Folia Historica 33. (Budapest, 2018)

I. TANULMÁNYOK - Tamás Edit: „Sötétedés után a kiállítás nem látogatható!" A sárospataki Rákóczi Múzeum 1950-1952-ben

the Pálóczi-tombstone was transported from the castle church to the museum. Furniture and other display items were brought from museums of Budapest to Sárospatak. The so- called Dormándi weapon collection was given to Sárospatak by the Hungarian National Museum (former Museum of History). A great many of these were placed in the rooms of the permanent exhibition (accessible in Sárospatak until 2000). The material of the former Piarist college of Sátoraljaújhely, Zichy-Meskó of Boldogkőváralja and the library of Füzérradvány was transported to Sárospatak, but as the result of the decision of Budapest, it had to move to the Debrecen University Library. The Bretzenheim-archive depositedin the Red Tower was also moved to Budapest in 25 boxes in 1952.

The first permanent Rákóczi exhibition opened on the 17th December 1950. "Organizing the Rákóczi Museum of Sárospatak was one of the results of the first year of the 5-year-plan implemented by the cultural policy of the people's democracy. The topic of the permanent exhibition was the Rákóczi period because the second half of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th together with the glorious history of the castle and the era of the national liberator movements were considered a suitable topic to be introduced to the workers..." Bakó wrote. There is a furnished castle chapel on the third floor of the Red Tower. The salt breaking table of the Ruthenians arrived from the Calvinist collection, is famous for Rákóczi's spending his last night in Hungary on it.

The exhibitions are available every day except Monday and Thursday between 9-12 and 14-17. The Ministry of Education called Bakó's attention to organize exhibitions which serve education. Tours of the museum, the exhibitions have to be organized with the leadership of the party. The first tourist guidance took place in the middle of 1950, that time only in the Red Tower. There was no guide in the museum. Visitors could walk trough the castle only in guided groups. During the first months Ferenc Bakó and the caretaker were guiding. After opening the permanent exhibition, three people could do that. Each guided tour took two hours. First, they walked through the five floors of the tower, then the Perényi-wing.

Three rooms were used for periodical exhibitions meanwhile 18 rooms operated as part of permanent exhibitions.

The museum exhibitions attracted 566 visitors in 1950, 27.585 visitors in 1951, and 17.950 visitors in the first half of 1952.

In 1952 Sárospatak was one of the main venues of the events celebrating the 150th anniversary of Lajos Kossuth's birthday. But there were preparations for the 60th birthday of Mátyás Rákosi chief party secretary, as well. The Rákóczi exhibition was also planned to be extended to 1953 in connection with the Rákóczi anniversary.

After two and a half years, on the 2L‘ November 1950, Ferenc Bakó resigned from office and handed it over to his successor, Mrs Erzsébet Sergo Gyimesi.

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