Folia historica 26

I. Tanulmányok - Vér Eszter Virág: Egy elfeledett kultuszhely: Az Erzsébet Királyné Emlékmúzeum

Л FORGOTTEN PLACE OF CULT: THE QUEEN ELISABETH MEMORIAL MUSEUM Sum тагу The Queen Elisabeth Memorial Museum was opened to the public with the assent of Emperor Franz Joseph in 1908 in the Krisztinaváros wing of the Royal Palace in Buda. The museum housed objects which had originally belonged to the Hungarian National Museum and many other items offered especially to the new museum, too. Former ladies-in-waiting helped the director of the National Museum to arrange the exhibition; the most significant role was played by Ida Ferenczy. Interiors, furniture and display cabinets were designed by architect Alajos Hauszmann, who earlier had been responsible for the rebuilding of the palace, and were made by the famous Thék Factory. The exhibition showed Queen Elisabeth's person from a special Hungarian perspective, presenting the main elements of her cult in Hungary, which also served as a guideline between the different segments. The development of the museum remained unbroken until World War I. After the war its operation got harder because of the lack of financial basis caused by the political changes. The museum, undamaged by the revolutions, was reopened in 1922. The destrucion of the museum was caused by the bombings of Budapest during World War II. In 1947, the objects remained were added to the different collections of the National Museum, which ment the total liquidation of the museum as an independent part of the institution. 35