Universityarchives in Hungary 2002

Universityarchives in Hungary

 

2002

 

 

Szerkesztette/ Hergestellt/ Edited by:

Molnár László - Zsidi Vilmos

 

 

Angol fordítás/English translation:

Gergely Jánosné and Gergely András

 

Contents

Introduction

László Szögi: The History of the University Archives and the

Association of the Archives of Hungarian Higher Education

Archives

1. Archives of the Budapest University of Economic Sciences and Public Administration

2. Archives of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics

3. Archives of the Eötvös Loránd University

4. Archives of the University of Miskolc

5. Archives of the Hungarian University of Craft and Design

6. Archives of the Hungarian University

of Fine Arts

7. Archives of the University of West Hungary, Sopron

8. Archives of Semmelweis University

8.a. SOTE Archives

8b. TF Archives (Archives of Semmelweis University,

Department on the Faculty of Physical Education

and Sports Sciences)

9. Archives of the University of Szeged

Juhász Gyula Teacher Training College

10. Szent István University Archives

10.a Szent István University Special Archives, Gödöllő

10.b. Szent István University - Veterinary Library

and Archives

10.c. Szent István University Horticultural,

Food Science and Landscape Architectural

Library and Archives

11. Archives of the University of Veszprém

11.a. University of Veszprém Georgikon Faculty

of Agriculture, Keszthely –

Central Library and Archives

11.b. Archives of the University of Veszprém, Veszprém Collection (Network Regional Centre)

12. Pázmány Péter Catholic University,

Archives of the School of Theology

 

Introduction

 

 

László Szögi:

 

The History of the University Archives and the Association of the Archives of Hungarian Higher Education

 

 

Although the first Hungarian Universities were founded not later than the most important Central European ones, due to historic circumstances the Hungarian universities of the Middle Ages ceased to exist after a short time, so we have only had continuous university documentation about the history of Hungarian higher education since the 17^th century.

The University of Arts and Sciences which was founded in Nagyszombat in 1635 and later became the University of Budapest, was the only one in Hungary until 1872, so university archives could have been created mainly in the German style. The University of Arts and Sciences of Kolozsvár founded in 1872 got outside the borders of Hungary after having operated for half a century and the Technical University in Budapest which is about as old as that, accumulated documents too slowly for archives to be founded at all. At universities outside Budapest and at smaller specialized universities and colleges, most of which were founded during the time of dualism with the exception of Selmecbánya, Sopron and Mosonmagyaróvár, dealing with archival material became urgent only in the third part of the 20^th century.

Therefore it is understandable that the first plans to create archives were drawn up in 1911 by Professor Remig Békefi at the University of Arts and Sciences in Budapest, but his proposal, perhaps because of World War I among other things, had little response. Regrettably no archives were founded either at the 300^th anniversary of the University in Budapest in 1935, otherwise documents of the university would not have gone to the Hungarian National Archives after 1950. The material that was taken there was destroyed when the Archives burnt down in 1956 and the cause of the Hungarian

 

 

university archives suffered great damage.

The only positive consequence of the loss was the fact that in 1958 the remaining documents were collected and the first Hungarian university archives were founded at the Eötvös Loránd University of Arts and Sciences. The small institute worked alone and in primitive conditions for a long time and this situation only started to change at the beginning of the 1970s. A new collection of documents as well as classification and processing at a wider scale started almost simultaneously at Eötvös Loránd University of Arts and Sciences, at the Technical University in Budapest, in Miskolc and in Sopron. Archives sections were created at many university libraries in preparation to become official archives. The first University Archives repertory was also published in 1975. As a result, specialized archives were founded at Miskolc University in 1982, in 1983 the same title was given to the long existing Archives of ELTE, and in 1984 university archives were founded at Sopron University with ministerial consent. Further classification of archival material started in the second half of the 1970s and in the 1980s, as a result of which the collection of the Veterinary University became specialized archives, in 1986, followed by those of Keszthely Agricultural University and the Budapest University of Economics in 1987.

