King St. Stephen Museum 140
ANNIVERSARY
The King St. Stephen Museum in Székesfehérvár celebrated the 140th anniversary of its establishing. On this occasion the former directors of the museum were put into the limelight and celebrated.
Museum director Zsófia Demeter told the press: during the past 140 years there were two outstanding directors in the history of the institution, who established the future of the museum, Arnold Marosi and Jenő Fitz.
Arnold Marosi (1873-1939) started to work in Székesfehérvár in 1909, with his influence the importance of the public collections revived in the town. In 1911 he opened the first public museum in the so called Pinn-House. In 1929 the thoroughly registered and restored pieces of the collections of the museum were moved into a separate building in Országzászló Square
His name is connected to the uncovering of the Bronz Age earthen fortress near Pákozd, the first excavations in Tác, the uncovering of the Roman Age cemetary near Csákvár. It was he, who established the ethnographical, anthropological and natural history collections of the museum.
Jenő Fitz woked as the director of the museum between 1949-1989. This was the period when the St. Stephen Museum became one of the centers of Hungarian museology and renowned on an international level as well.
His activities were awarded with several prizes and acknowledgements, such as the Ferenc Móra Prize (1995), the Széchenyi Prize (1997) the Gyula Forster Prize (2001). In 1993 he was elected honorary citizen of Fejér County, next year the honorary citizen of the town of Székesfehérvár.
Under his management the open air museum of Gorsium was created; he organized and supervised the excavations and reconstructions. See our article on Gorsium >>>
After the commemoration the bust of King St. Stephen was presented, which was donated by mayor András Cser-Palkovics to the museum this year. The art-work made by Richárd Török in 1988, was placed in the courtyard of the museum..
