National Széchényi Library

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The library (in Hungarian: Országos Széchényi Könyvtár (OSZK)) is located in Budapest; it is the national library of Hungary.

[edit] History

Founded in 1802 by the highly patriotic Hungarian aristocrat, Count Ferenc Széchenyi. Széchényi traveled the world buying Hungarian books, which he assembled and donated to the nation. In the following year the public library was opened in Pest. Széchényi's example resulted in a nation-wide movement of book donations to the library.

In 1808 the National Assembly ("Diet") created the Hungarian National Museum to collect the historical, archaeological and natural relics of Hungary. The Museum was merged into the Library and for the last 200 years this is how it has existed, a national depository for written, printed and objective relics of the Hungarian past.

In 1846 the Hungarian National Museum moved into its new building and it wasn't until 1949 that the Library became its own separate entity again under the name National Széchényi Library. In 1985 the National Széchényi Library moved to its new home at the Buda Castle Palace.

[edit] Collections

Hungarica

Hungarian publishing houses printed copies for every printed material:

- publications and prints of any kind produced in Hungary
- works published abroad in the Hungarian language or written by Hungarian authors.
- non-book materials (sound recordings, video materials, electronic documents, etc.);

8 million items comprising :
- 2.5 million books
- 385 000 volumes of serial publications (newspapers and periodicals)
- 270 000 written and audio music documents
- 1 million units of manuscripts.
- maps totals ca. 200 000
- pictures and engravings is ca. 320 000.
- 3 million posters and small prints.
- microfilm copies of more than 272 000 documents.
Collection of Early Books
- the first book printed in Hungary, the Chronica Hungarorum which was printed and published in 1473
- 8,600 copies of works published before 1711
- 1,700 incunabula dating from the first century of book printing
- the oldest existing text in Hungarian
- the 12th century Funeral Oration
- 35 Corvina codices from the library of King Matthias.