace. Today it houses the County Library and County Museum of Natural Sciences.

Sections of this museum are open in several localities of Prahova county: in Bucov, Sinaia, Slanic Prahova, Cheia, Valenii de Munte and of course in Ploiesti, where there are the Museum of Man, the Aquarium and the Oil Museum, the last one we will get to a little later in our walk.

Address: 1 Sublocotent Erou Calin Catalin Street

2. Central Halls

We make an S next to the Palace of Culture and on the street parallel to Republicii, a brick tower with a clock in the center of the city. They are Central Halls which are spaces that host markets. There is the following segmentation: Main Hall - on the ground floor and upstairs, Over Hall - on the ground floor, Intermediate Halls - on the ground floor and Cold and Merchandise Warehouses - in the basement. Behind the halls there is an open-air food market. Although the construction is great, it looks derelict!

Address: 8 Emile Zola Street

3. Nichita Stanescu Memorial House

Now we start the pedestrian mileage and follow the map above for about 1 km passing by the imposing building of the Ion Luca Caragiale National College towards Nichita Stănescu Museum.

The museum is part of the Prahova County Museum of History and Archaeology. In this house the poet Nichita Stanescu was born in 1933 and grew up. The house became a museum in 2002 and presents the "Nichita phenomenon", his life and work.

Address: 1 Nichita Stanescu Street

Program: Tuesday - Sunday 9 - 12 and 13 - 17

4. County Museum of History and Archaeology

We put the pedestrian odometer to work once more for another 1 km and head towards County Museum of History and Archaeology Prahova passing St. Friday's Church.

The Museum of History and Archaeology was founded in 1955 by the founder of the museums of Prahova, Professor Nicolae Simache, a great name of Ploiesti. It is a representative museum totaling 17 sections with exhibits from the county heritage, but also from the entire national and international spectrum. In the courtyard there are several busts of important personalities from the history of the Romanians.

Address: 10 Toma Caragiu Street

Program: Tuesday - Sunday between 9 am - 5 pm

5. National Petroleum Museum

Not far away, following some narrow winding streets, we pass by the Court building and reach the National Petroleum Museum, which is part of the County Museum of Natural Sciences and the only museum of its kind in our country. It was opened in 1961 and displays over 8,000 exhibits including 19th century drilling equipment, inventions, maps, mineralogical samples and models of the first drilling installation in Romania.

Address: 8 Doctor Dumitru Bagdazar Street

Program: Tuesday - Sunday from 9 am - 5 pm

6. Museum "House of Targoviste" Hagi Prodan

Nearby, after crossing a fairly busy road, we find ourselves next to "House of Targoviste". The museum is part of the Prahova County Museum of History and Archaeology and is the oldest house in Ploiești (18th century), an architectural monument, and shows the world / commercial life of the 18th - 19th centuries. The house was built by the merchant Hagi Prodan. In 1953 with the involvement of Prof. Nicolae Simache it became the "Hagi Prodan" Museum. On another occasion I plan to visit this house in detail.

Address: 2 Democrației Street

Hours: Tuesday - Sunday from 9am - 5pm

7. Nicolae Simache Clock Museum

Just the right direction to have it and not after many steps, after I marked a few pictures in the Ion Luca Caragiale square I recognize from a distance Nicolae Simache Clock Museum, also a section of the County Museum of History and Archaeology.

Since 1997 Clock Museum bears the name of Professor Nicolae Simache, who in 1963 organized the only museum with this profile in Romania. A museum very dear to me. The building that hosts it is an architectural monument (19th century) and belonged to the magistrate and prefect Luca Elefterescu. The exhibition of clocks and other time measuring instruments from the 16th century is very rich and attractive.

The museum has about 1000 pieces, some rare such as an old wooden pendulum, a waterfall clock, some fashionable in my grandparents' time such as pocket watches, pendulums, as well as many branded pieces. Before leaving you can listen to the music boxes - the joy of children or some with funny mechanisms.

Address: 1 Nicolae Simache Street

Hours: Tuesday - Sunday, 9:00-17:00

8. Ion Ionescu Quintus County Museum of Art

We return to the main boulevard, which on the right leads to Art Museum, which has its origin in the Pinacoteca of the Municipality of Ploiesti, founded in 1931 by the lawyer, politician and art collector Ion Ionescu Quintus, among others. The building where the museum is today is called Ghita Ionescu Palace.

Address: 1 Independentei Boulevard

Hours: Tuesday - Sunday, 9:00-17:00

9. Ion Luca Caragiale Museum

We cross and follow the map somewhere behind the boulevard to identify Ion Luca Caragiale Museum.

Again we will remember Nicolae Simache. His interest and passion gave birth to the Ion Luca Caragiale Museum in 1962. The museum is located in "Casa Dobrescu", an architectural monument of the 18th century.

Visitors are shown relevant aspects of the writer's life and work, here you can see Caragiale's work table, objects that belonged to him.

In the courtyard is the bust of the writer.

Address: 1 Kutuzov Street

Visiting hours: Tuesday-Sunday 9.00 - 17.00

If you want to close the circuit here you are very close to the starting point. I had the curiosity to extend the walk to a controversial objective.

10. Ploiești West Municipal Park

3 - 4 km are up to this park, which is now on a space that for years I used to see from the train when it stopped in West Station and that looks pitiful, filthy.

It has been written that there is a dirty business behind the development of this place, I can't call it a big park.

The reality is like this... The park is located practically outside the city, between the train line and the beltway. There is no public transportation to reach this destination! As I walked, round trip, from the overpass over the CF to the park, about 2 x 1.5 km, I met only 2 people per pedes and none on a bike! I should mention that this happened on a sunny Sunday in February around 11am, when other parks would be busy. The park has no shade! In the summer it must be cranescent. Part of the park crosses over some landscaped gas pipeline bridges, which looks pitiful. Very few small playgrounds for children. No toilets! Pluses I would name modern, light, Romanian music that I listened to on the loudspeakers installed in the park, clean alleys with benches and many small airplanes that on their landing trajectory at the Strejnic Base passed over the park. There was a performance space, some tennis tables, a lake, bicycle paths, a huge parking lot.

A failing grade from me.

On the opposite side of the city is the Bucov Zoo, an attraction especially for children.