Fülöp Gyula (szerk.): Festschrift für Jenő Fitz - Szent István Király Múzeum közleményei. B. sorozat 47. (Székesfehérvár, 1996)
Tartalom
wholly uncovered forum in Pannonia), with its Capitoline temple, public buildings, net of streets and town wall. The analysis of the strata and the find material modified in several regards our knowledge of the history of the province, the questions concerning art, economics and government. The centre of the settlements in the crossing of important traffic roads, around the large Early Christian basilica, survived the Roman rule by several centuries. It is an important basis of researches scrutinizing the survival of Roman settlements. A comprehensive monography on the excavations is in preparation but the results and the find material of outstanding value can be reached through the reports published yearly in the ALBA REGIA. Beyond his excavations and their elaboration his activity as a museum founder has a no lesser importance in the life of Jenő Fitz. This work was shared by his wife, Éva Petres, Ph.D. The board of directors of the Hungarian National Museum appointed Jenő Fitz director of the Székesfehérvár Museum (from 1951 on István Király Múzeum - King Stephen Museum, presently Szent István Király Múzeum - King St. Stephen Museum) on april 14, 1949. The staff of the Museum consisted in 1949 of two persons: the director and a restorer at the same time office attendant; the total collection material consisted of 40 000 items. In the 36 years between 1949 and 1985 the staff of the Museum (without the Intercisa museum which belongs to the organization of County Fejér and some minor collections) raised to 121. In the collections 1 344 296 items are kept altogether. The major part of the enrichment came from the archaeological excavations led in the county, primarily from the Gorsium diggings yielding more than a million finds. The development of the art collection was raised also to a countrywide level, embracing objects of contemporaneous art. The Székesfehérvár Gallery became in this relation one of the most important ones. This increase of the collections made the king Stephen Museum the greatest of provincial museums. The additional tasks needed an expansion which was, though, not possible on the grounds near the museum because of financial problems. The Museum got instead the building of the one-time Jesuit/Cistercian cloister, whose restauration was finished in 1992. In 1955 the István Csók Gallery came in the disposal of the Museum, in 1965 the Budenz house for housing the Ybl bequest. In the same year Gorsium was transformed into an openair museum, where in the course of the time store-houses placing the whole find material of the excavations, working places and a workshop were developed. The collecting activity has been completed from the '50s on with scholarly programs and publications. Besides the Roman age research work significant results were bom in the excavations of Neolithic settlements, in exploring Bronze Age earthworks, or in the laboration of la La Tène-period remains, the digging up of Mediaeval Székesfehérvár, further in collecting the County Fejér folk dances. From 1955 on publications were started, a scientific one entitled Az István Király Múzeum Közleményei, a popular one and a series of catalogues; till 1985 more than 200 bookletes were issued. In 1960 the ffist volume of the yearbook, Alba Regia was published, Vol. 22 was issued in 1985. The yearbook contained in foreign languages different studies, data publications, book reviews and museum reports. The multilingual publications facilitated the joining in international research. The publication exchange established with 350 foreign institutions resulted a multiplication of the holdings of the Museum library creating thus the basis of local research. (The accession of art books was made possible primarily with the exchange of bilinguical art catalogues.) Beyond the publication exchange the Alba Regia propagated the research work connected with the institution in a wide circle, creating thus a possibility for personal connections, for facilitating a publication in foreign countries, invitations to conferences, later the organization of international conferences in Hungary were results of this publication. Till 1985 nine international and twelve Hungarian scientific conferences were organized in Székesfehérvár. We have to stress here the organization of the Xlth International Limes Congress in 1976. From 1950 on the organization of exhibitions became one of the decisive parts of the Museum activities. This activity became known in wider circles from the early sixties on, when the Csontváry exhibition was a great success all over the country. This interest in the Museum exhibitions was maintained in the sixties and seventies by a series of art and art history exhibitions (Hungarian art of the 20th century giving an oversight from the turn of the century on till our days; contemporary Hungarian artists), further by historical-archaeological and ethnographical programs. We should like to mention among other cultural activities beyond the Museum concerts (partly connected with certain exhibitions) held regularly since 1950, the theatrical plays of Gorsium, produced betwen 1971 and 1981. Above date need no commentaries. All these may seem now natural for younger people but everybody who still remembers the early times, the after-war state of Székesfehérvár, the Museum existing almost only nominally, would acknowledge the results outlined previously with esteem and reverence. Not only the Hungarian archaeological research but Székesfehérvár itself may be proud of the activity of Jenő Fitz. Jenő Fitz started from point nought indeed and acquired the knowledge which secured for him an international acknowledgement with a hard work. A heavy work was necessary also for building the museum organization and developing a research staff. His talent, his industry, his readiness to help, the loyalty towards Hungarian archaeology could serve as an exemple for every scholar. Jenő Fitz could have taught several generations a regular and high-level activity, but the endogamie relations and conditions within the profession interfered with this. We congratulate Jenő Fitz, the excellent scholar, the good colleague, the loyal friend wishing him to continue the important activity of his for many years with the same vigour as now. László Barkóczi Our felicitation volume came out something overdue, the cause was paper scarcity. Some of the authors could not see the publication of the volume anymore. It was our intention that their names would be not marked in the usual manner. We all have known and honoured them for their scientific activity and their integrity. It is a moral obligation also for their sake to prepare ourselves - together with the younger generation - in their spirit for the next felicitation: the 80th. The Editor
