János Damjanich Museum

The Damjanich János Museum in Szolnok was placed in the former Magyar Király Szálló, built in 1860 according to the plans of Lajos Obermayer. Its namesake is the commander of the 1848–49 revolution and war of independence, János Damjanich, under whose leadership the victorious Battle of Szolnok was fought.

Address: Szolnok, Kossuth tér 4.

History

The museum foundation was advocated already in 1913 by historian-researcher Viktor Híld. Then university private teacher Béla Balogh created in 1933 the city's first Library and Museum association (in the basement of a tenement house). Real growth came in 1948 through the activity of Gyula Kaposvári. The rapidly expanding folklore, historical and, not least, the presentation of the creators of the Art Colony made it necessary for the exhibitions to have a permanent location.

The Damjanich János Museum took its place in 1952 in the former Magyar Király Szálló, a classicist building erected in 1860.

The title "Museum of the Year," founded by the Pulszky Society in 1996, was awarded twice to the Szolnok Damjanich János Museum for its outstanding professional and exhibition achievements, first in 1996 and then in 2004. The museum received a museum‑educational level award three times for the Tabán 24., KépTárMutató and HátTérKép programs. In 2019, thanks to the experiential, practical knowledge‑transfer program titled "ÚJRADIZÁJNOLVA," the museum received the museum‑educational special award offered by the Hungarian Association of Regional Museums.

Archaeological

Guest in the house of our ancestors. The exhibition presents the remnants of the county and city archaeological excavations, from the Stone Age to the Middle Ages. The history of the dwelling is central, showing how the immediate environment of humans changed over time. Visitors are introduced, with the help of models, to the architectural monuments of the distant past. Settlement forms, dwelling types, as well as a model of the Szolnok castle, are also found in the exhibition hall.

In the footsteps of the Jászkun captains

Within the framework of the exhibition titled "The Cumans and Jász among the Hungarians", visitors symbolically walk the path taken by the Cumans and Jász who arrived in our country several centuries ago. Upon entry, guests may don a Cuman coat.

Ethnographic

The art of crafts. The exhibition primarily presents the peasant way of life, its decorative arts, and its early industry. The material mainly acquaints visitors with the folk art side. It embraces the most characteristic branches of the county. These included pottery, tinsmithing, and folk costumes can also be found. In addition to the objects, a pottery workshop and a tinsmith workshop are also visible.

Peasant life in the Central Tisza region

The exhibition showcases the turn‑of‑the‑century peasant culture, in which old objects, procedures, and the worldview formed over centuries mingle with emerging new ones. It presents this transitional period with its objects, the objects' surroundings, in the layout of a traditional peasant house.

It presents the pre‑water‑regulation picture of fishing, shepherding, and the processing of reed, rush and bulrush.

Historical

Urban citizens at the turn of the century. Until the mid‑19th century, Szolnok was one of the villages of the Alföld. However, due to civil transformation it began rapid development. The main driver of development was the Tisza, which had already been decisive as a transport route, and another significant factor was the railway. Szolnok became the third city in the country to have a railway. The existence of the railway made rapid industrial development possible, and thus a skilled workforce emerged. The most important factor was that Szolnok became a county seat again in 1876. This initiated the formation of civil administration, creating a distinct civil culture. The exhibition presents a residential house bearing both civil and peasant‑civil features, with furnishings, decorations, and clothing.

Vasiliadis Anesztis collection

The "Storytelling Boxes" radio‑television collection can be viewed at the Damjanich János Museum in Szolnok. The 250‑item collection is the private collection of the late Vasiliadis Anesztis. In the exhibition garden the visitor can see not only these devices but also the components used for assembling radios and televisions, the factory and self‑made measuring instruments, and tools.

Fine arts

The idea for creating the Szolnok Picture Gallery came from the artists living here. In the renovated building of 1996, on 670 m², a gallery consisting of ten rooms was established. In the left‑hand studio building of the Damjanich János Museum. In the Gallery, mainly the works of the creators of the Szolnok Artists’ Colony are shown, who present the city’s past and present through their paintings, as well as the city’s role in Hungarian fine arts.

László Mednyánszky’s World War I pictures

The most interesting part of the exhibition material is László Mednyánszky’s works created during World I. The works shown here were made while he was attached to the Kriegspressequartier, i.e., the Press War Camp, created by the Viennese Ministry of War. The painter, already past his sixtieth year, was not allowed to go to the front despite several requests, citing his age. The country’s largest Mednyánszky collection was donated to the museum by the collector Jenő Barcsay.