Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 94. (Budapest 2002)

Matskási, I.: Bicentenary of the Hungarian Natural History Museum

ANNALES HISTORICO-NATURALES MUSEI NATIONALIS HUNGARICI Volume 94 Budapest, 2002 pp. 5-29. Bicentenary of the Hungarian Natural History Museum I. MATSKÁSI Hungarian Natural History Museum, H-1088 Budapest, Baross u.!3, Hungary E-mail: matskasi@zoo.zoo.nhmus.hu The Hungarian Natural History Museum celebrates its 200th anniversary this year. The Museum looks back upon these two hundred years as a history of ups and downs, but which did not prevent the museum from turning into one of the major Hungarian scientific institutions. With obsession and bias in the good sense of the word, the achievements of the scholars of geology, palaeontology, botany, zoology and anthropology, the five great fields of natural history, have always acclaimed recognition not only in Europe but worldwide. Well, in terms of the richness of collections (more than 10 million items) and 60 researchers' significant scientific achievements, ours can be compared to the leading European museums, with considerable success in many fields of research. FOUNDATION OF THE MUSEUM The foundation of the Museum goes back to 1802 when the Hungarian National Museum was established by Count FERENC SZÉCHÉNYI, who donated his 17,000-volume library, manuscript and coin collection to the nation. In the same year, Countess JULIANNA FESTETICS, the founder's, FERENC SZÉCHÉNYI'

s wife donated the very first natural history collection that contained 'selected and valuable Hungarian minerals'. By 1810 the National Museum had grown out of this library, and in a matter of just a few years the collections got enriched to such a degree that the 'Camera Naturae et Artis Productorum' could be established. The first palaeontology collection found its way to the Museum in 1811, and the first zoological one was purchased in the same year (butterflies, snails, clams). In 1818 Palatine JÓZSEF purchased PÁL KlTAIBEL's (the 'Hungarian Linnaeus') herbarium, and laid the foundations for the Department of Botany. Later on, in the age of the rising Hungarian bourgeoisie, and in line with the patriotic feelings of