The National Archives of Hungary (Budapest, 2006)
NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND SPECIAL ARCHIVES OF NATIONAL COLLECTION - Hungarian National Archives by Géza Érszegi and István G. Vass
Stróbl Unfortunately, the frescos and the ceiling light of the research room were destroyed after the bombing of 1945. After the war the portrait of István Bethlen the former Prime Minister - that could be found on the first floor was painted over and the frescos - on the third floor - depicting the history of the beginning of the 20 th century were also covered over. In the final days of 1956 revolution, the building caught fire from the incendiary projectiles of the Soviet army, and which destroyed nearly 9 000 linear meters of archival material. Reconstruction was finished by the year of 1961 but the painting and the covered frescos were not restored. The other building in Budai Vár (Buda Castle 5, Hess András square) was built in neo-gothic style in the first years of the 20 th century and the Ministry of Finance was located here. But during World War II, the building suffered great damage and the Ministry of Finance had to be transferred somewhere else. The archives wing, designed for placing the documents of the former Ministry of Finance - and which has the capacity for holding 10 000 linear meters of documents - was given over to the archival special authority to place the large quantity of documents of nationalized companies in 1952. From 1953 the Central Economic Archives, then from 1970 the New Hungarian Central Archives operated here. Since the 1970s newer and newer plans have been made for a new building of the archives. It became evident at the beginning of the 1990s that the documents increasing very rapidly and as a result of it the growing institutional organizations cannot beheld in the above mentioned places. So between 1994 and 1996 the new building of the archives was built on the territory of a former Soviet army post in Óbuda, (314 - 324, Bécsi road). The documents of economic governing bodies, the document fond of companies and the entire collection of microfilms from after 1945 were transferred here during the year of 1997 A well equipped search room and a lecture-room suitable for major functions can be found in the building. The workshops for preserving files, restorer, repairer and book-bindery which were formed and up-dated and expanded significantly in the 1960s exist in the buildings of Bécsikapu square and in the smaller building of Vár (Castle 54 - 56 Uri street). *** The entire material of the Hungarian National Archives, which is organized at middle level and the entire material, together with the help of finding aids, references can be accessed here. We can find handbooks here written in various time periods- elenchuses, lists, register-books and so on; reviewers at different levels and made in the last decades; guides, manuals, prospectuses,