So, officially, before the transition there were six university archives in Hungary but the professional work that had been going on for one or two decades in several institutions made it easier to establish further archives. Therefore it is not surprising that at the beginning of 1993 four new specialized university archives received licences. In the capital they were Budapest Technical University, Semmelweis University of Medicine, the University of Horticulture and Food Industry and Gödöllő Agricultural University.

Since 8 out of the above mentioned 10 university archives belonged to the larger area of Budapest and the history of these universities had also been linked structurally so often in the past, the idea seemed reasonable to coordinate the activity of this kind of the archives and several institutions of higher education of the region and to make better use of the given recources and capacities in the difficult economic circumstances. Taking these factors into consideration the Higher Education and Public Collection

Department of the Ministry of Education suggested in the summer of 1992 that the institutions of higher education of the Budapest region should form an Association of Archives. By no means did they mean centralization, the transportation of the documents from their place, which would not only have interfered with the autonomy of the institutions but would have conflicted with the scientific and researcher interests as well. The institutions of the region mostly reacted favourably to the proposal and the Archives of Eötvös Lóránd University of Arts and Sciences, the oldest permanently existing university in Hungary was appointed the centre of the future Association in the autumn of 1992.

After the meetings arranged by the Ministry of Education, in the months of April and May in1993, the councils of all the universities and colleges that belong to the Budapest suburbia discussed the plan of the „Association of Budapest-Gödöllő University and College Archives” and they passed a resolution.

21 out of the 24 universities and colleges decided to join the Association. Three institutions pointed out that they agreed with the aims of the Association but they did not wish to join for the time being.

At the specialized archives that joined there were altogether 12-13 people working, half of which had specialized university degree in history or as archivists. The professional activity of the Association was meant to be based on this smaller group of experts who, working together in the member institutions, can carry out important archival tasks. According to the regulations they worked out, the Association is „ an organization which works as a specialized archives network of the archives and central files of the universities and colleges of the region that voluntarily join the Association”, „it is not an independent legal entity, it works on behalf of the member institutions, entrusted with their competence.” The Association has solved different tasks in member institutions where there are archives or where such archives have not been established. Individual contracts were made about the form of cooperation between the given universities and colleges and the Association where the tasks and duties were mutually secured.

The Association signed agreements with the member university libraries, in which it principally undertook the classification of

material , while the institutions would do the task of publishing the manuals, references. As a result of the work done, new specialized university archives have been established almost each year since the middle of the 1990s, in 1995 at the Hungarian College (University)of Arts, in 1997 at the Hungarian University of Physical Education, in 1998 at the Hungarian College (University) of Applied Arts and in 1999 at Veszprém University.

The Archives Council of the Association modified its statues at its meeting in November 1996 and it intended to extend its activity over the whole country. This intention is reflected in the change of the official name. The Association of the Hungarian University and College Archives was founded in 1996, in the work of which the archives and university history collections of the universities and colleges in the country have joined in since then.

One of the most important results of the work of the Association was the publication of a common Hungarian university archives fons and division register. The Working Group of the History of Hungarian Higher Education made plans as early as the second half of 1970s to publish a general archival list of sources of the history of Hungarian higher education. József Antall, General Director of the Medical History Library , Museum and Archives, made a proposal on 8^th June 1976 to create the institutional framework of the cause of the university archives.

It was brought up then that the data of the resource materials kept in the different national, county, and also in the church archives should be collected and completed with the information on the archives material at Hungarian universities and colleges. In this project the Working Group of the History of Hungarian Higher Education issued a circular and intended to publish the list of the documents in the archives of Hungarian higher education on the basis of the answers received from the Hungarian archives and the institutions. At the beginning of the 1980s the Hungarian National Committee of the International Committeee of the History of Universities was formed and by updating the questionnaire the issue was put on the agenda again. László Szögi and Endre Szemkeő were entrusted with the edition of the publication by József Antall.

