Rippl-Rónai Museum

The Rippl-Rónai Museum (full name: Rippl-Rónai Countywide Municipal Museum) is one of the most significant museums of Somogy County and the country, located in Kaposvár at 10 Main Street (in the county house building) and at 101 Main Street.

History

The Somogy County Archaeological and Historical Society was founded in 1877. It collected archaeological and historical material, which was formed into museum association material by the folklorist Ferenc Gönczi (1861–1948) in 1909. Beyond folkloric material, the collection was also enriched with fine arts material – this included the Rippl-Rónai estate consisting of 1,355 items, which also contained 976 paintings. The association's material was declared a public collection in 1936 under the name Count István Széchenyi Museum. The director of the institution was Ferenc Gönczi until his death in 1948.

In 1951 the museum was named after the Kaposvár painter József Rippl-Rónai. At one time it had 39 institutions throughout the county, of which 13 remained after the regime change. For a long time the collection was housed in the former County House, a classicist building constructed between 1828 and 1832 according to the plans of Ferenc Török, but when at the end of 2011 the county government moved back into the former County House, part of the museum was relocated to 101 Main Street.

From December 29, 2017 to January 21, 2018 the traveling exhibition presenting the Seuso treasures, placed in the Anker House, was visited by more than 22,300 people, which is a record in the museum's history.