The Hungarian Academy of Sciences will celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2025. Among its members are many distinguished students and teachers who have left their mark not only on the Academy but also on the history of our institution. Imre Szentpétery (1878-1950) historian, university professor was a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences from 1929.

He completed his studies at the University of Budapest as a member of the Eötvös Collegium. He traveled to Germany, France, and Italy on study trips, where he mastered Western historiography methodology and became familiar with the major historiographical trends of the time. Using all this, he wanted to introduce advanced source criticism methodology in Hungary, so he focused primarily on historical auxiliary sciences, and within that, on diplomatics. From 1914, he taught at the University of Budapest, then from 1918 at the University of Debrecen. From 1923 until his death, he returned to Budapest to teach diploma studies, heraldry, and historical auxiliary sciences, and served as director of the Historical Seminar. In 1935, he wrote the history of the Faculty of Humanities, and in the 1939/40 academic year, he was dean of the faculty. He wrote several theoretical works in the field of historical auxiliary sciences, which are still used as textbooks and reference books today. He also made a lasting contribution as a source publisher, publishing, among other things, a critical catalogue of the charters of the Árpád dynasty rulers and Latin narrative texts written in Hungary during the Árpád dynasty. He was a member of the Hungarian Heraldic and Genealogical Society from 1902 and its president from 1932. The manuscripts of his university lectures are in our library's special collection, and some of his documents are in our archives.

According to a survey conducted by Eduline, readers voted the ELTE University Library and Archives building as the most beautiful university library in the capital.

According to an article published on eduline.hu, the editors presented the beautiful and unique university libraries of the capital city in a previous article, launching a vote for the title of „Budapest's most beautiful university library”.  Nine university libraries took part in the competition, among which the library palace located at 6 Ferenciek Square stood out from the field and confidently took first place. Herewith, we would like to express our gratitude for this distinguished recognition.

The doors of our library are open to everyone, and we look forward to welcoming both old and new readers. In addition to providing a place for learning, our reading, study, and community spaces also convey cultural, historical, and architectural values, which are revealed among others in our programs announced as part of the Autumn Festival of Museums and in interactive library tours. Discover the treasury of knowledge!

The library intended to draw attention to the protection of our cultural values ​​and the preservation of our built heritage with our event organized in the University Library and Archives of Eötvös Loránd University in the frame of this year's Cultural Heritage Days.

As the opening of our program series, from 10.00 a.m. the audience could attend a performance by the folk dance group of the ELTE Eötvös Art Ensemble. Our chamber exhibition, opened on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, presents the documents and careers of three outstanding scholars, Ferenc Toldy, Sándor Szilágyi, and Loránd Eötvös, who played an important role in the history of the University, the University Library, and the Academy. The exhibition can be visited during the Autumn Festival of Museums on weekdays from 10.00 to 15.00.  Lovers of books, science and the arts could gain insight into the architectural and historical wonders of the library through our guided tours, learn about the process of book restoration, some of the special items in our museum collection and discover the secrets hidden within the walls of some architectural gems through the films of Kossuth and Béla Balázs award-winning film director György Szomjas. In the discussion following the film, our guest was János Golda, winner of the Ybl, Pro Architectura, and Príma awards. The major events in the history of our University were also explored in our exhibition entitled Book, Robe, Science – Symbols from the History of Eötvös Loránd University. During our events, our guests were able to make unique, hardcover handicraft books, interspersed with Jókai Quiz, bookmark coloring and library puzzles, as well as calligrapher Dezső Buzogány introduced the art of calligraphy.

As part of our series of events, harpist Klára Bábel and cellist Árpád Amirás gave a concert for music lovers. We warmly welcome all visitors to our programs organized in the frame of the Museum Festival!

Péter Bacsó's satire became a cult film even while it was banned. To this day, the film remains an instructive and entertaining memento of one of the most oppressive periods in Hungarian history. After the screening, discussions with experts will focus on topics such as film censorship.

The year is 1950: the film's protagonist is József Pelikán (Ferenc Kállai), a Danube dam guard who is raising his children alone. They have nothing to eat, so they secretly slaughter Dezső, the family pig, which is considered illegal black market slaughter. Pelikán is caught, sent to prison, and then brought before a certain Comrade Virág (Lajos Őze), who tells him that old, reliable communists like him are needed, so he appoints him to various positions of trust. Comrade Pelikán thus quickly becomes the director of a swimming pool, the head of an amusement park, and the head of the Orange Research Institute, but his assignments always end with him being sent to prison after some kind of misstep. Comrade Virág finally asks him to be the crown witness in a show trial.

