Dr. Péter Balázs: Guide to the archives of Hungary (Budapest, 1976)

Budapest Főváros Levéltára (Budapest Municipal Archives)

material of urban character surpasses the limits of city history, given the central significance of Budapest in the history of the country. From a national source value the Budapest records of the Council's Republic, alas only fragmentarily preserved (0,22 running meters), possess additional significance. The archival material of the city between 1945 and 1950 supplies valuable information especially on the reconstruction and the revival on the much sufferred, ruined capital, and the reorganization of the city apparatus. From this period the central organs of Budapest are represented by 440, the district prefectures by 280, the municipal offices and auxiliary administrative organs by 22, the institutes of the capital by 7 running metres in our archival groups. After the liberation, in 1950 the capital underwent an important administrative change. The settlements surrounding and almost grown into Budapest have been linked to the capital, so Larger Budapest has come into being, having 22 districts instead of 14. (The pre-1950 records of the localities added to Budapest, however, were not taken over by the Municipal Archives, they remained in the custody of Pest County Archives.) At the same time councils have been established for the central, or respectively districtual administration. Of the urban archival material produced since 1950 the journals of the Budapest Municipal Council and of its Executive Committee are already in archival custody up to 1970 and the records of the Council's Sections up to 1955. Owing to the lack of space the records of the district councils, otherwise ripe for archival preservation, have not been taken over but partially: the repository has the records of 13 districts up to 1956 in its custody. The taking over of the records of municipal offices and auxiliary administrative organs has been equally uneven. The collected archival material of the municipal central organs, district councils, offices, institutes etc. working from 1950 totals cca 820 running metres. Of the archival material produced by the non-urban organs a primary importance should be attached from the point of view of city history to the papers and plans of the Municipal Public Works Board. This organ consisted of delegates of the cities and those of the state in equal proportion, it existed from 1870 to 1948 and it played a role of direction and organization in making Budapest a modern metropolis. Its prime lasted from 1870 to the turn of the century, losing much of its significance afterwards. After 1945 it took a part in the reconstruction of the capital. (Its archival material totals 66 running metres, its plans are stored, apart from the records, in the collection of plans.)