The responses received at the second half of the 1980s unfortunately showed, that although a significant amount of archival material had

been accumulated at the Hungarian institutions of higher education despite the destruction, 95% of them were unprocessed, scattered in the different structural units and practically unsuitable for research, so on the basis of the given information it was impossible to publish a research manual. Only 2 or 3 of the universities and colleges in Budapest had arranged documents while there were hardly any usable data in the rest. Outside Budapest the county archives had received the documents of the university, such as in Pécs, Debrecen and Szeged, but the series were not complete and certain parts of the material had remained at the university in a state unsuitable for research. All these circumstances made it impossible then to publish a manual of a homogeneous structure.

It was necessary to make reasonable changes between the different university archives in order to make the fields of interests definable. The ELTE Archives handed over materials to several other university archives. A smaller amount of material went back to university archives from the Hungarian National Archives and the Party Archives of the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party (MSZMP).

A major editorial principle of the publication was only to issue data of an institute of higher education where the arrangments have already been done under our control to make the documents in the archives suitable for research. It was also our intention, however, to introduce all the collections of universities and colleges that have reached the status of specialized archives. This work got to the point in 1997 where we could publish real data of fonds and condition in the archives. Accordingly, we introduced the archives of 13 Hungarian institutes of higher education in the first part of the book. One of them, Kandó Kálmán Techinal College has not reached the status of specialized archives but we have sorted out its material as sysematically as it has been done in other archives. Four out of the twelve specialized archives can be found in the country: Gödöllő, Keszthely, Miskolc, Sopron. The classification at the Miskolc University Archives is only differrent form the other universities as major fonds groups have also been made while this unit is not used by other universities. It does not influence the level of order and reseach though.

 

 

At present we can say that the15 university archives in Hungary with altogether more than 4000 linear meter documents of historic value

have become an organic part of the network of Hungarian archives. Following the integration of higher education in 2000 these archives belong to 12 universities so it is an important task at many places to adjust to the new structural framework. In the recent years the now national Association has made a lot of efforts to integrate the universities in the country in the work of the university archives but the results can not be seen yet.The new, integrated and big city universities, like Debrecen, Szeged and Pécs have already planned to create specialized university archives but the material and personal conditions are not yet given.

In 2001 the general Assembly of the Association of Hungarian University and College Archives joined an association and officially founded the Association of the Archives of Hungarian higher Education as an independent professional archival organization. The Association is represented in the common professional bodies and committees and helps the improvement of the archival work in its own ways.

Archives

 

1. Archives of the Budapest University of Economic Sciences

and Public Administration

Founded in 1986

 

H-1093 Budapest, Fővám tér 8.

T: (36 1) 2186-855/6182

Fax: [phone]

E-mail: [e-mail]

Information about the Archives avalilable at the following

Internet address: www.bkae.hu

 

Staff members:

Zsidi Vilmos, director of the archives

E-mail: [e-mail]

Lakatos Mihályné, assistant archivist

E-mail: [e-mail]

 

Documents of the legal predecessor institutions, dating from 1891 can be found in the Archives. Among the most valuable ones are the minutes of council meetings, almost a complete series up to 1944, and the material of the Economics Faculty of Ferenc József University of Sciences in Kolozsvár, which worked between 1940 and 1944. There is also a unique series of individual files of the students from the 1950s. The Archives posseses a significant collection of photos as well.

The quantity of the documents kept in the Archives is more than 400 lm.

 

 

2. Archives of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME)

Founded in 1972

 

H-1111 Budapest, Bertalan Lajos utca 2.

H-1111 Budapest, Műegyetem rkp. 3.

T: (36 1) 4631-703

 

Fax: [phone]

 

Staff members:

Dr. Kiss Márton, director of the archives, chief councellor

Osváth Zsolt, archivist

 

The Archives of BME collects the documents of historic value of the following institutions and offices: the legal predecessor insitutions, the rector's office, the deans' offices, the economic and technical inspectorates, the different societies and committees that work at the university, the faculties and institutions, the university library, the hostels, the social organizations that operate at the university, and cultural and sports clubs. Moreover it collects the bequests of deceased professors of merit. As regards the material of the director's, rector's office, it possesses continuous documentation since the opening in 1846 of one of the predecessor insitutions, the József Technical School. It can be said almost totel of different series too, like register books, and that of university examination, state examination, and doctor. Among its documents the different minutes of (university, rectoral, faculty) council meetings have the greatest source value. Apart from them the university programmes, timetables and curriculums are the most often sought for by the researchers. The richest and most valuable of the bequests is that of Donát Bánki.

