48. évfolyam, 2002. 4. szám

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Ferenc Széchényi, the founder of the national library

MONOK István
 

In Hungary Count Ferenc Széchényi (1754–1820) was the nobleman who detected Hungarian books in Hungary and abroad at the end of the 18th century, united them in a collection, and then in 1802 donated it to the nation, laying the foundations of the first national public collection. The study aims at finding out how much the foundation of the library was a natural consequence of the political and cultural efforts of the preceding three centuries. It presents the traditions of library history and science organisation that had an impact on the foundation, and that the creation of the national library was the result of a long process. There had been libraries used by the public before in Hungary, and by the 18th and 19th century book collection had become more and more important among the aristocracy and the prelacy, and bibliophilic book collectors urged the formation of a scientific society. Hungarian aristocrats assumed a role in the running of cultural institutions under the pressure created by the lack of the national king, national culture, and national library. King Mathias has become a symbolic figure in the eyes of Hungarian aristocrats and intellectuals as a successful national king, together with his library, the Bibliotheca Corviniana. Thus Széchényi, having in mind the role and significance of Bibliotheca Corviniana, founded the national library of the Hungarian Kingdom (Bibliotheca Regicolaris) as it also stands in the statutory document. This ideal helped the further enrichment and survival of the collection as well.

Országos Széchényi Könyvtár Észrevételek