Night of Museums 2024 at the National Széchényi Library

 

On 22 June, the national library will be alive with the hustle and bustle of the event related to Midsummer. A colourful programme of events will make the evening sparkle with activities for all ages.

On the Night of the Museums, the NSZL will open its doors to the public again this year, offering a glimpse into the unique and wonderful world of the national library. From guided tours in Hungarian and English, to secret corners of the library, giant jigsaw puzzles, craft activities, exhibitions, theatre productions, visitors will be able to enjoy a unique experience in the library on this special, magical night. 

Free registration will be offered from 9 am on the day of the event until 1 am the next day, and there will also be no charge for renewing existing reader passes. The renewal is valid until the Night of the Museums 2025.

The programme may be subject to change without prior notice.

 

 

GETTING TO THE LIBRARY

The National Széchényi Library is located in the 1st district of the capital,
in the building F of the Buda Castle.
The main entrance is from the Lions Courtyard
between the Hungarian National Gallery and the NSZL.

The main entrance can be reached by four ways:

• from the Dísz Square on foot;
• from Dózsa György Square on foot, and then by using the elevators on Palota Street;
• from the Palace Garden Bazaar by foot and by lift;
• from Clark Ádám Square by foot and by using the funicular and taking a short walk.

 

 

On the Night of the Museums, Saturday, 22 June,
the library will be open from 9 am to 2 pm.

The Night of Museums' activities at the NSZL start at 4 pm,
and only visitors with an official wristband will be able to enter the institution.

 

 

PROGRAMME

22 June 2024, Saturday 4 pm – 2 am

 

 

TÉR/KÉP [SPACE/IMAGE] – 30-MINUTE PERFORMANCE BY THE FELEDI PROJECT

The dance theatre performance is an artistic production that combines the concepts of space and visual maps with the tools of dance and theatre to create a unique narrative and experience for the audience. This performance aims to explore physical and emotional spaces through a combination of human movement, visual arts and theatrical elements. The performance is inspired by spaces and images, but also aims to address the relationship between visual art and dance in a broader context, and the inspirational influence of painting on movement.

Over the past fourteen years, under the artistic direction of János Feledi, the Feledi Project has become one of the most versatile dance companies in Hungary, with a diverse repertoire, artists and high-quality performances.
The main goal of the Feledi Project is to preserve Hungarian artistic and cultural values and traditions while strengthening excellence in artistic creation. They strive to bring Hungarian and internationally inspired dance theatre performances to as many places as possible. Emphasis will be placed on presenting and promoting productions combining different artistic disciplines, including the more popular and progressive performing arts. Fourteen years – more than thirty cities on three continents (America, Africa, Europe) – thousands of spectators.

Location:​ Floor 5, main entrance
Time: 4 pm

 

LIBRARY BUILDING TOUR – Wandering around the Buda Castle Palace Building F

During the walk, our visitors may learn about the fascinating history of the building and discover parts of it that still preserve a small piece of the original royal palace.

Location: 5th floor, starting from the main staircase
Duration: 60 minutes

Time:

• 4 pm
• 5.30 pm
• 8 pm
• 9 pm
• 12 am
• 1 am

 

INDOOR PLAYGROUND FEATURING UNIQUE JIGSAW PUZZLES 

Giant jigsaw puzzles to play with, courtesy of Gábor Gondos and Gondosdesign. The smaller and larger, up to 180 centimetres in diameter, aesthetic – inspired by corvina patterns, Arabic ornaments or fractal shapes – social games can be solved in various ways, so participants can also create their own compositions. It is recommended for families with children over six years old and for playful adults.

Location: 5th floor, room 516 and corridor outside
Time: continuous 

 

INDOOR PLAYGROUND BY HOMOLUDENS.HU ASSOCIATION

Our team has been running indoor playgrounds, craft workshops and creativity programmes across the country for twenty-five years. In 2023, there were more than 150 days where we taught children and adults how to play games or do crafts. In Budapest, we have three board game clubs to come to, so we have a wealth of experience in which games work effectively at events with a diverse mix of visitors.

Location: 5th floor, room 516 and corridor outside
Time: continuous 

 

 

 

 

ALL-TIME FOOTBALL – EXHIBITION

During the European Football Championship, the All-Time Football exhibition is open to the public, with the aim of presenting the stories that unfold at the intersection of football, culture and history. The exhibition, which will take place in the ceremonial hall of the NSZL, will explore the theme through the representation of football on film.

