The museum illustrates with the most representative findings from Hârşova and surroundings, the material and spiritual development of civilization from Danube area since Neolithic era until the early modern era. There are exhibited pieces with significant value, some presented during national or international exhibitions, typical to Neolithic cultures (Hamangia Gumelniţa), to the culture of the metals era, to the Roman,  Roman-Byzantine and medieval civilization  from the Lower Danube.

Hârşova Museum was founded by teacher Vasile Cotovu, son of Ioan Cotovu, founder of the state school in the city during the first years of the twentieth century, in the old school building. The museum was open, together with the school, on 1 May 1904, in the presence of King Carol I, Queen Elizabeth, Prince Ferdinand, Princess Maria, found, along with other members of the Royal Family and of the Government, on a trip on the Danube. All have signed on this occasion, in the Golden Book of the Regional Museum of Dobrudja, as the institution was called at that time. During the First World War, the museum was entirely destroyed. Is reorganized and officially inaugurated, for a second time, this time in the personal house of the school principal on 29 May 1926, by King Ferdinand and Queen Maria. During the first years of the communist regime is closed down, the archaeological pieces are taken to the museum from Constanţa and art, ethnographic, geological, photographic collections, are scattered. After 1975, there was resumed the idea of ​​reestablishing the museum from Hârşova and as researches started within the Neolithic settlement,  during the year 1985, in the cemeteries, the civil settlement or ancient fortifications during the years 1987 -1989 and especially after 1993, due to the huge quantity of archaeological materials of exceptional significance, it has become an imperative need. The museum was the result of the teacher’s efforts,of the children and of the city residents, who have gathered over time fragments of inscriptions, pots and fragments, coins, paintings, rocks, folk costumes.

Activity of „Carsium” Museum is focused on two main areas: presentation of the results of archaeological researches from Hârşova during the last decades, particularly valuable for the Romanian history and museology, on one hand, and on educating the city residents for the purpose of cultivating a new attitude towards testimonies of the past, regardless of their size, state of preservation and the material they are made of, on the other hand; providing the logistics framework for the development of archaeological research in Hârşova in a modern concept, thus relieving the central institutions of this responsibility. The age of the institution, the exhibition with materials of  particular significance for the Romanian and European history,and last, but not least the fact that it was reopened each time by  the kings of Romania, make of this small museum a large institution in the museographic and touristic landscape on entering Dobrudja.