Romans and contemporaries under one roof
Sándor Bodó, director of the Budapest History Museum
MúzeumCafé 24.
The Budapest History Museum (BHM) has one of Hungary’s most wide-ranging public collections. As a museum it enjoys national status, although it is funded by the city of Budapest. The BHM manages a large museum involving three different profiles and various tasks, plus five smaller museums and galleries. Their common feature is that they present the hundred thousand year old history and culture of those who have inhabited the territory of today’s Budapest. In addition to coordinating the activities of the Castle Museum, Aquincum Museum, the Kiscell Museum, the Municipal Picture Gallery, the Bath Museum, the Hercules Villa, the Medieval Jewish Prayer House and the Tomb of Gül Baba, as of 1 July this year, in accordance with a decision of the Municipal Council, the BHM is also managing Budapest Gallery. Thus the museum, which has been struggling with financial problems, can now focus on the presentation of Hungarian and foreign contemporary art and the organisation of artists’ exchange programmes in addition to projects involving the capital’s archaeological heritage protection, handling objects connected to the city’s history, and the documentation and presentation of Budapest’s fine arts. The challenge is great since the museum looks after one fifth of archaeological explorations in Hungary and has been implementing its comprehensive development concept since 2004. The 300 million forint investment of the Pannonia Province Project must be completed by 2012, while a new permanent urban history exhibition supported by the Alfa Programme is opening in the Castle Museum this autumn. MuseumCafé talked about the museum’s tasks with Dr Sándor Bodó who has been appointed director of the Budapest History Museum for the fourth time since 1996. The measures of the funding body shook the institution for the first time in 2007. At that time 40 members of the museum staff had to be made redundant. Since then cuts of varying significance have happened every year. Maintenance of the BHM’s three large museums and five galleries and exhibition rooms costs more than 240 million forints annually, and of that electricity and gas bills exceed 60 million. The situation now is that the number of events and exhibitions organised for visitors has to be drastically reduced. Fortunately, the museum successfully applied to the New Hungary Development Plan (TÁMOP) fund and as a result some 100 events can be organised in Buda Castle in 2011, including lectures, sessions for children and comprehensive programmes when the museum holds Baroque or Renaissance events on Saturdays. The BHM has always focused on museum education but tender opportunities have narrowed significantly in 2011 and less financial support has been provided for its education projects. For 2010 and 2011 the museum’s budget amounts to almost 1.5 billion forints. The financial contribution of the funding municipal authority exceeded half the budget earlier, but in 2011 it is accounting for somewhat less than half the museum’s costs. Revenue comes from ticket sales, hiring rooms, archaeological explorations, sale of its publications and royalties for the reproduction of art treasures. Despite the difficult conditions, the museum raised 94 per cent of the planned revenue. In 2010 applications were made for funds to organise a dozen exhibitions, with the result that 32 million forints was received. The TÁMOP application won 10 million for the project 200 Steps into History. The Alfa Programme of the cultural department supported the exhibition about urban development with 35 million forints. The most significant support for museum development came for the Pannonia Province Project from the National Development Agency. It amounted to 300 million forints with the added sum of 33 million from the municipal authority. The ministry supports the new permanent exhibition of Budapest’s urban history in the framework of the aforementioned Alfa Programme. The first part will open in September 2011 and support for the next stage will be determined later. Another large exhibition project is being implemented with the support of the National Culture Fund, namely the exhibition presenting Biedermeier style and culture, which opens in Buda Castle in the middle of December. 31 March 2012 is the closing date for the Pannonia Province Project in the Aquincum Museum. The infrastructural background will be represented by the so-called Reception Wall and Visitors’ Centre, which follows the line of the Roman city wall. The Painter’s House, which can be entirely reconstructed from documents and research, as well as the Roman Playground will present entirely new features in the museum. There will also be a garden representing ancient culture. The project covers the area to the south of the present garden with ancient ruins. The facilities will serve visitors while preserving the area’s ancient character. The professional level of the museum staff is high and many excellent young specialists are employed. Several have recently gained PhDs and have won the ‘Opus mirabile’ award for the exhibition about Mariazell and King Matthias.