Venue: floor 6, Ceremonial Hall
Time: continuous

​

 

THE FORMS OF TIME – EXHIBITION

Around Midsummer's Eve, everyone celebrates the longest day, the light: lighting bonfires, spinning wheels and, more recently, visiting museums. The temporary exhibition at the National Széchényi Library presents documents related to our celebrations and our perception of time, reminding us not to lose sight of precious moments in our fast-paced world (more information).

Location: floor 6, Corvina Rooms
Time: continuous

​

 

 

"AZ EMBERI ARCZ MEGÖRÖKÍTÉSE" (CAPTURING THE HUMAN FACE) 
The unique treasures of Hungarian portrait photography of the 19th century – EXHIBITION

The exhibition will not only present photographs taken using special techniques in the collection, but also briefly the era of experimentation, the way photography moved from the camera obscura to the mass-produced cabinet cards. Visitors can see daguerreotypes by Gábor Egressy and his sons, colour salt print photographs from the heyday of photography, and a special photo album of scientists from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences from 1865.

The exhibition will also include silhouette portrait making, playful photo opportunities, memory games and puzzles based on old photographs.

Location: floor 7, reading room of the Historical Photo and Interview Collection
Time: continuous

 

CATALOGUE AREA

 

BUTTON FOOTBALL – One-touch tournaments and demonstrations

In its almost a century-long history, button football has come a long way in terms of its appearance, tools and organisation: from the classic coat button era to plastic toys, and now the future is 3D printing. As well as retaining its popularity, it has grown into a sport with international recognition, with European and world championships being held – usually with Hungarian success.
Now's your chance to get to know, or if you've played it before, rediscover this fun game, exciting sport or light leisure activity – whatever it means to you!

Location: floor 7, Catalogue area
Game: continuous
Demonstrations start at:

• 5 pm
• 7 pm
• 9 pm
• 11 pm
• 1 am

 

CRAFT ACTIVITIES, SELFIE POINT, MEDITATIVE DRAWING

Time to slow down between two guided tours! Meditative and mandala drawing in the spirit of the exhibition The Forms of Time..

Location: floor 7, Catalogue area
Time: continuous

 

JEWELLRY EXHIBITION AND FAIR

Andrea Bogláriné Soponyai has been creating jewellery since 2007. In her work she strives for harmony and perfection, she loves modern, delicate jewellery, varied techniques and colours. She works from patterns of foreign and local designers, adding her own flair, taste and ideas. She uses quality materials: Swarovski crystal, Czech faceted minerals, Japanese beads.

Location: floor 7, Entrance to the North Reading Room, photocell door
Time: continuous

 

 

NORTH READING ROOM

 

MINDIG AZ A PERC [ALWAYS THAT MINUTE…]
Bori Orbán and Kristóf Pánczél’s chanson evening

Bori Orbán (vocals) and Kristóf Pánczél (piano, vocals) will enchant the audience with French and Hungarian chansons. With French melodies, the young singer and actress will evoke a time when this genre said everything about the world of emotions and love. Bori Orbán's album Ma chanson, released in 2021, tells the story of her musical life. Bori and Kristóf met at the Etűd Conservatory, where Kristóf taught Bori classical singing and voice training. It was then that the possibility of working together arose. Since then they have performed at many events in Budapest and in the countryside.

Location: floor 7, north reading room
Duration: 45 minutes

Time: 4.30 pm 

 

NE KÉRDEZD, KI VOLTAM! [DON’T ASK WHO I WAS!]
Karády-evening: solo performance by Eszter Nagy-Kálózy

Eszter Nagy-Kálózy and Róbert Vörös, the director, have jointly conceived this independent evening, which is based primarily on the songs of Katalin Karády, and takes us back to the forties with piano accompaniment and some prose.             
 "It was in the mid-seventies... My dad bought Katalin Karády's record, which was not allowed to be listened to or seen in cinemas until then, because it had been banned for a couple of decades. My dad loved her deep, booming voice... My mum was not very happy that this "femme fatale" had moved in with us, but she let it happen. That's how I got to know these songs. I started singing in the bathroom, I started "humming", I put towels in my hair to make it look longer, and I felt this femme fatale phenomena in me. Then 25 years passed, and Péter Bacsó called me and said he wanted me to come to the casting of the movie Smouldering Cigarette... Coincidence? Luck? Something more? And here I am again, under the spell of these wonderful songs..."

