Mihály Munkácsy Museum

The Mihály Munkácsy Museum (5600 Békéscsaba, Széchenyi utca 9; founded in 1899) is the county museum of Békés County, founded in 1899 by the Békéscsaba Museum Association. From the beginning they established a wide circle of collectors. They continuously collect archaeological, natural history, paleontological, historical, ethnographic, applied arts and fine arts museum objects, and in more recent times they have also created a photo archive containing 50,000 images. Great care is taken in the placement of the relics and paintings of the Hungarian painter Mihály Munkácsy, who spent his childhood and early married life in Békéscsaba.

The building

The leaders of the city of Békéscsaba, because of the growth of the museum collection, planned a new building with local architect Wagner Lajos. The neoclassical style building was erected by 1913 and inaugurated in 1914. In 1951 the museum took the name of Mihály Munkácsy. In 1959 a statue of Mihály Munkácsy made by Miklós Borsos was placed in front of the museum. In 1978 it was expanded with an additional building wing. In the 2000s it was modernized.

Originally the building was intended not only as a museum but also as a cultural centre. Between the two world wars it fulfilled this role, being both a museum and, through excavations, flourishing in the 1930s, while also hosting contemporary literature and music. The Auróra Circle held its events in the museum building, organizing concerts with Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály, and literary evenings where Gyula Illyés, Lőrinc Szabó, Zsigmond Móricz were read.

The collection

In the recent past they possessed approximately 170,000 archaeological, 10,000 ethnographic, 5,500 fine arts, 4,500 historical and several thousand natural science museum items, which continue to grow.

Their ornithological collection is outstanding. Their 18th‑century painted, carved and dated furniture are the highlights of the ethnographic collection.

Munkácsy's relics and paintings are among the most valuable works of art. In 1994, a separate exhibition space was also established in Békéscsaba in honor of the great Hungarian painter, the Mihály Munkácsy Memorial House.

Among the minorities in Hungary, the basic museum of the traditional cultural heritage of the Slovaks and Romanians is the Mihály Munkácsy Museum, whose permanent museum exhibition space is the Slovak Folk House.

Operation

The Mihály Munkácsy Museum also welcomes its audience with numerous temporary exhibitions; by 2008, the museum was renewed through a European Union grant of the supporting county government, its exhibition spaces were enlarged, and visitors are greeted by a huge aquarium, workshops, a three‑dimensional projection room, several dozen touch screens, and multilingual guided tours.

In 2008 the Museum received the “Visitor‑Friendly Museum” award.