Petercsák Tivadar – Veres Gábor szerk.: Agria 44. (Az Egri Múzeum Évkönyve - Annales Musei Agriensis, 2008)

Petercsák Tivadar: Vár és múzeum

Tivadar Petercsák Castle and Museum In the spirit of the church's museum initiatives in Eger at the beginning of the 20th century, it was thought that it may be a good idea to establish a museum in the castle made famous by the struggle against the Turkish infidel. This became a real possibility with the archaeological investigations that started in 1925. A lapidarium came into being in 1928, before an exhibition opened at the castle in 1937 based on Zoltán Barcsay Amant's private collection. In the 1950s, what remained of the material belonging to the interwar municipal museum, from both the castle and church collections, went to create a museum in Buttler House. It was given the name the István Dobó Museum in 1951. The army left the castle in 1957, and since then the museum has been found within its historical walls. In 1958 it became known as the István Dobó Castle Museum. Since then the museum has been an intrinsic part of the castle. Thanks to the collaboration of national and local bodies, the museum, under the leadership of those professionally involved in the preservation of ancient buildings, has been involved in significant archaeological excavations and restoration work (walls, bastions, the Gothic episcopal palace, the medieval cathedral etc.). Apart from organizing a whole series of temporary and permanent exhibitions, since 1958 the museum has also co-ordinated scientific research relating to the castle, organizing conferences and spectacular historical programmes evoking life as it was once lived in the castle. During the course of the half a century, the castle and the museum have managed to enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship. The cult of Eger Castle and its position in the Hungarian national consciousness, together with the exhibitions and the programmes organized by the museum, ensure that there is continued interest in the castle museum. Over the fifty years more than 20 million visitors, from both Hungary and abroad, have made the decision to enter the doors of the István Dobó Castle Museum. 299