Savaria - A Vas Megyei Múzeumok Értesítője 32/2. (2009) (Szombathely, 2009)

CSÁK Zsófia: A TÖRTÉNETI/HELYTÖRTÉNETI OSZTÁLY TÖRTÉNETE

A TÖRTÉNETI/HELYTÖRTÉNETI OSZTÁLY TÖRTÉNETE CSÁK Zsófia H-9700 Szombathely, Felsőőr u. 24. III./16., Hungary E-mail: csakzso@neplakszov.hu HISTORY OF THE HISTORY/LOCAL HISTORY DEPARTMENT The Vas County Museum was opened in Szombathely in 1908 with a display of cultural history treasures. Building on the collection groups, five galleries were in operation in the institution: the Library, the Natural History Gallery, the Ethnography Gallery, the Picture Gallery and an Antiques Gallery comprising six subdivisions, also including the Applied Art Collection. Following the Second World War the weathered name of "gallery" was replaced by the uniform "department" designation of the 1950s. Corresponding to the national professional tendency, the History Department (Local History at the beginning) was only formed at the beginning of the 1960s. Its task became the research, collection, presentation and scientific treatment of artefacts, documentary records and cultural history treasures of modern and contemporary history associated with the historical Vas County including in particular the country town of Szombathely. The department's collection may be divided into units comprising artefacts, documents and a little sound material. The major collection subdivisions belonging to the artefact material: guild materials, minor crafts, mementoes of industrial history, clocks, plaquettes, costumes, toys, ecclesiastical relics, pipes, flags, medals, badges, coins, war relics, sport, statues, paintings, graphics and furniture. Documentary records: archival photographs, picture postcards, posters, pamphlets, diplomas, souvenir cards, newspapers, family history documents and guild mementoes. Because of its magnitude, the bequest of around 20 000 glass negatives from the KNEBEL photographer dynasty is treated separately. For registering the artworks, besides the archive books, description cards and index cards, documentation in a computer database is enjoying an increasing role. There is great professional interest in the work of the History Department, not only in the region but also beyond the national borders, from the loaning of individual unique artworks to projects involving the joint preparation of exhibitions. Accession to the European Union and the beneficial effect of the spiritualisation of frontiers have also made their influence felt in common thinking and scientific relationships