The winner of this year’s Károly Pulszky Award is biologist Tímea Szalkai, director of the Danube Museum in Esztergom
MúzeumCafé 30.
After graduating in biology, Tímea Szalkai began working in Esztergom as a museum education specialist. She has been the director of the Hungarian Museum of Environmental Protection and Water Conservation (the Danube Museum) since 2007. From the love and knowledge of ecology and ethology what could be applied to museum education such that later, when she was its director, her institute was a recipient of the Visitor-Friendly Museum Award? Tímea Szalkai introduced environment protection adding to water conservation, which had been the museum’s main concern. Thus on her initiative biology became one of the central themes. Science museums she visited during her trips and specialist articles published in foreign journals have generated many new ideas. The 2009 Danube exhibition, organised as part of the Slovakia-Hungary Cross-Border Project, was one of the successes of recent years. It focussed on current issues which have arisen following analysis of the river’s history. This was helped by the International Year of the Danube, which generated further opportunities. Although the museum belongs to the cultural portfolio, it is currently funded by the National Institute of Environmental Affairs. Thanks to the funding body, the museum is not affected by decisions taken above its head, disregarding its existence and independence, while at the same time cuts restrict its activity in two senses – security and financial uncertainty. The water conservation exhibition opened in 2000 as a very modern, interactive permanent display, which didn’t so much appeal to the local population but rather attracted people from afar. The exhibition was very popular, but now in its present form an increase of visitor numbers cannot be expected.