Cotroceni is the only residence all over the Romanian land which has been continuously inhabited since the late 17th century up to now. Consequently, in 1991, in the old wing of the Palace, the Cotroceni National Museum was opened to the public. Ten years later, the Museum was placed under the authority of Presidential Administration of Romania.

The Museum operates inside the Cotroceni Palace, a historical monument representative of the late 19th century Romanian architecture that remarkably embodied part of the architectural features of the monastery established by Şerban Cantacuzino, Prince of Wallachia, in the late 17th century.

Its uniqueness is granted by the interfusion of a 350 year history memorial site, with that of an art museum. Its halls and apartments have a tremendous evocative power, as the focus is put not only upon the inherent value of the various artefacts, but especially on their connection with the personalities that have lived in the palace throughout the years.