Dr. Péter Balázs: Guide to the archives of Hungary (Budapest, 1976)

Pest Megyei Levéltár (Pest County Archives)

their maintainers, just as the registries of the specialized state organs, established after 1872. Nevertheless, from the 1930s the chief county archivist exercised a controll over the town and village archives as well. The selection of the enormously growing archival material has become equally a task of the repository. But as mainly people with legal education were preferred in the employment of archivists, the selections made by them often sacrificed historical sources, and their researches aimed primarily at subjects of legal significance (chiefly in order to legitimate nobilitary titles). A large part of the research made in the archives also moved in this circle. Between the two world wars, however, also research in local history was begun. In the periods of feudalism and capitalism the fundamental tasks of the archives were to supply antecedents for county administration and some not quite well understood, undefined, but hazily felt duty to protect historical values. As scientific research was regarded as secondary, it was rather circumstantial to get a permission. The staff of the archival office was small, led by a chief archivist and (from 1828 to 1950) by a vice archivist. They totalled about 10 persons in 1950. Notable archivists were the already mentioned Gábor BALLA (17851832), Sándor KÓSZEGHY, making researches of nobility (1896-1919), Dezsó REXA, a historian of theatre (1919-1937), and two workers in local history: János GORZÓ vice archivist (1924-1938) and József FÁRA chief archivist (1938-1950). The third period of archival history begins with 1950. From this year the repository was called Pest and Nógrád County State Archives, as it fulfilled archival tasks in these two counties. In a few years the archival material was nearly doubled, totalling 11 000 running metres. 90 per cent, of our material has become accessible to research and this fact has given an impetus to the historical work in the repository. Its research room has become a workshop of historical research. Yearly 100 to 200 research workers have visited the archives in about 500 to 1000 cases. The 1 January 1968 brought a significant change, as the upkeeping of the repository became the duty of the Pest County Council. Consequently the material of Nógrád county was handed over to the Nógrád County Archives, established at Salgótarján. The competence of our archives has been restricted to the area of Pest county again. In spite of the separation of the Nógrád records our archival material continued to grow; approaching 12 000 running metres in 1975. In order to place the material we have established an archival