Magyar Pénzmúzeum és Látogatóközpont

The Hungarian Money Museum and Visitor Center is a museum dealing with the history of money in Budapest, located in the former Post Office building. Its entrance opens onto Sándy Gyula square. It is an institution under the Hungarian National Bank.

History

The Visitor Center of the Hungarian National Bank opened on March 19, 2004. Its goal was to create an exhibition that presents the history of money, its developmental stages, its social role and the tasks of the Hungarian National Bank in a comprehensive, modern, accessible and interactive manner. The Visitor Center was kept temporarily closed for technical reasons from October 14, 2013.

On March 16, 2022 the Money Museum opened to the general public; the institution then took its present name. Visitors of the Money Museum are welcomed by the composition Szőke Gábor Miklós Robogás at the corner of Széll Kálmán Square and Sándy Gyula square of the building. Visitors of the museum, arranged on three levels, follow an experience route in the world of money, accompanied throughout by interactive games and spectacular visual presentations.

Permanent exhibition

The permanent exhibition titled The Journey of Money is built on interactivity and the experience of personal discovery, thus offering a novel approach in many respects to overview the history, operation, cultural and economic significance of money.

The exhibition material is grouped around the five main functions of money: measurement of value, means of circulation, means of payment, world money and accumulation, i.e., a wealth‑creating instrument.

The graphic system and visual contents of the exhibition were designed by Graphasel Design Studio. During the project our task was to create the visual presentation of historical and economic flowcharts, illustrations, object labels, infographics, as well as digital interfaces. Through the coordinated application of static and dynamic elements, a visual environment was created that is simultaneously informative, easily digestible and experiential. The complexity of the project represented a significant challenge both in content and in design and implementation aspects. During the implementation close cooperation with object designers, scientific experts and contractors played a particularly important role, enabling the organization of the various content and visual layers into a unified system. Their goal was to develop a coherent graphic world that consistently and with high visual quality conveys the exhibition’s multifaceted content to visitors.

Numismatic collection

The Hungarian National Bank’s banknote and coin collection is also cared for by this museum. Here is the country’s second largest numismatic collection. The MNB’s regular collecting activity began in 1924. The collection contains coins, banknotes, securities from antiquity to the present, with an emphasis on Hungarian material. The numismatic collection is complemented by a bank‑history object and document collection.

Museum pedagogy

The Money Museum undertakes a significant museum‑pedagogical mission by striving to contribute to the development of financial awareness among younger generations and the general public. High‑quality, finance‑related sessions are held for school groups visiting the museum.