Petercsák Tivadar: Várak és múzeumok - Studia Agriensia 29. (Eger, 2010)

Kísérlet a sárospataki Rákóczi Múzeum látogatóinak szociológiai vizsgálatára

A SOCIOLOGICAL SURVEY OF THE RÁKÓCZI MUSEUM IN SÁROSPATAK

The survey in question took place in 1972 at the Rákóczi Museum, which stands within the historically important castle once belonging to the Rákóczi family. 170,000 visitors went to the museum that year, and our questionnaire was filled in by 42% of the people who visited in July.

Although the investigation was interested in the social composition of the visitors, the frequency with which people visited and their reasons for doing so, it was also anxious to find out what they thought of the museum. More than half of the visitors we termed "intellectuals and students", who arrived from all over the country. The percentage of foreign visitors stood at 6%. Only 3% of the visitors were from Sárospatak itself, and they were there either visiting the temporary exhibitions or accompanying friends and relations visiting the town. The main motivations for visiting the museum were the historical events associated with the castle, and the desire to become acquainted with the Rákóczi family residence. Although most visitors preferred to visit the museum in the company of a guide, they were disturbed by the heterogeneous composition of the groups. Visitors also stated that they would have liked to have seen more promotional material and leaflets, while the foreign tourists said they would have liked to have had guided tours in their own language.

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