If you are at least a little bit geeky and find yourself in Arad, Romania, you need to visit a gem: The Retro IT Museum.

A private collection, which can be visited on Saturdays or by booking a visit during weekdays, the museum is a private collection of more than 100 laptops, old computers, computer components, and other geeky stuff dating from the beginning of the IT era to 2001.

I have known about this collection for a while thanks to a geeky friend of ours (obviously) but it took us quite a bit to finally manage to visit. On a not-so-cold Saturday in January (n.a. 2019), we went to the Retro IT Museum. And went back in time.

Florin tends to the collection he has put together either from his own computers, books, and magazines or from buying these from ebay. Only a small part of the collection has been donated.

A walk in the museum is a step back in time, going from the old age of computers and stopping in 2001. Little has changed in the computer architecture since 2001. I recognized my first Romanian computer, as well as components from my “more modern” desktops. I had a lot of fun looking at old computers and PDAs. By the most, most of the computers and portables do work!

We took a lot more photos but don’t want to spoil the fun for you. Yes, you can touch them. You can ask questions. Florin will be happy to answer them.

We were allowed to roam freely in the museum but there are organized tours that take about an hour. It is free to visit the museum but donations are accepted (and welcomed). The tours are in Romanian and English.

Location of the Retro IT Museum

Arad, Str. Lucian Blaga, nr. 16

Opening Hours of the Retro IT Museum

Saturday 10-4pm, weekdays 6-8 pm. Please reach out to book the visit at least one day prior.
If you are in Arad briefly and still want to visit, reach out ahead of time to arrange the visit.

How to reach the Retro IT Museum to book your visit

Webiste, Facebook, Instagram

If you happen to have old computers, laptops, PDAs, components, books about IT, magazines, etc and don’t need them anymore, please consider donating them to the museum.

Booking.com

Note: this article includes links that may qualify as affiliate links. If you book through them, I may get a small commission.