H. Boros Vilma: Széchenyi István hátrahagyott iratainak története (A MTAK kiadványai 54. Budapest, 1967)

The history of István Széchenyi' s posthumous writings

THE HISTORY OF ISTVÁN SZÉCHENYI'S POSTHUMOUS WRITINGS The greater and most important part of the posthumous writings of Count István Széchenyi (1791—1860) came into possession of the Library of the Hungárián Academy of Sciences. The Library possesses 21 volumes of Széchenyi's diary which he kept over a period of fifty years, the manuscripts of nearly all of his works (Hitel— Credit, Világ — World, Stádium, and so forth) together with the related notes, records, drafts and the like. In addition the Library owns the majority of his widespread correspondence and alsó a large number of other documents relating to his many-sided activities. All these documents are indispensable sources of the history of Hungary, particularly as regards the period 1825—1848. It was at that time (the „Reform Era" as it is called) when Széchenyi not only promoted the transformation of the obsolate political and social structure of Hungary with his writings, but alsó initiated the setting up of important national institutions, and the establishment or development of several cultural and economic institutions are alsó connected with his name: the Hungárián Academy of Sciences, National Economic Society, the first parmanent bridge between Pest and Buda (the „Chain Bridge"), the large-scale development of Budapest, the Buda tunnel, making the Iron Gates (on the Lower Danube) navigable, the control of the Tisza River, the development of steam navigation and railway transportation, setting up of shipyards, iron-works, and so forth. Since Széchenyi initiated or carried out all these as a priváté person, a great deal of documents, records, letters and other writings relating to what have been mentioned above, can be found among his posthumous papers. In his will Széchenyi had bequeathed his papers to his secretary Antal Tasner whose son delivered them to the Academy. Unfortunately the collection of Széchenyi's writings is incomplete since not all of them came into Tasner's possession: a part of them remained in the Sopron and Cenk archives of the Széchenyi family while a lesser part had been sequestered by the Austrian Imperial Police on the occasion of a house-search in Széchenyi's Döbling home in 1860, and were kept in the V'enna State Archives for a long time. At present Széchenyi's writings, as well as the archives of the family are in the National Archives of Hungary. The Academy organized a museum of Széchenyi's writings, books and material connected with him. The museum was alsó enriched with material presented to or collected and purchased by the Academy. During the Second World War the museum was destroyed. The writings and books, however, suffered a comparatively small loss. They are now kept by the Library of the Hungárián Academy of Sciences which has published the history of Széchenyi's writings cn the occcsion of the 175th annivcrscry of his birth. 55