The total quantity of the documents kept in the Archives at present is 798 lm and they consist of 61 fond.

 

 

3. Archives of the Eötvös Loránd University

Founded in 1958

 

H-1083 BUDAPEST, Ludovika tér 2.

T: (36 1)3331-338

Fax: [phone]

E-mail: [e-mail]

 

Staff members:

Dr. Szögi László, director

E-mail: [e-mail]

 

 

Kiss József Mihály, senior archivist

Kissné Bognár Krisztina, archivist

Varga Júlia, archivist

Heilauf Zsuzsanna, museologist

Ignácz Jánosné, librarian

Acsai János, stock attendant

 

The collection interest of the archives covers the documents of the legal predecessor institutions and all the present units, and lecturers. If we don't consider the collection of certificates (110 pieces since 1263/64), the oldest document is the deed of foundation (1635) issued by Péter Pázmány, archbishop of Esztergom. Most of the material, which exceeds now 1100 lm, is from the 20th century.

 

 

4. Archives of the University of Miskolc

 

Founded in 1982

 

H-3515 Miskolc-Egyetemváros

T: (36 46) 565-111/16-63, 16-71, 16-17

Fax: [phone]

 

Staff members:

Dr. Zsámboki László, director-general

E-mail: [e-mail]

Szendi Attila, director of archives

E-mail: [e-mail]

Gavallér Pál, senior archivist

Göndös Gáborné museologist

Dr. Lossné Ács Mária haed librarian

 

The archive collects, preserves and shows the written documents of the history of Selmecbánya, Sopron and Miskolc. And it also collects the written documents of great achievements technical upper education, industry and technical sciences, and also the written documents of people educated in the alma mater. The most valuable are the ledgers of and registers of state exam of Selmecbánya from 1841 to 1919. The time sphere of paper preserved in the archive is 1735-2002, and quantity is 480 lm.

 

 

5. Archives of the Hungarian University of

Craft and Design

Founded in 1998

 

H-1121 BUDAPEST, Zugligeti út 9-25.

T: (36 1) 3921-180

Staff :

Zsidi Vilmos arcivist

T: (36 1) 3921-180/137

(36 1) 2151-778, 2186-855/6182, 6465

E-mail: [e-mail]

 

Its collection of interest covers the documents of the legal predecessor institutions and all the present units and lecturers of the university. The quantity of the protected material exceeds 60 lm. The material of the central office can be considered more or less continuous from the eighties of the 19th century to the seventies of the 20th century, the student register-books have been kept almost complete. The final arrangements were done in 2000.

 

 

6. Archives of the Hungarian University of Fine Arts

Founded in 1995

 

H-1062 BUDAPEST, Adrássy út 69-71.

T: (36 1) 3421-738/18

Fax: [phone]

 

Staff members:

Blaskóné Majkó Katalin, director

E-mail: [e-mail]

Kiss József Mihály, archivist

 

The collection of interest covers the documents of the legal predecessor instituions and all the present units and lecturers of the university.

The protected material is more than 40 lm. Its most valuable items are the students register-books (continuously kept since 1876) and the central office material with bigger or smaller gaps. (1872-).

 

 

 

7. Archives of the University of West hungary, Sopron

Founded in 1984

 

H-9400 Sopron, Bajcsy-Zsilinszky u. 4.

H-9401 Sopron, Pf. 32.