The witness openly satirizes the era of the personality cult. Even the most absurd scenes in the film have elements of reality, from Hungarian oranges to the socialist spirit railway. The film was not allowed to be shown, and it took nearly 10 years for the first official screening to take place. After the ban was lifted, it was also screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 1981.

Date: Researchers' Night, September 26, 2025; 7:00 p.m. 

Venue: University Square Campus (1053 Budapest, Egyetem tér 1–3., ground floor, A/1 Training room, corridor next to the cloakroom)

Registration

The film was provided by the National Film Institute Public Benefit Nonprofit Ltd.

To mark the 125th anniversary of special education teacher training, a timeline measuring nearly 15 meters was created at ELTE's Bárczi Gusztáv Faculty of Special Education, presenting the history of training from 1900 to the present day, starting with the beginning of standardized special education teacher training. Most of the photos illustrating the important milestones were selected from the Special Education History Collection.

The bilingual timeline was created in collaboration with faculty colleagues from various departments and the ELTE Communication, Marketing and Recruitment Directorate.

The timeline can be viewed in the cross corridor of Building A of the Faculty (Budapest, 1097 Ecseri út 3.).

The object of the month

Zsuzsa Ferge (1931–2024) was a Széchenyi Prize-winning sociologist and professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences at Eötvös Loránd University. After obtaining her candidate's degree (1968) and doctorate (1982), she became a full member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 2002.

Between 1953 and 1968, he worked at the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH), becoming head of the Stratification Research Department in 1960. Between 1968 and 1988, he was head of the Social Policy Department at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences' Institute for Sociology Research, where he was also a senior research fellow. Between 1988 and 1996, she was head of the Department of Social Policy at the Institute of Sociology and Social Policy at Eötvös Loránd University, and from 1996 she was a university lecturer there, becoming professor emerita in 2001. When it was launched in 2000, she was a core member of the ELTE Doctoral School of Sociology and the founding program director of the doctoral program in social policy. In 2005, she was the lead expert at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences' National Program Office for Combating Child Poverty. Her main areas of interest, research, and teaching were social structure, social inequalities, education, social and societal policy, poverty, and the social effects of transformation.

Zsuzsa Ferge passed away on April 9, 2024, at the age of 93. In her memory, a room was inaugurated on September 10, 2024, at the Faculty of Social Sciences: the Zsuzsa Ferge Faculty Council Room (Lágymányosi Campus North Building, Room 0.100C).

In March 2025, Zsuzsa Ferge's heirs donated her desk (dimensions: 180 x 78 x 75 cm), which is currently located in the room named after her.

Source: https://tatk.elte.hu/in_memoriam_Ferge_Zsuzsa

Written by Krisztina Egri

Our latest podcast episode is now available, focusing on the services and developments of the ELTE Library WebApp. The discussion highlights how the application replaces the traditional paper-based library card, simplifies borrowing and membership management, and expands the possibilities of online services.

Topics include:

• online registration and membership renewal,

• customizable notifications,

• the new online bank card payment option,

• upcoming developments such as virtual printing and copying cards, as well as the iOS and Android apps.

The episode is available on our YouTube channel.

The network of libraries maintained by Eötvös Loránd University, the University Library Service, with more than 4.3 million documents, wishes you a successful autumn semester.

Enrollment is free for all university citizens, and can also be arranged online through the ELTE Library WebApp application. The collection of libraries is available from the online catalog.

The ELTE University Library and Archives welcomes all students in the heart of the city centre, on Ferenciek Square. You can find information about the services available in each library, the tariffs, opening hours and contact details, as well as the many online services of ELTE libraries on the website of the University Library Service.

We have launched our new AI-supported podcast series, aimed at presenting our institution, document collection, and services through clear and concise episodes.

The first episode focuses on loaning, answering key questions such as:

• Who is eligible to loan items?
• What materials are available for loan—and what are not?
• How many items can be loaned at once, and for how long?

The discussion also covers the various methods of loaning and returning materials—both online and in person—as well as what to do after the due date has passed, how late fees are applied, and why settling debts on time is essential for uninterrupted access to university services.

Listen to the first episode now on our YouTube channel and in our menu item describing our loan service.