Set up in the late 18th century in Sibiu, the museum is located in the palace of Samuel von Brukenthal, who was the city governor and who created his first collections around 1790. The collections were officially opened to the public in 1817, making the museum the oldest institution of its kind in Romania. The art galleries are located inside the palace, and include around 1,200 works belonging to the major European schools of painting, from the 15th to the 18th centuries. Exhibits also include collections of engravings, books, coins, and metals. There is also a library with about 300,000 library units (manuscripts, rare foreign books, ancient books in Romanian, contemporary books and specialized magazines).