The map collection of Ferenc Széchényi

On November 25th 1802, Count Ferenc Széchényi (1754-1820) signed a deed by which he had donated his collections, including his map collection, to his mother country. Whereas national libraries in Western Europe were mostly formed from royal or princely collections, in Central Europe they were mainly established based on public or private initiatives. In Hungary, an enlightened aristocrat, Count Ferenc Széchényi was developing, at his own expense, a grand hungarica collection in the 1790s, which became the foundation of Hungary’s national library.

National Széchényi Library is going to present the most precious and valuable items of this collection at an exhibition series. Next in the line of the series will be an exhibition presenting the city maps of Library founder Ferenc Széchényi. At the same time, as a result of cooperation between NSZL's Map Collection and the Department of Web Content Coordination, a thematic site has also been launched, which includes the first four parts of the exhibition series.