Preserving relics from the past on the two banks of the Danube
MúzeumCafé 27.
Komárom and Komárno – two towns situated on the banks of the River Danube in two separate countries from an administrative point of view. To distinguish the two parts local residents refer to north and south Komárom, while at the same time frequenting both sides and promoting cross-border cultural relations. Two institutions, the 125-year-old Danube Museum on the Slovak side and the 45-year-old Klapka György Museum in Hungary, preserve their joint past. After the 1920 Trianon Treaty south Komárom remained without a museum – objects excavated at Brigetio nearby were held by the Hungarian National Museum or the Museum of Tata, depending on which authority the area belonged to. The Klapka György Museum didn’t only provide employment for its director, Emese Számadó – while renovating and extending her own house a complete wall fresco was revealed. Since then it has been part of the permanent exhibition. Eme-se Számadó began her activity by rearranging the lapidarium. At the beginning of the 1990s the dim casemate corridors were regularly broken into and the fittings were damaged. Satanists lit fires on the altar stones and held secret seances. “I retrieved stone carvings from courtyards and various places and was told they had been found on a rubbish tip. Something clearly had to be done. We decided to bring the stones inside the fortress. The local municipal authority supported the move. As it happened, the opening in May 1993 coincided with renewal of the Slovak-side lapidarium, which was ready at the same time.” In 1996 the museum was given a former customs and excise office building. This has become its central building and houses a permanent archaeological exhibition. In 2004 it was renovated and the Klapka Museum also acquired two branches, one of them being the Dr. Ferenc Juba Collection.