A museum of wonders, continuously struggling to survive MúzeumCafé 28. author: Judit Jankó Displaying wonders of an age is how the Miksa Róth Memorial Museum in Budapest is often described. It opened in 1999 but not until 2005 was the former apartment block fully converted into a museum. The last family member, Amália Róth, lived here until 1989. Her great wish was for her parental home to preserve […]
“A cool head and a sharp axe are needed for a good arboretum,” says head gardener of Botanical Gardens MúzeumCafé 28. author: Nóra Vágvölgyi The first botanical garden in Hungary was founded in 1771 in Nagyszombat (today Trnava, Slovakia) by Jakab Winterl, a professor of chemistry and botany. It was moved several times until it was given its present location in the middle of the 19th century. At that time the site was occupied by the Festetics family’s hunting […]
The long semi-hibernation of Nagytétény The historic Száraz-Rudnyánszky Mansion is on the verge of a rebirth MúzeumCafé 28. author: Gellért Rajcsányi The Száraz-Rudnyánszky Mansion is somewhat hidden, squeezed between Nagytétény and Road 6, which runs by the Danube. The Applied Arts Museum, now responsible for maintaining the entire building, aims to create new space with the renovation of its currently empty wing. In the near future the environs of the mansion will undergo regeneration. In Roman […]
Pannonia then and now The condition of ancient Roman monuments in Hungary today MúzeumCafé 28. author: Paula Zsidi, archaeologist, director of the Aquincum Museum Gyula Hajnóczi’s Ancient Roman Ruins of Pannonia, published in 1987, was the first work to fully document the monuments of ancient Roman architecture in Hungary. The book closed a productive and successful period of restoration and presentation of the country’s Roman monuments. When recalling the achievements of Hajnóczi, it is sufficient to mention the most […]
When the public adds to a museum database New tendencies in IT for Dutch museums MúzeumCafé 28. author: Ad Aerts Communication has always been important for museums, not only for gathering information about objects, but also for informing the public about collections. Social Media Today people are organised not only in local groups and associations but also in world-wide internet communities. This makes social networks valuable platforms for communicating with an intended audience. Many Dutch […]
Pásztó Museum establishes new education room and open visual storeroom MúzeumCafé 28. author: Evelin Zentai, Museum education specialist, Museum of Pásztó In November 2011 the Museum of Pásztó opened a storeroom that can be visited and a study room for museum education. The infrastructural development has reinforced the successful educational role of the museum – in 2009 it was awarded the prize of National Excellence in Museum Education in the category of Best Initiative in Museum […]
Local Research and topography Old buildings and the past MúzeumCafé 28. author: Miklós Rácz Archaeologist, Society of Researchers of Old Buildings Why does the history of an old building need research? The answer is clear. If a building has existed for a few decades it is sure that its exterior and/or interior have undergone reconstruction.The reconstruction of a listed edifice or building with local significance deserves special attention for two reasons: one concerns learning about the […]
Hungarian archaeological excavations abroad in the past and today MúzeumCafé 28. author: Máté Petrik archaeologist, egyptologist The field work of Hungarian archaeologists abroad always generates great interest. The institutional background has generally been ensured by the archaeologists in charge of the exploration. Archaeological field work abroad involves four extensive periods from the aspect of the history of excavations and represents two main groups with respect to the cultures examined. The latter […]
What could be the urbanistic effects of the proposed Museum Quarter in Budapest’s 56-ers’ Square? MúzeumCafé 28. Samu Szemerey Architect, responsible editor of Építészfórum (Architects’ Forum): Undoubtedly, the square is an urban planning playground of Hungarian politics. The construction, demolition, relocation, renaming and description are well known. The most important question is whether the new museums can step beyond the framework of politics. Dániel Kovács Art historian, editor-in-chief of hg.hu: One potential […]
Congested history A multitude of old and ultra-modern museums in present-day China MúzeumCafé 28. author: Gergely Salát, orientalist, head of the Centre for Modern China at the ELTE Confucius Institute The arts are flourishing and the Chinese are also highly regarded in the fields of science and technology. The turning points in China’s 20th-century history affected museums and the 3,500 museums functioning today all represent an imprint of the period when they were established. In the past three decades museology has become an independent profession. […]