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

(Special Archives)

A special archives is a scientific institution preserving the archival material of a defined branch, government organ, co-operative society, social organisation or corporate body, fulfilling also administrative tasks. The special archives is competent to take over the archival material of the organizations named by the Minister of Culture, after asking the opinion of the maintainer, and it gathers the papers of those important persons of the branch and the historical records, photographs and sound records of the branch, which were permitted by the Minister of Culture, as he defined the collecting interest of! the branch. i The establishment of special archives is made possible by decree-law No. 27 of 1969, or by the executing decree No. 30/1969 Korm. for those organizations or branches, which want to preserve their archival material and can secure the necessary material and personal conditions of the proper activity of their archives. The special archives work under the professional control of the Minister of Culture and the direction of the maintaining government organs, social organizations or other corporate bodies. The Archives of the Institute of Party History of the Hungarian Socialist Workers Party and the repositories maintained by the county party commissions are not subjected to the professional control of the Minister of Culture. Special archives maintained by organs of government are the Archives of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the Archives of the Institute of Military History, the Archives of the Central Statistical Office and the Semmelweis Archives of Medical History, those maintained by a social organization are the Archives of the Trade Union Council. The Minister of Culture declared ecclesiastical special archives those of the Catholic archbishoprics (Esztergom, Eger, Kalocsa), bishoprics (Győr, Pécs, Szeged, Székesfehérvár, Szombathely, Vác, Veszprém and Nyíregyháza - the latter Greek Catholic) and chapters (Esztergom, Kalocsa, Győr, Sopron, Pécs, Székesfehérvár, Szombathely, Vác and Veszprém) and also of active religious orders (Benedictines, Franciscans and Piarists). Of the Reformed Church of Hungary the archives of the Synod (Budapest) and the church