Hírközlési Múzeumi Alapítvány, Évkönyv, 2005
Rövid tartalmi összefoglaló angol nyelven
István Kurucz Foreword Apart from offering a glimpse of the internal life of our museums and galleries, these year-books give an account of the events all through the year - or years, should it be a biannual volume -, as well as of the results of research by our archaeologists or simply introduce topics thought to be interesting. I have found that our year-books are not only more beautiful in appearance than before, but they also have a richer content. It would be gratifying if readers would agree. At first sight, one can hardly notice any change in the lives of the museums. It was still Mrs. Gergely Kovács that made the report for 2005 and the plans for 2006, but it was also implied that she might retire. And now, her decision is final. We are trying to find an appropriate way to celebrate her retirement and thank her for her efforts during the two decades she was head of the Postal Museum. These have been fruitful years and she should be proud of them. Under her management new exhibitions were created and other, already existing ones were renewed. She introduced a new, humanistic approach and high standards in organising exhibitions. She succeeded in preserving the integrity of the collections of various branches of telecommunication, so far kept and maintained at the same place. She had a great many ideas on how to present the tradition and culture of Hungarian telecommunication to the public. We are sorry that she is leaving, but we accept her decision. We are grateful for her exemplary and valuable efforts. Knowing her dynamic and creative personality, we hope that she will serve Hungarian culture even in her retirement. I also trust that the museum’s good community, strengthened during the past decades, will further develop the achievements of Mrs. Gergely Kovács’s management. Anniversaries are a motivation for museum experts to reflect and start writing. Recently, we have had several of these occasions. A pride of the country, and, naturally, of our foundation, is the Stamp Museum, renovated for its 75th birthday, the unique collection of which is described in Mrs. János Soly- mosi’s article. On the occasion of the 75th anniversary, several authors chose to write about stamps, these tiny slips of paper documenting art, geography, as well as historic, geographic, cultural and sports events, which provide so many people with entertainment, self-education and a hobby. Stamps are usually made by artists, however, some of them are not known for their stamp designs. It is them that Erzsébet Angyal describes in her piece entitled Code name: “Pieces of Art”, which also tells us about other, related areas. Those interested in learning how stamp collecting started in Hungary, should read Gabriella Nikodém’s valuable study. During my 70 years I have seen a lot and I know that politics will sneak into many different areas, but I did not think stamp collecting would be affected. Am I wrong there? One should read the article, as it provides not only stamp- related information but a history lesson as well. 234
