The Hungarian National Museum received a new image, the central element of which became the coronation mantle. The renewed Széchényi room was opened again in the institution, which housed the chamber exhibition featuring Herzog silverware.

Zsolt Semjén called it revolutionary that the museum opens places that have been closed to the public until now. Such is the wonderfully renovated Széchényi room, in which the most beautiful pieces of silver from the Herzog collection can be seen. The decorative knife, which can be viewed as a treasure of the month, belonged to Archduke Ágosz József and is also breathtaking as a work of art, he said.

The politician recalled that the silver once belonging to the collection of Lipót Mór Herzog was bought at an auction in 2011 by the Hungarian state. László L. Simon, the general director of the museum, explained that the 16-17. Outstanding pieces of 19th-century Transylvanian silverware were returned to Hungary after many historical setbacks, while the Herzog family was also financially compensated.

The Széchényi Room is one of the most beautiful spaces of the Hungarian National Museum, named after the museum's founder Count Ferenc Széchényi. The hall was built in 1865 based on the plans of Miklós Ybl from a public donation. In its renewed form, it is covered with a beautiful wooden covering, the walls are lined with the coats of arms of the counties, and the central decoration of the room is a portrait of Ferenc Széchényi.

Zsolt Semjén emphasized that Ágos József was a representative of the palatial, Hungarian branch of the House of Habsburg. At the beginning of the 20th century, the archduke received the broad-bladed hunting knife as a gift, which has a partially gilded cross iron and is richly decorated with precious stones and small pearls. The imposing weapon is half a meter high and 35 centimeters wide.

Tibor Kovács , the curator of the exhibition, touched on the fact that Archduke Ágost József, who died in 1962, defended the country at the head of his Hungarian soldiers during the First World War, and his significant work as a hunting and military writer.

Speaking about the new image of the museum László L. Simon emphasized that the coronation cloak that appears in it as a logo embodies Hungarian history and unites the nation.

"The birth of the new image completely closes an era and opens the period of the museum's rise. The smooth operation of the institution is ensured, and now our development plans are also available, including the installation concept of the two inner courtyards," listed the general director.

As mentioned, a public design competition was previously called for the new image, but later it was decided to choose the coronation mantle as the central element; the latter in the form of a logo was finally designed by Karolina Taivainen, the art director of the museum.

Csaba Latorcai presented the Hungarian National Museum's historic janitor's costume for festive occasions. As he said, the first porter of the Hungarian National Museum was Péter Kovács, who was hired in 1845, when the work on the current building was nearing completion. "The goalkeeper also honored the visitors with his fancy dress, expressing the spirit of the institution imbued with deep humanity".

The state secretary said that the reconstruction of the museum garden was realized with HUF 1.9 billion government support, the Arany János statue HUF 50 million, and the public areas of the building were also renovated.

From now on, the public can also view the exhibition gallery of the Hungarian National Museum, which contains around 4,500 pieces of glass, ceramics and apothecary vessels, including the ceramic desk set of Lajos Batthyány and the Vienna porcelain bust of Palatine József.

MTI

Front page photo: Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén (front, b), next to him is Csaba Latorcai, State Secretary for Public Administration of the Ministry of Human Resources (k) and László L. Simon, Director-General of the Hungarian National Museum (MNM) (j2) in the exhibition hall of the MNM, the National Museum has been renewed on the opening day, March 21, 2022, in conjunction with a press presentation presenting its image and other novelties.
In the institution, the emblematic Széchényi room displaying Herzog silverware, as well as the exhibition gallery, were reopened. MTI/Tibor Illyés