Internet: http://jazz.efe.hu/leveltar.html

 

 

Staff members:

Mastalir Ernőné dr., general director of the library, director of the archives

T: (36 99) 518-267, (36 99) 518-268

E-mail: [e-mail]

Szemerey Tamásné, archivist

T: (36 99) 518-279

E-mail: [e-mail]

 

The archives is entitled to receive the documents produced in the scientific, educational, economic, social and cultural units of the Western-Hungarian University and its legal prodecessor institutions, and also the documents of the history of the university. Together with the Archives of Miskolc University it keeps the remaining documents of the Forestry School of Selmecbánya (1808-1846), Mining and Forestry Academy of Selmecbánya (1846-1903), Mining and Forestry College (1904-1919), Mining and Forestry Engineering College, Sopron (1919-1934), József Nádor University of Technical and Economic Sciences Mining, Foundry and Forestry Faculty (1934-1949), and the Forestry College (1949-1962). The oldest manuscript of the archives of 327 lm dates back to 1801.

 

 

8. Archives of Semmelweis University

 

8.a. SOTE Archives

Founded in 1993

 

H-1085 BUDAPEST, Üllői út 26.

H-1450 BUDAPEST, Pf. 91.

T: (36 1) 2660-120/5253, (36 1) 3170-948

Fax: [phone]

Internet: www.lib.sote.hu

 

Staff:

Molnár László, head of the archives

E-mail: [e-mail]

 

The archives looks after the historical documents of the medical faculty of the university of sciences (first the University of Nagyszombat, later that of Budapest) then, since 1951 of the separate Medical University. Due to considerable damages in the collection only one series, the list of the graduates is complete back to 1770. Besides other series of registrature-type, the bulk of the collection of 403 lm (1770-1999) consists of the material of the central offices and personal bequests.

 

8b. TF Archives

(Archives of Semmelweis University, Department on the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences)

Founded in 1997

 

H-1123 BUDAPEST, Alkotás u. 44.

T: (36 1) 4879-235

Fax: [phone]

 

Staff:

Molnár László, head of the archives

E-mail: [e-mail]

 

The archives collects the documents of the Faculty but it also keeps some material of the predecessor, the National Gymnastic Society. So the time sphere of the material is 1868-1993, its total quantity is 72,67 lm. Most of it consists of students' registries and the documents of the Rector's Office and the Finance Department.

 

 

9. Archives of the University of Szeged

, Juhász Gyula Teacher Training College

Founded in 1999

 

H-6725 Szeged, Boldogasszony sgt. 6.

H-6701 Szeged, Pf. 396.

T: (36 62) 544-000/6269

Fax: [phone]

 

 

Staff memebers:

Dr. Font Zsuzsanna director of the archives

 

The archive hasn’t started the work yet.

 

 

10. Szent István University Archives

 

10.a Szent István University Special Archives, Gödöllő

Founded in 1993

 

H-2103 Gödöllő, Páter Károly utca 1.

T: (36 28) 410-200/1101, 1012, 1023

Fax: [phone]

 

Staff members:

Beretvás György, director in charge of the archives

dr. Walleshausen Gyula, historian, retired general director

 

In the archive the material os the legal predecessor institutions can be found up to 1920. And also here can be searched the materials of two not legal predecessor institutions: the Economic Academy of Kolozsvár (1906-1945) and Kassa (1883-1919), and the Zoological Research Institute (1896-1969). The time sphere of collection is 1990, the whole quantity is 325 lm. in 28 fonds.

 

10.b. Szent István University - Veterinary Library and Archives

Founded in 1986

 

H-1078 BUDAPEST, István u. 2.

H-1400 BUDAPEST, Pf. 2.

Internet: www.könyvtar.univet.hu

 

Staff members:

Szabóne Szávay Judit, director of the library

T: (36 1) 4784-226

Fax: [phone]

E-mail: [e-mail]

 

As well as the documents produced by the offices (central offices, departments), the archives collects the students' study records and the minuits of the council meetings. Individual donations (such as diplomas, biographical summaries, historic veterinary manuscripts, digital photos) can also be found in the archives. One of the most interesting pieces of the nearly 200 lm collection is the "Extractus protocolli Instituti Veterinarii 1787-1815".

 

10.c. Szent István University Horticultural, Food Science and Landscape Architectural Library and Archives

Founded in 1993

 

H-1118 Budapest, Villányi út 29-43.

