Cseri Miklós - Bereczki Iboly - Kovács Zsuzsa (szerk.): Ház és ember, A Szabadtéri Néprajzi Múzeum évkönyve 21. (Szentendre, Szabadtéri Néprajzi Múzeum, 2009)

SZABADTÉRI MUZEOLÓGIA 40 ÉVE MAGYARORSZÁGON - Páll István: „Ahol visszafordul az idő kereke…” – Gondolatok a 30 éve megnyílt Sóstói Múzeumfaluról

István Páll "Where the wheels of time are turned back..." Thoughts about the Museum Village Sóstó, which opened 30 years ago. The author outlines in the study the three decades of history of the Sóstó Museum Village after its opening in 1979. These thirty years had abundant success, were spent with a lot of work and with seeking ways and means; further, they were not free of errors and sometimes of detours, however, finally the institution enjoys a good name and reputation in Hungary and abroad. Moreover, it became the most visited museum in North-eastern Hungary and at the same time, the biggest regional skanzen of Hungary. The most important milestones of the path of three decades are the awards: "Museum of the Year" (1997), "Family friendly Museum" (2006) and "Visitor friendly Museum" (2009). The first part deals with the scientific concept, which the creation of the museum is based on and treats in detail the way how its content has been carried out. The next chapters present the practice of relocation of buildings. The old dilemma of skanzen construction is raised: should authentic buildings be relocated or is it permissible to build replicas. As a renewal of the museum's offer, such workshops (still-room, soda-water works, photo atelier, small town's printing office) have been created besides the workshops of the traditional crafts, which partly or fully satisfied the needs of the village folk. The Museum's greatest asset during the last one and a half decades is its educational activity. These activities approach the public best; they persuade the visitors to spend most of their money reserved for the purposes of culture in the museum. The amount collected plays an important role in the life of the skanzen, providing in 2008 half of the budget. Chapter 7 highlights the development of the number of visitors and the reasons of their visit. After the presentation of the Museum's contacts abroad, we learn about the possibilities of short and longterm developments and of further progress of the Museum. 217