Domokos Tamás szerk.: Pro Natura. A Dél-Tiszántúl természeti értékei (Békéscsaba, Munkácsy Mihály Múzeum, 1999)

The installations of natural history exhibitions can not be regarded as rare occasions in the history of the Munkácsy Mihály Museum, which is one hundred years old. The collecting activities related to natural history started in 1900, and the erection of exhibitions based on the collected materials run parallel with natural history research activities. As the present exhibition building was opened in 1914, prior to this time exhibitions were housed in the building of the Rudolf High School run by the Ágostai Evangelist Church of Békéscsaba. In the Museum of Békéscsaba from 1900 to 1996 six permanent and around a dozen temporary natural history exhibitions were organised. Besides the travelling exhibitions of the Natural History Department of the Munkácsy Mihály Museum the importance of the exhibition, which covered more then 170 square meters, organised in 1976 by Réthy Zsigmond must be emphasised. „Nature Protection in Békés County" was the first exhibition of this kind in this region of Hungary. The exhibition functioned between 1980 and 1996, and was renovated for several times during this period. The dismantling of the exhibition also marked the beginning of planning, and building a new exhibition by Réthy Zsigmond. The new exhibition titled „Pro Natura" is the realisation of a dream of a man, who recognised and accepted the limitations of the reality imposed by provincial and financial possibilities and limitations, but still believed in the realisation of great and spectacular projects. t Réthy Zsigmond osztályvezető íőmuzeológus