Veres László - Viga Gyula szerk.: A Herman Ottó Múzeum műkincsei (Miskolc, 1999)

A HERMAN OTTÓ MÚZEUM 1899-1999

The scientific publishing activity of the specialists of the Herman Ottó Museum was in harmony with the development of the collections, the field work. Between 1973-1979 the employees of the institution published 252 works, mainly in the editions of the museum. In the interests of the publishing of the results of the scientific research the leadership of the museum developed the publishing activity of the institution. In 1975 started the series of Borsodi Kismonográflák (Borsod Small Monographies) more than 30 volumes of which have been published. In 1980 Herman Ottó Museum moved to a new building. After this move the county museum organization became strongly centralised, because from this time on most of the employees have worked in Miskolc and in the same place, in the central building of the Herman Ottó Museum. The rest of the institutions in Miskolc, like the Diósgyőr Castle Museum, House of Mrs. Déry, Ottó Herman's Memorial House in Lillafüred, museum building in Papszer and the Borsod-Miskolc Museum became exhibition sites. In the 1980s the county museum organization became even more widely spread. From the mid-80s Herman Ottó Museum has had already 23 institutions. In the second half of the 1980s budget for professional tasks gradually shrinked, while the requirements towards the museum permanently got rose. Archaeological research started on many new territories. In 1979-1984 there had been conducted 14 new excavations and 33 rescue excavations on the territory of the county. As a result of these investigations the archaeological collection came close to 300.000 objects, that is to say, since 196I it was tripled. Historians and ethnographers had to collect on the first hand objects necessary for the installation of regional ethnographical houses and new museums. As a result of this work 4 regional ethnographical houses had been completely arranged. The following objects were acquired: 38 pieces of 17th—19th cent, furniture, 26l pieces of 17th—19th cent, glass, 35 pieces of 18th—19th cent, eastern carpets, 184 caskets, 9 miniatures. After more than two decades, collection of objects of natural history started again: samples of the insects and animals of the county, minerals of the Carpathian basin. By 1986 the section of mineralogy owned the largest provinicial collection (5072 pieces). Scientific publishing activity also widened in the second half of the 1980s. Beside the traditional periodica, new series were established for publishing ethnographical, historical, art historian research. Our institution organised several international conferences on the interethnic connections and visual anthropology. The proceedings of the conferences have