Ihász István - Pintér János szerk.: Történeti Muzeológiai Szemle: A Magyar Múzeumi Történész Társulat Évkönyve 6. (Budapest, 2006)
Tanulmányok - R. Várkonyi Ágnes: Korszerű történettudomány és a múzeumok
the scholars of various social sciences are present (such forums as the castle historical workshop in Eger, the scholarly conferences of the Sárospatak Museum), but exhibitions and high quality exhibition catalogues seem to be the most successful in interpreting joint achievements. We might ascertain that historical exhibitions are not to substitute historical monographies, but their aim is to mirror the whole of Hungarian history, which offers illuminating dimensions for the historical sciences. Historical exhibitions that endeavour to represent the way of what forms transformations within the far-reaching processes of the past took in the social structure and political practices alike (e.g. the early achievement of the middle-class status) are of priceless value to the historian. This approach highly appreciates the objects, the relics of material culture, everyday utensils and furniture. By now, museums have consciously evaded being merely illustrations of ideological or historical opinions, whilst formerly, objects in the exhibitions were cut off from history, from each other and their environment, and were put on display in glass-cases. The value of the historian's work is indisputable, even if it only reveals new sources, nevertheless, nowadays emphasis has been put on reconstructing processes and interpreting events (e.g. the exhibition in Münster commemorating the 350 th anniversaiy of the Peace of Westphalia, and its catalogue, or the exhibition titled "Theatrum Europaeum 1648-1748. Europe of the Peace of Westphalia" in Hungary). Historical sciences just like their methods and views have gone through transformations in the last century. It is no wonder then that the role of museums today, seen from the point of view of historical scholarship, is not the same as it was in the 19 tn century. The question raised by Austrian museologists in 1997 is of universal validity: "What is museum today? Storage place, cultural institution or tourist attraction?" Historians think that museums can do most to arouse people's consciousness of the need to know and respect our past at a time when people tend to lose contact with history. The museum of the 19 th century is rather outmoded and cumbersome, while its modernity lies in openness, in the flexible management of collections and the freedom of interpretation. Instead of a summary, I outline the joint tasks of museums and historical sciences in a few words: preservation, interdisciplinarity, representing the fragmented past and dismembered region in their entirety and making it understood. Looking ahead, I support the idea to organise a new permanent exhibition under the title "Ecology of the Carpathian Basin", making use of historical ecology (ecology = combining exact sciences with human disciplines). This breakthrough would inform the visitors that the Carpathian Basin is a natural treasure endowed with remarkable beauty and representing ecological value, where the peoples speaking various languages acquired together the language of nature.
