The National Archives of Hungary (Budapest, 2006)

NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND SPECIAL ARCHIVES OF NATIONAL COLLECTION - The Archives of Military History Budapest by Jolán Szijj

the time of World War I the imperial and royal orders were still in effect under which the documents and maps of troops of military forces and those of troops of the Hungarian Army were ordered to deliver to Kriegsarchiv of Vienna. In the autumn of 1915 it managed to achieve this by sending battle documents of the troops of the Hungarian Army and those of the insurrection, directly to the Ministry of Defence. Within the 1/a department of the Ministry of Defence an archival group was formed. Its task was to copy the here delivered original documents and they had to be sent to the Kriegsarchiv of Vienna only after copying. Later more sub-departments were formed within the ministerial department. These were the sub-groups of museums, statistics, prisoners of war, and military history. Their work was helped by photographer's studios and many of draughts-men. It can be ascertained from the surviving documents that both the archival sub-group and the sub-group of the museum also did collecting work. So the first photos, flags, weapons and other objects of value from the battle field, became part of the extensive collection of World War I. We should also mention as an interesting fact that sub-group of the museum was added in the collection work that specialized in soldiers' songs from the year of 1916 . This work was done not only by supplementary, second teams and teams but by eminent people such as Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály, teachers of the Academy of Music, who spent time around the barracks, military hospitals and resorts under the open command of the minister of defence. According to the new rank of the affair's section formed on 11

th November, 1918, the 'Archives of the Army' belonged to the 10

th department of group I, which used to belong to group I of the Ministry of War. The institution was called Archives of Military History and Museum after the reorganization in January, 1919 as a consequence, had a profound effect on the whole ministry It contained three organic entities: Director of boards - with librarian, historic, literary group, with bookbinding and photography, Archives together with maps and Museum. In the following decades several organic changes were made at the Archives. Sometimes it was an independent institution, othertimes, it was a common institution together with the museum. It was led by a director in 1920 - 1921, then up to 1939 by a director general and then a commander. The documents of the institution were replaced officially on the 3

rd floor of the new building of the National Archives- which was not totally completed after its establishment - at 4 Bécsikapu square. The museums came to its final location in 1929 when it moved to Palatine army post, the barracks of the castle. The first exhibition was opened here on 15

th March, 1937 There was a possibility for a new home for the archives