T: (36 1) 3726-200/6109, 6299

Fax: [phone]

E-mail: [e-mail]

Internet: http://helix.kee.hu

 

Staff members:

Zalainé dr.Kovács Éva, general director

E-mail: [e-mail]

Földváriné dr. Kocsis Luca, director of the archives

E-mail: [e-mail]

 

The Archives collects the historic documents from the last 150 years of the three university faculties situated at the Buda Campus of the Szent István University (earlier at the University of Horticulture and Food Industry), the Horticultural, Food Science and Landscape Architectural Faculty, as well as those of the units that serve their educational and research activities. The oldest sources of the history of the institution are the students' registries from 1876. Bequested documents of scientists (27 fond) and invaluable documents of the Hungarian Horticulture (from 1697) can also be found in the collection. The material of the archives on 31 December 2001 was 80 fond, its quantity 189,68 lm. The researcers are provided with two sourcebooks and the Repertorium published in 1999.

 

 

11. Archives of the University of Veszprém

 

11.a. University of Veszprém Georgikon Faculty of Agriculture, Keszthely - Central Library and Archives

(Network Centre)

Founded in 1987

 

H-8360 Keszthely, Deák F. u. 16.

T: (36 83) 312-330

Fax: [phone]

Internet: www.georgikon.hu

 

 

 

Staff members:

Pőr Csilla, special assistant

E-mail: [e-mail]

 

The archives collects all the historic material produced at the units, as well as the documents of the legal predecessors, former organizational units. The documents produced between 1797 and 1848 can be found in the Hungarian National Archives. The most valuable documents of the archives come from the legal predecessor institutions: National Agronomy and Forestry High- School (1874-1906), High-School of Agronomy (1869-1874), School of Agronomy (1874-1906) and Academy of Agronomy (1906-1945). The series of the students registers have been kept since 1797. The archives has got a 209 lm-size material.

 

11.b. Archives of the University of Veszprém,
Veszprém Collection

(Network Regional Centre)

Founded in 1999

 

H-8200 Veszprém, Egyetem u. 10.

T: (36 88) 422-022

Fax: [phone]

Internet: www.vein.hu

 

Staff members:

Egyházy Tiborné dr., director

E-mail: [e-mail]

Dömötör Lajosné dr., archivist

 

The collection in Veszprém has got an almost complete series of the council meetings of the faculty and the university since 1949, and of the dean's and the rector's since 1957. The most important source series is the registered documents of the Rector's Office and the units that belong to it. The complete students' and study records form an integral part of the archives. The fond that contains the papers on Veszprém, of dr. Polinszky Károly, founder of the university, former dean then rector is also worth mentioning. The archives received the material up till 31^st December 1995. In the case of certain materials some later documents, of evidently historic value have been registered. The material in the Veszprém collection is 16 fond, 1305

 

storage units, 136,86 lm.

 

 

12. Pázmány Péter Catholic University,

Archives of the School of Theology

Founded in 2001

 

Contact information:

Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Archives of the School of Theology (PPKE-HTK Archives)

1053 Budapest, Veres Pálné u. 24, mailing address: 1364 P.O. Box 420,

Phone: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

 

Staff members:

Dr. József Török, Dean of the School of Theology

Mária Tarján, librarian (asistant)

e-mail: [e-mail]

 

The documents contain 1 fond and its seven sections. They deal with the period 1638-1950, with some exceptions. It is the School of Theology which preserved the most comprehensive set of documents from the 18^th and 19^th centuries among the schools of the former Budapest University of Arts and Sciences. The language of the materials is Latin until 1845, sometimes (especially between 1780-1790) German, and Hungarian between 1845-1848. After the revolution of 1848 the language was German and Latin, from around 1860 work was done in Hungarian again. The documents are scarcely accompanied by indices, thus it is most convenient to browse them one by one. The documents of the archives can be found in the library of the School of Theology. The documents amount to 32 ifm. Research is possible – with prior arrangement – during the opening hours of the library (Opening hours: Monday and Thursday 10am-5pm, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 9am-3pm).