Piano: Dávid Mester
Director: Róbert Vörös

Location: floor 7, north reading room
Duration: 75 minutes

Time: 8 pm

 

PUSKÁS, THE MUSICAL – Excerpts from the highly successful show

For the programme, the creators have chosen songs that evoke important moments in Puskás' biography. The visuals are enhanced by dance artists and visual effects on the led wall. In between the songs the musical's producer László Szabó will narrate the concert and talk to fellow curators. 
There will also be a quiz, with three winners receiving a gift pack of merchandise from Puskás, the musical. 
The production will feature five performers singing seven songs and the spectacle will be accompanied by choreography performed by eight dance artists. They will all be dressed in the costumes worn in the performance, which perfectly convey the mood of the time.  

Producer: László Szabó

Location: floor 7, north reading room
Time: 11.15 pm

 

 

FROM ANALOGUE TO DIGITAL (METHODS IN THE FIELD OF DIGITISATION)

Wondering how to make your favourite book, cartoon, newspaper or, for example, a map that the public has never seen before, available digitally on the web? Now you can get a behind-the-scenes insight into the largest and most modern digitisation centre in Central Europe.

Throughout the night, we will demonstrate the tools we use to create digital versions of a wide variety of documents, bringing Hungarian written culture one-click away.

Venue: floor 8, Digitisation Centre

Opening hours:

• 5 pm – 6 pm
• 7 pm – 8 pm
• 9 pm – 10 pm
• 11 pm – 12 am
• 1 am – 2 am

 

 

 

 

 

5 pm – 11 pm
The exhibition of tourism posters entitled "Let's travel in the land of our country!" is open to the public in the main and small rooms of the library and in the corridor of the library.

The exhibition of tourism posters entitled "Let's travel in the land of our country!" presents a cross-section of posters from the collection of the NSZL's Map, Poster, and Small Print Collection, advertising domestic travel and holiday opportunities in the 1920s and 1930s. In addition to posters inviting visitors to various regions of the country and to visit cities, the exhibition offers an insight into the advertising life of the beaches that became popular at that time, and also offers a look at the attractive landscapes and destinations of boat and train journeys.

 

19.00
An unusual guided tour with a well-known celebrity as a surprise guest

 

21.30
Concert of the Bálint Uher Quartet in the Baroque Hall

The quartet was founded in 2022 at the initiative of saxophonist Bálint Uher-Győrfi. Their repertoire consists of original compositions, reimagined traditional jazz standards and compositions by well-known contemporary artists. From century-old ballads and energetic bebop themes to modern avant-garde compositions with unparalleled metre, their performances are dominated by instrumental improvisation.
The members of the ensemble are musicians who have performed in several orchestras, have won prizes at Hungarian jazz competitions and have performed on stages in several European countries in addition to Hungary.

Members of the Bálint Uher Quartet:
Bálint Uher-Győrfi – saxophone
János Egri Jr. – piano
Géza Jónás – contrabass 
Ambrus Richter – drums

 

 

 

 

 

REGISTRATION FOR A READER PASS IS FREE OF CHARGE
An exceptional opportunity to start the summer enriched with an annual library card.

Location: NLFL, Retro corner / registration
Time: 5 pm – 10.30 pm

 

 

TREASURES OF THE MUSIC COLLECTION

The highlights of our collection – musical delicacies. Visitors in the Music Collection will be able to enjoy the violin performance by Márton Vörösváry.

Location: NLFL, Music Collection

 

 

 

ONE GOAL = ONE BOOK

If you manage to score a goal, you can choose an exciting book from our gift shelf. Be careful, everyone only gets one try!

Location: NLFL, Retro corner / registration
Time: 5 pm – 10.30 pm

 

 

MEYBAHAR CONCERT

Meybahar is an exciting world music band born from the meeting of Greek and Hungarian culture. The members of the band include the Greek santur (a relative of the Hungarian cimbalom) and the violin, which together create a captivating sound. Inspired by the musical roots of Aegean and Anatolian cultures, they combine an ancient Eastern modal musical heritage with contemporary music.

Location: NLFL, Reading Room
Time: 7 pm

 

 

ARGENTINE TANGO

A dance show and demonstration from the beginnings to the present day.

Location: NLFL, Atrium
Time: 7 pm​ 

 

 

 

 

 

GREEK FOLK DANCE

The Akropolis ensemble is a musical association that has been in existence for several decades and is made up of Greek musicians living in Hungary. The Greek dance performance featuring live music is a real cultural experience for everyone who loves Greek music and dance.

Location: NLFL, Atrium
Time: 9.30 pm

 

 

The programme may be subject to change without prior notice.