A Herman Ottó Múzeum Évkönyve 33-34. (1996)

NÉMETH Györgyi: Visszalépés és bizonytalanság (Az ipari örökség megőrzésének nehézségei a mai Magyarországon)

SET-BACKS AND UNCERTAINTIES. SOME ASPECTS OF THE PRESERVATION OF THE INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE IN PRESENT-DAY HUNGARY The north and north-eastern part of Hungary has been traditionally the most important center of mining and metallurgy with unique industrial landscapes formed around the towns of Ózd, Salgótarján and Miskolc in the 19th century. This territory became also the most important area of socialist „forced" industrialization where for the sake of preserving the historical remains of metallurgy and the traditions of workers mostly out of ideological and political reasons much industrial heritage work had been done before 1990. After 1990 the large industrial plants had to suffer very severe restrictions, reduction in the working force, demolitions. Not only the newly redundant buildings and machines became endangered but also the already preserved items of the industrial heritage. But why does the well proved system of preservation not work in the new situation? It is one although very important example of a process characteristic for the state and fate of the industrial heritage in Hungary. Trying to find a real explanation for the general situation I will analyse and compare the conditions before and after 1990. Györgyi Németh 528