Savaria - A Vas Megyei Múzeumok értesítője 24/3. (1997) (Szombathely, 1997)

Horváth Sándor: Aranyegyensúly (Bándi Gábor, mint muzeológus)

a) the modernisation of the county museum network is finished b) during the year a steady work went on without any spectacular result. (In that year, 175 people worked for the county network, but he found this number insufficient, although the budget bore the costs of this high staff number with difficulties. However, in 1985, when the Picture Gallery was opened, 38 new colleagues were employed.) After the quick network construction, the time would have come for quality improvement, the more intensive scientific work. Instead of that, there came an unfair, humiliating and distorting 'people's control' investigation. Let's see the spectacular results before the ignominious end. 1973: the opening of the Museum Village of county Vas and the Ruin Garden. 1974: the international opening of the 3

rd Wall and Spatial Textile Biennial festival. 1975: the start of the Textile Artistic Creative Community of Velem. 1976: the end of the reconstruction of the historic „General's House" in Kőszeg. 1977: the opening of the historic folk buildings in Szalafo and Cák and the Sághegy Museum. 1978: the opening of the new permanent exhibition in the Nádasdy Ferenc Museum in Sárvár after a historic reconstruction. 1979: the establishment of the Pharmacy Museum in Kőszeg. 1980: temporary exhibition in the Savaria Museum after a technical renovation. 1981: the opening of the Rába Regional History Museum in Körmend. 1982: the beginning of the Month of the National Museums and Monuments by the opening of the new permanent exhibition of the Savaria Museum. 1983: the opening of the Regional History and Minority Museum in Szentgotthárd. 1984: the starting of the publications of the material related to the Burgenland Hungarians by Prof. Károly Gaál's book titled ' Who gets the kisködmön (i. e. little sheepskin waistcoat)?'. 1985: the opening of the Picture Gallery in Szombathely. In 1976, the profile tasks of the county organisation of museums were the followings: - investigation of natural values of Western Transdanubia in the research program „Natural History of Praenoricum", - the excavation of the pre-historic settlement in Velem-Szentvid, - researching the Roman town, Savaria, - nation-wide maintenance of the contemporary textile arts, - development of the Hungarian socialist fine arts. From 1983, another national profile was the establishment of the hussar collection in Sárvár. The importance of the scientific work in museums can be measured, in that time above all, by the museum annals. During Bándi's directorate, the series of Savaria became up-to-date. The professional mirror of the exhibitions was provided by the catalogues. л From the beginnings, he laid stress on the establishment of the international relations of the county museum network. That is the reason why the consistently edited series, the Catalogues of the Museum in County Vas, was bilingual (German-Hungarian) from its start in 1973.- It provided an international reputation and also help the international exchange of publications. At the same time, he made an effort to open to the west with exhibitions and other professional relations. Beside the rehabilitation of Prof. Károly Gaál, the Head of Department at the Vienna University, he began to publish the writings related to Hungarians in Burgenland, Austria by the work of Gaál, titled 'Who gets the kisködmön (little sheepskin waistcoat)?'. Nobody knew at that time, that there will be a change of regime in 1989! At that time, he did not even suspect that he would leave the county with distress to step out of his absurd situation. Although, he was charged with national tasks, he was feeling the shadow of the forced crisis in county Vas. If his life had not been so short, he might have come back to our county with the help of his profession, the archaeology. His anniversary obliges us, his successors, to call his memory. He has been conciliated after his death by the posthumous 'For County Vas' medal, and as his widow said, he is reconciled with his beloved town, and favourite county. This is his real goodbye to county Vas. We should never forget what János Pilinszky said: 'The golden measure is restored only in the minute of saying goodbye'. Dr. Sándor Horváth Director of the Museums in county Vas 13