Technikatörténeti szemle 7. (1973-74)

MŰSZAKI SZAKMÚZEUMOK - Pál Vajda: Industrial Museums in Hungary (in English)

former invented in 1885 by Károly Zipernowsky, Miksa Déri and Titus Ottó Bláthy, engineers of the Ganz Electric Works. Another exhibit of outstanding interest is Bláthy's first alternating current meter from 1889. Especially rich in valuable objects is the collection of geodetical measuring instruments, most of them constructed in Hungary. As early as the second half of the 18th and the first half of the 19th centuries already several instrument makers had been working in Hungary. One was Antal Nuss, who was granted a citizen's rights in Pest, 1833. He has manufactured various geodetical instruments, optical devices, and even a photographic camera. The Nuss geodetical instruments have been designed by István Kruspér, a professor of the Budapest University of Technical Sciences. István Kruspér (1818—1905), member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, held the title of „Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur" of France on account of his merits in the introduction of the metric system and his work in promoting the international convention on the metre as a measurement unit. The museum has an important collection of photographic cameras. The first major photographic achievement was the construction of a powerful camera lens by József Petzval (1807— 1891), author of the first Hungarian treatise on photography in 1873. The milling industry machines on show include a rolling mill frame perfected by András Mechwart, a device which made Hungary's milling machinery famous all over the world. National Museum for Science and Technology belongs directly to the Ministry of Culture. The museum exercises museological and cultural control the mentioned industrial special museums. The National Museum for Science and Technology, and all the other museums mentioned have in their working methods one common feature: they are not satisifed merely by displaing objects and technical equipment, but attempt to give an understanding of the principles of operation, and to demonstrate the basic historical trends in the development of technology. These institutions make a conscious effort to contribute to the vocational training and polytechnical education of youth. In general, their aim is to preserve and record the history of technology and to interpret progress.